Poker as a game and profession is finally finding its calling in India. We at Onlinepokernews.in decided to check out the New Crop of Indian Poker which is making inroads in online poker. Aakriti Bhatnagar, our poker correspondent chatted with one such young poker player- Tarun Goyal for the mere mortals and ‘Aggtarun’ for the Poker World.

Tarun is creating a name for himself playing online poker. He was an IT professional living in Bangalore who has gone back to his home-town to become a business man and maybe a professional poker player. He is confident in his skill as a poker player and plans to win the WSOP. Read the excerpts of an interview with Tarun Goyal in the second of the series of Next Generation of Online Poker- GEN P of Indian Poker.

Name Tarun Goyal Poker Nickname AggTarun Fav place to play Online Poker Adda52.com Fav place to play Live Poker Bally’s Casino, Sri Lanka Fav Poker Game NLHE Fav Poker Hand

Q1- Hi Tarun, Thanks for taking out the time to speak with us. To start with, can you tell us when you start playing poker? Basically your poker journey till date…

TG- The first time I heard about poker was from adda52.com. I think I started playing in early 2012. Then slowing started playing online on other foreign sites like Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker etc. Incidentally, I have placed first in all the poker tournaments I have played for the first time in these sites. The second time I may place last, but the first tournament I play I win.

Q 2 – How much poker do you play?

TG- There is no fixed amount of dedicated time. It depends on the mood. Sometimes, I play for 10-12 or 15-16 hrs a day and at times I don’t play for a week. It happens if I am feeling confident about my game play then I can continue but if I don’t, it’s better to leave.

Q 3 – How does your family feel about you playing Poker?

TG- When you start something new, you don’t really think that it will be a way to earn money. It was fun and I particularly enjoyed bluffing. I didn’t particularly feel the need to tell my family. Now, since I am taking it more seriously, my family and everyone around me got to know about it automatically. My father is still not particularly ok with poker but I tell him that I have an edge. I am constantly winning, which is not a matter of being lucky but it’s a matter of skill.

Q 4 – Are you working somewhere?

TG- I was earlier with an IT company but I have moved back to my home town in Bathinda to start my own business. Earlier, I was in Bangalore.

Q 5 – Have you ever participated in any live tournaments in India or Internationally?

TG- Not in India but I went to Sri Lanka in Sept 2013 for Indian Poker Championship (IPC). I took part in the main event but did not get in the money finishes. I won the 5K buy-in event in the same tournament.

Q 6- Who do you idolize in Poker, both in India and Internationally?

TG- In Sri Lanka, I played against Abhishek Goindi and I found him very good. Another player in India is TusharMakhija who is also good. Internationally, I idolize Patrick Antonius.

Q 7- Who are the 3 Indian players , according to you, who can make it big in International Poker Community?

TG- I don’t know a lot of player since I mainly play offline. But I think Tushar Makhija is good. If he has a bad hand and he loses in one game, even in the next game he has the same mood of winning. He doesn’t react badly to loosing which I think is very important. Also, he has experience in both live and online games.

Q 8- What do you do when no playing Poker?

TG- I used to do Yoga and Meditation to exercise the mind and think about success. It helps you to see and change your thoughts for good. Since I am in my home town, I usually play cricket and just be with friends.

Q 9 – What is your one Poker dream?

TG- Win the top prize in WSOP. It’s not about entering, because I am working towards entering it and I will soon. It’s not about the money; it’s the tittle that matters.

Q 10 – What in your opinion should be done to promote poker in India?

TG- When adda52.com was launched it was a new thing and it slowly gave people knowledge about poker. Similarly, knowledge is important. Poker is legal. It’s a skill based game. Based on this information people will become confident that poker can be a game which anyone can play.

Also there is government support. With TDS, we also contribute taxes to the government. So the government has to give its due to the game now.

Youngsters may not have the bank roll to play high stakes, but they have good knowledge. On the other hand, mature people will have the bank roll but less knowledge. So a mix of youngsters and mature players is needed to work and grind together to make the game a success in India.