The Indian poker scene is buzzing as PokerStars India makes a significant move to bolster its presence in the market. Owned by Flutter Entertainment, the popular poker platform has introduced four new ambassadors to its roster, marking a new era for the platform. This strategic move aims to strengthen its foothold in the burgeoning Indian poker landscape and promote the game across the country.
Let’s meet the new faces of PokerStars India: Siddharth Karia, Neel Joshi, Goonjan Mall, and Kanchan Sharma. These players are not just well-known figures in India’s poker community but also bring a wealth of experience and a proven track record in both online and live poker. As trailblazers and passionate advocates for poker, they embody the spirit of the game and are eager to share their knowledge and passion with the community and thereby promote the game. Onboarding them as PokerStars India’s new ambassadors is definitely a significant step forward to promote the game.
Siddharth Karia
Known for his bold and aggressive playing style, the 32-year-old Siddharth Karia is a prominent figure in India’s poker landscape. Currently ranked 55th on GPI India rankings and 54th on India All Time Money list, Karia has close to $200K in live tournament cashes. His best live cash to date is $25,072, which he earned in PokerBaazi Poker Tour (BPT) 100K High Roller in 2019. Last year, he made waves for finishing 5th for $ 11,245 in the ₫ 13,500,000 + 1,500,000 NLH – Hanoi Enter the Dragon by Natural8 (Event #49) at APT Hanoi Billions.
Talking about his online exploits, he has a remarkable resume with over 254 online titles and INR 7.68 Crores in online winnings (Source: PokerGuru). Hailing from Gujarat, Karia notched up his biggest online score in March 2021 during Spartan Poker’s Final Table Series (FTS), where he took down the Main Event for INR 32,26,143. One of his most recent victories include winning the Sunday Head Hunter on Adda52 for INR 3,57,441.
This is not the first time that Karia has been roped in as ambassador. Recognized for his skills, he also became a brand ambassador for MPL Poker in 2022 and is now a proud PokerStars India’s ambassador.
What Makes Him An Ideal Choice for PokerStars India?
Karia’s aggressive gameplay, extensive experience and proven success in both online and live tournaments make him a perfect fit to represent PokerStars India. His dedication to excellence aligns seamlessly with PokerStars India’s vision of PokerStars India’s commitment to high-level poker excellence.
Neel Joshi
Neel Joshi is a formidable force in Indian poker with an impressive track record in both live and online poker. The 27-year-old from Pune scored his first live cash in 2018 and since then has raked in an impressive $207,668 in live tournament cashes. The highlight of his live poker career so far is a massive $72,031, which he earned for a third place in the WSOP 2021 Super Turbo ((Event #86).
This poker prodigy, whose journey began during his college days at BITS Pilani, has amassed a staggering INR 8.63 Crores in online poker winnings (Source: PokerGuru). His biggest online cash came from PokerBaazi’s EndBoss in April 2020 when he finished as the runner-up for INR 65,01,864. Due to his strategic prowess and mammoth scores on the virtual felts, Joshi earned huge respect among his peers. He is not just playing the game, he is dominating it like a boss as he has raked in a mind-boggling INR 4.69 Crores in winnings in a little over six months this year, with over INR 4.07 Crores of that coming from Natural8 India alone. His dominant performance marked by 11 seven-figure victories is testament to Joshi’s commitment, handwork and dedication to the game.
What Makes Him A Perfect Fit for Ambassadorship
Neel Joshi’s consistent success and strategic prowess in poker align perfectly with PokerStars India’s values and vision of excellence and growth and ensure that he will help elevate the brand’s profile.
Goonjan Mall
Well-known as ‘gmtesting’ on the virtual felts, Goonjan Mall is a force to be reckoned with in online tournament poker. With an impressive 90 online titles and a whopping INR 14.39 Crores in winnings (Source: PokerGuru), he established him as a top player in India. Hailing from West Bengal, Goonjan started his poker journey at BITS Pilani during his engineering days as a casual pastime and has come a long way in his journey.
It is not just his online stats that impress you, he is equally impressive on the live felts as well as he has raked in over $104,254 in live events since his first cash in 2017. His best live cash to date is $30,994, which came just this year in May for a commendable third-place finish in the DPT Main Event.
Beyond poker, Mall is former chess enthusiast. Also, he is an entrepreneur and investor, who founded OnlinePrasad.com and even gave a TEDx talk on decision-making – applicable to both poker and business.
What Makes Goonjan Mall An Ideal Representative for PokerStars India?
Mall’s background in chess and poker highlights his strategic prowess. His analytical approach and massive success in poker, coupled with his entrepreneurial spirit and ability to connect with a broad audience, make him an ideal ambassador for PokerStars India to promote the intellectual aspects of poker.
Kanchan Sharma
Last but not the least, we have Kanchan Sharma, who is breaking stereotypes and proving that poker is not just a man’s game. Sharma, who began her journey in 2017, has carved out a unique place in the poker community, winning several prestigious live and online events and amassing a staggering INR 7.70 Crores in online winnings (sournce: PokerGuru). She has won an impressive 107 online titles so far (Source: PokerGuru), including a victory in IOPC #24 -1.50 Crore GTD in 2022, which earned her a massive INR 18,59,690 – her best score to date.
Her live poker resume is equally impressive with several live titles and deep runs in various prestigious tournaments. Currently on top in India’s GPI Female standings, Sharma claimed her first live title in 2022 when she won the DPT 10k Women’s Special for INR 92,400. She followed up that with her victory in the WPT Prime India 12.5K Ladies NLH in 2023, which earned her second Ladies’ event title and INR 1.33 Lakhs. Her biggest live cash to date is ₱ 891,050 ( INR 13 Lakh), which she earned for a 2nd place in the ₱100,000 No Limit Hold’em High Roller 6-Handed Shot Clock Turbo at APPT Manila in 2022.
What Makes Kanchan Sharma A Perfect Choice?
Kanchan Sharma’s inspirational journey and success in breaking gender stereotypes make her a valuable ambassador for PokerStars India. Her role in mentoring and inspiring female players align perfectly with PokerStars India’s vision of promoting diversity and inclusion.
With these new ambassadors, PokerStars India is set to make a significant impact on the Indian poker scene. Their collective experience, passion, and dedication to promoting poker will undoubtedly contribute to the growth and popularity of the game in India. As they share their journey and expertise, they will inspire a new generation of poker enthusiasts and help elevate the profile of PokerStars India.
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