We hope you have been practising your poker skills over the pandemic, because this is where it can all pay off. The India Online Poker Championship (IOPC) 2021 launched on Sunday, and is already raking in players who are raking in their own rewards. The IOPC, in its eleventh edition, is a 22-day long series, offering the biggest GTD (Guaranteed) prize pool of Rs 30 crores in India to date.
Even as things stay digital this year, the online poker tournament aims to get its players going all in, given GTD and the other prizes like the Gold and Silver Badges of Honour, and a diamond-studded 18K gold crown.
Among the star players are Delhi-based professional poker player Nikita Luther and actor Siddhant Kapoor, along with around 40 other high rollers who will be live streaming their IOPC tournament on YouTube, Twitch and other streaming channels. The series have also announced their commentary panel for this high-profile tournament, which include ace poker players Goonjan Mall, Zarvan Tamboli and Kanchan Sharma.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Amin Rozani, Group CEO of Quadrific Media Pvt. Ltd, which operates IOPC, said, "This time, IOPC is witnessing a tremendous growth and demand. We are looking at the player count rise with a 30 per cent increase as compared to the previous year. Also, it is estimated that the tournament series will have over 1.5 lakhs entries and more given it’s going to be the highest GTD ever."
Indian gaming platforms have pulled in more than USD 450 million in the last six years, and the seemingly endless waves of Covid-19 have pushed the growth of digital releases further as many users got hooked to online gaming, given the lack of entertainment options during its crests.
And with poker and other gaming tournaments kicking back on after a depressing few months, you may just get a chance to win after what’s been a while.