Poker is steadily becoming the most-sought after mind game in India. There has been a substantial increase in the number of people acknowledging and celebrating it as a skill-based game. Its popularity soared high during the pandemic, with thousands of people from various age groups falling in love with the game. The game’s acceptance in the country can be gauged from the fact that many individuals have left their full-time jobs to pursue poker as a career and they are doing pretty well.
One of them is Bangalore-based 39-year-old Arun Sriram, who stands as one of the accomplished figures in the Indian poker community with several accolades under his belt. One of his career’s highlights include winning the Adda52 Champions Leaderboard (ACL) tournament, which fetched him the coveted Adda52 Pro contract worth INR 20 lakhs. Revered for his dedication, skill and passion for the game, Arun spoke to timesnownews.com about his love for poker, its popularity and more.
A Peek Into His Background
Giving a peek into his background, Arun told that he is an entrepreneur-turned poker pro whose early career unfolded in the marketing department of one of India’s leading FMCG companies. In 2016, he went on to build a healthcare technology firm in Bangalore. His venture grew from scratch to become the market leader in dental supplies in India. In 2020, he shifted his focus from active work to poker.
When And What Attracted Him To Poker?
Coming from a marketing background, he started his poker journey when a bunch of friends came together for a home game during his corporate tenure. Although it remained a side hobby during the early days, the pandemic reshaped his perception towards the game. The game’s complexity, competitive aspect, and the chance to battle with the best minds steered him into the poker world. His professional involvement in poker started in 2022 and there has been no looking back since then.
Top Qualities Of A Poker Player, According To Arun
Talking about top qualities in a player, Arun said, “Discipline to put in the work, perseverance through failures, and humility in success to realize that there is a long way to go in terms of achieving mastery.
Why People Are Giving Up Their Full Time Job To Play Poker?
Poker is gaining a worldwide popularity as a mind sport and this trend is set to continue, according to Arun. He believes that the trend of giving up traditional careers to play full-time poker is not going to stop due to the growing recognition of poker as a mind sport. Top figures like Magnus Carlsen, the chess champion, participating in events like the Norwegian poker championship serve as a testament to this.
He further added that India’s upward trajectory and growing inclination towards pursuing their passions over 9-5 jobs is a major societal shift. The combination of these factors leads him to believe that the poker is bound to grow and more and more people are set to embrace poker as a career.
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Negative Perception Around The Game & His Motivation To Play Poker
He believes that every sport goes through some sort of negative perfection and poker is no exception. According to him, poker is going through its initial struggles but with more awareness about the skill involved in the game, the acceptance level is going to increase further. He firmly believes that ongoing changes in perception signify pivotal shift and the trajectory ahead promises a huge growth for poker.
Source: TimesNowNews
