India boasts one of the largest and fastest-growing communities of poker players. Likewise, it is one of the fastest-growing markets for poker. Thanks to the growing awareness and exposure of the game, more and more players are joining the poker scene in India.
Over the years as the number of poker players has increased, the fact that Indian players can excel at the game and compete with global players has become more and more evident. There is an increasing wave of new and emerging players in India, who promise a bright future for India in terms of poker.
One such player who holds a bright future in the space is Harsh Bubna, who has proved his mettle through his unwavering passion, dedication, determination and talent.
The initial poker journey
Harsh Bubna is a 30-year-old poker prodigy from Kolkata. Notably, he has been playing the game of poker for quite some years now. This highly talented player had been professionally pursuing a Chartered Account course along with his professional poker career.
Like many other poker players, Hursh Bubna admits to having been introduced to the game of poker on Zynga Poker in 2010, where he learnt the game. After being introduced to the game he got intrigued and started learning more about the game and hasn’t looked back ever since.
Harsh Bubna started playing online in 2015 after making his first online poker account on Adda52. After playing recreationally for around seven years, Harsh Bubna started playing full-time in 2017.
The young pro admits that his poker journey had been quite shaky in his initial years, however, it was his perseverance and determination that kept him going. Despite having a slow and gradual poker journey, his journey has been consistent. Irrespective of the initial struggles, he kept working hard on his game and his efforts and passion had finally begun to pay off handsomely in the past few years.
Live Poker
Harsh Bubna has been playing live poker since 2020. He finished 5th in his debut live poker series at the Baazi Poker Tour 2020. He claimed ₹3,17,100 as his first-ever live cash. Since then there has been no stopping for this young pro.
He has played and cashed at multiple renowned and prestigious live poker series such as the India Poker Championship, Deltin Poker Tournament, Asian Poker Tour, World Poker Tour, U Series of Poker, and Vietnam International Poker Tour among others.
Apart from his success in the Indian circuit, Harsh Bubna has also made a name for himself in the Asian poker circuit. Over his three-fours year long live poker journey, Harsh Bubna has had many impressive final table finishes. He recently made headlines for winning the DPT May 2024 Mini Main Event in Goa, where claimed a hefty INR 7,87,668 ($ 9,459) and his first live title.
So far the 30-year-old player has accumulated $72,821 in total live tournament earnings. His best cash so far has been $9,459, which he won recently after taking down the No Limit Hold’em – Mini Main Event (Event #6) at the aforementioned Deltin Poker Tournament (DPT) May 2024. He currently ranks 145th in India’s All-Time Money List by Hendon Mob.
Online poker
When it comes to online poker, Harsh Bubna has been playing on the virtual felts since 2015, before deciding to pursue poker full-time in 2017. He has as many as 137 online poker titles. Harsh Bubna has accumulated a total lifetime earnings of ₹8.21 Crore from his online exploits alone.
His best online cash to date has been ₹16,11,785, which he pocketed after taking down the 1Cr Patni Millionaire Finale on Adda52 back in 2021. Notably, Harsh Bubna currently ranks 48th in India for his online achievements.
Recent Exploits
Harsh Bubna has been enjoying a great year so far. With countless cashes, nine online titles and a live poker title to his name, the 30-year-old seems to be in good form. He started his title-clinching campaign by taking down the Deepstack Turbo – 12 Lac GTD (6 Max) event for ₹3,01,920 on Spartan Poker towards the end of January 2024.
Later he claimed his second online title at Monster Stack / Rs.4,400 NLHE / Rs.5 Lac GTD event on PokerStars for ₹1,22,489. This was followed by two other titles on PokerStars in the same month, namely at Bounty Builder HR / Rs.7,700 NLHE / Rs.9 Lac GTD event for ₹1,86,473 and Monster Stack / Rs.4,400 NLHE / Rs.5 Lac GTD for ₹1,21,795.
Later in February, he claimed Adda52’s The Ballers title for ₹3,64,932, followed by NPS#65 SLAMDUNK 10L GTD (RE) for ₹1,51,425 in March 2024. He kicked off April by claiming victory at Adds52’s staple Godfather tournament for ₹4,02,105. This was followed by a Monday Smash PKO – 5 Lac GTD title on Spartan Poker for ₹1,19,855.
One of his last online poker titles was the BSS BIG BOUNTY 18 LAC GTD (KO-RE) on PokerBaazi, which he claimed along with a paycheque of ₹3,50,636 on 6th May 2024.
Recently, he shipped his first ever live poker title at the recently concluded Deltin Poker Tour (DPT) held in May 2024 in Goa. He took down Event #6 ₹22,500 + 2,500 No Limit Hold’em – Mini Main Event for his career-best of ₹7,87,668 ( $9,459).
Harsh Bubna’s journey is nothing short of an inspiration to all those who are passionate about the game and are just starting off. His story of unwavering passion and consistent efforts is an inspiration for all the new poker players.
Looking at how far this poker pro has come in the past few years it is safe to say he is one of the shining stars of Indian poker. His results, passion and talent promise to take him higher from here on in the world of poker. Needless to say, Harsh Bubna is a name to watch out for in the Indian poker space in the coming months and years.
Keep following PokerProNews for such inspiring stories of budding poker talents from India’s poker landscape!
