The APL Road Series Vol. 2 is coming to Ho Chi Minh City, May 25 – June 4. Similar to its past events, it’s aiming to attract more than just the local players.
In addition to the loyal Korean players who regularly follow the circuit, around 40 Indian players are expected to attend the event, led by Vikram Verma from India Poker Pros. His goal is to entice Indian players to play outside their home country.
Somuchpoker had a chance to speak with Vikram Verma:
” Poker is growing in India but options to play great live tournaments remain limited in the country. Also, India has sharp taxes on tournaments winnings; it’s one more reason for Indian players to travel outside the country”.
India Poker Pros used to organize events in Goa, India (starting in 2012) but when taxes on winnings climbed to 30%, players began to lose interest; the group decided to go in another direction.
Players who follow the India Poker Pros group outside of India have a variety of motivations according to Vikram Verma. Some of them are looking for more competition: “They just want a chance to play more events than what is currently offered in India to climb the GPI and Hendenmob rankings.” Others are just looking to combine vacation and poker.
The India Poker Pros group has decided to team up with APL in January after attending their first events in China. “The APL is offering our players a great combination of well-organized events, and it’s listed on all major poker ranking sites. Also, its hosted in a fun venue with great entertainment.”
APL Road Series Vol.1: 20 Indian Players
Last February around 20 Indian players joined the APL Philippines hosted at the Royce Hotel & Casino in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Vikram Verma noted that the event was a positive one:
“No Indian players claimed trophies, but several players made deep runs. Rajesh Goyal came with us and was among the chip leaders during the final stages of the Main Event (he finished 17th). Niwesh Sharma also made the final table of the Warm-Up event (he finished 6th)”.
The experience for the contingent of Indian players was overall satisfactory.
Next stop: Ho Chi Minh City
The new goal for the India Poker Pro group is to bring their players to Vietnam.
“We are very excited about this stop, Vietnam is a very appealing country with so many things to see besides poker. On top of that, a big field is expected, which makes the event even more attractive”.
“We are expecting more players at this event than at the APL Philippines earlier this year. Our goal this time is to see an Indian player lifting a trophy; we cannot come back home empty-handed “ – joked Vikram Verma.
To bring a trophy back home, the Indians players will likely have to eliminate a massive number of local players. The last international event hosted by the Pro Poker Club, the APT Vietnam Kickoff Main Event, saw a solid 664 entries. With a slightly lower buy-in, the APL Vietnam Main Event will likely attract even more players.
Louis Hartwell
Graduated in Media Communication at the University of Lausanne, Louis Hartman is a co-founder of somuchpoker.com. He began his career in Cambodia as freelance journalist. In same time he was making his living by playing poker every night at that time. Intense learner, he read dozens of poker strategy books to improve his skills during many years. With a strong interest about poker "behind the scene" in Asia and his communication skills, Louis launched Somuchpoker in 2014.
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