The Rise of Poker in India

In our latest feature column, we examine the Indian poker boom and reflect on PokerStrategy.com's efforts to embrace the Indian community.

Indian poker phenomenon, Vivek Rajkumar

India is an astounding country. Its most remarkable feature is its diversity - not only in a geographical sense with its blend of arid desert and monsoon inflicted landscape, but in a human sense too. India's 1.2 billion people make up a pluralistic, multi-lingual society.

Forgive the stereotype, but Indian people are known for their intelligence and prodigious work ethic.

There is also an inherent passion and zest for life present in the Indian population. This passion manifests itself in things such as for cricket, and the adoration of cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar in particular.

So how does poker come into the picture? Well, it looks like many Indian people are beginning to channel their intelligence and resourcefulness, as well as their passion for new things, into poker.

Poker on the rise

Things seem to catch on pretty quickly in India. When current Indian chess champion Vishi Anand shot to fame in the 1990s by playing a series of matches against Gary Kasparov, it inspired a whole new generation of chess players.

The success of players such as Vivek Rajkumar could pave the way for something similar in poker.

It's not just poker that is booming in India. The country itself is developing at an alarming rate. The impoverished slums of Mumbai and Calcutta may still be there, but India's business and economic sectors are thriving. Indian telecoms and I.T. companies are becoming key players on the international scene. The 20-20 Cricket Indian Premier League is just one of several symbols of India's newly acquired wealth and glamour.

It was this context of overall growth, along with the sheer size of the potential market, that persuaded us to broaden our horizons at PokerStrategy.com and reach out to the Indian community.

With Macau now established as a gambling hub and a symbol for Oriental interest in the game, India is seen as poker's final frontier.

Poker in India

Since the 1990s, India has reaped some of the rewards of globalisation and a democratic government, and now boasts the world's fastest growing economy. Pockets of great wealth have emerged alongside more traditional, subsistent farming environments. Although India still needs to make colossal improvements to its infrastructure, many people are enjoying more a prosperous living.

Wherever there's money, there can be poker.

However, India's current anti-gambling legislation allows only off-shore casino establishments. Authorities in Goa - one of India's most popular tourist hotspots - have found a way round this by developing casino cruise ships. The Casino Goa, for instance, is located on the yacht M.V. Caravela in the River Mandovi.

Other casinos that have sprung up include the Casino Royale Goa, Casino Pride and Casino Carnival. PokerStars have recognised the burgeoning growth of poker in India by giving away $1,726 prize packages for the Casino Pride Poker Event (which ran from Sept. 2-4).

According to the perspective of one tourist - "bloodyo" on twoplustwo, the Goa card rooms are far from perfect. There is a $65 casino entry fee,  and some "home-game style" collusion in regional dialects.

The Casino Pride cruise ship illuminates the River Madovi

Despite the imperfections, Madhav Gupta, whose company Piranha Creek runs the poker room for Casino Pride, remains optimistic about poker's growth, "Beyond just the 18-25 year olds we are also seeing players over the age of 40 who are moving from flush (teen patti) to poker. Right now the majority of players come from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, with Bangalore being the biggest market. As exposure to the game increases we expect it to move beyond these cities."

Gupta credits the Zynga Texas Hold'em application on Facebook as being instrumental in increasing poker's popularity. Indian people are also renowned for being numerically astute, which means poker's mathematical intricacies are easier to grasp. Gupta still anticipates another four or five years, however, till there is a genuine, nationwide poker boom.

The man flying the flag for poker in India is Vivek Rajkumar. Identified by exuberant pro Daniel Negreanu as one of world's shrewdest tournament players, Rajkumar has amassed over $3.5 million in live winnings during his fledgling career. He took down the WPT Borgata in 2008 for a handsome $1.4 million pay day.

Great for the Game

Only a few twoplustwo users on the "Poker Booming in India" thread have expressed trepidation. They say that because of the fundamental wage disparaties between India and many Western countries, an Indian poker boom will give rise to a plethora of nitty, micro-stakes grinders eeking out a living. Some pessimists envisage a similar scenario to what happened in China, where PokerStars busted a collusion ring of DoN grinders all operating from the same warehouse.

These cynical comments are few and far between. 1.2 billion people gripped by poker would signal a momentous triumph for the game. We won't be seeing WPT-esque buy-ins, but the finances are all relative. The most important thing is the interest.

Who knows, there may even be a Bollywood version of Rounders.

To read about the rise of poker in Macau and East Asia, in the first part of our "Rise of Poker" series, click here.