Indian poker player Jai Saha only had two cashes worth around $16,000 based on The Hendon Mob before he decided to play at European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona.
Saha who is an IT professional qualified via an online satellite event which had a buy-in of €40.
He received a seat at the €1,100 EPT National where he had a great run and ended up finishing in seventh place to take home €95,100. That is a lot of money for any poker player but even so for an Indian poker player as when you convert the same in rupees, Saha has won more than 75 lakh Indian rupees.
The fact that he was able to make so much money playing poker is a great story that will inspire thousands of other poker players in India as well as individuals who have never played poker to see if they can also have a Saha moment.
Journey to Victory
Saha’s journey to victory began when he took part in an online satellite which awarded just one seat to the EPT National. He managed to win his way into the event, plus an additional $1,500 for travel expenses. He took confidence from his online poker success and used it to fuel his run at the EPT National event and reached the final table. He had to compete against some tough opponents but he kept his cool and got his biggest payout till date.
While his interest in card games started when he was just a kid, Saha got into poker during his college days. He has a degree in engineering and currently works in IT. The 24-year-old plays online poker mostly just for fun during weekends. He rarely takes part in live tournaments, and his first major live event yielded some impressive results.
Indian Poker Continues to Grow
Most states in India still consider poker as gambling and have laws that make it illegal to play for money. However, the online poker market has continued to flourish despite legal challenges. Saha is committed to playing more online qualifiers going forward and it is highly likely that more Indian poker players will start focusing on online qualifiers to live poker tournaments around the world.
Online qualifiers offer a cheaper method of entering a huge event, with buy-ins that can accommodate all players regardless of their bankroll.
