RUMMY of 2020 the NEW POKER? SEEN and RAISED: Celebrating the BANDOOKBAAZ: Indomitable GUNNING for Spirit of the Gaming GLORY Industry in 2020

Volume 1 | Issue 5 | Mumbai | www.gutshotmagazine.com

December 2020 | Pages 42

POKER MILESTONES IS RUMMY OF 2020 THE NEW POKER? SEEN AND RAISED: Celebrating the BANDOOKBAAZ: Indomitable GUNNING FOR Spirit of the Gaming GLORY Industry in 2020

LIVING, LEARNING AND THRIVING IN 2020 AN INTERVIEW WITH AIGF CEO, ROLAND LANDERS 00 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 https://bit.ly/3dlrewn GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 0 0 https://bit.ly/3dlrewn CONTENT

05 Editor’s Note SPECIAL FEATURE: 06 Poker News SEEN AND RAISED! 07 Rummy News 24 Deepanshi Tomar 08 Esports News 32 Seshu Pratap 41 Fun Section 38 Alvina Roy Joseph

POKER RUMMY 10 Poker Milestones 2020 29 What is a Set, What is a 14 Siddhanth Kapoor: Hitting the Sequence, What is a Life Bull’s Eye in Poker Sequence? 22 Cards Speak: Making Poker 31 Is Rummy the New Poker? Content in 2020 27 Pandemic and Poker: PSL ESPORTS 34 Shooting for Fame: COVER STORY Indrajit Singh 16 Roland Landers: Surviving 36 Clash of Clans and Thriving in 2020 40 LawnSky: Streaming on a phone near you

00 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 EDIT

EDITOR’S NOTE

elcome to the year ending edition Wof Gutshot and in case you were under a rock somewhere, nothing much has changed with regard to the pandemic. Although recent news of a vaccine by a www.gutshotmagazine.com pharmaceutical major has brought some amount of much needed cheer.

Our cover this time around features Roland Landers, the top gun of the All India Gaming December 2020 Volume I Issue 5 RMG + LIFESTYLE Federation (AIGF). A key figure in the Indian MANAGING EDITOR gaming landscape, he and the AIGF have Sameer Rattonsey been taking many proactive steps to promote EDITOR-IN-CHIEF the burgeoning gaming industry in the Peter Abraham country. We speak with him about his views CONTENT on how far the industry has come along and Dwayne Fernandes Manthra Koliyer his thoughts looking ahead at the future of Donna Amo the industry as a whole. CONTENT STRATEGY Shriya Ghate With the year end coming up, we do our DESIGN customary wrap of the big news stories of the HB Design Pvt. Ltd. year. That is accompanied by a number of CREATIVE DIRECTOR special features and profile pieces on people Sajid Moinuddin who are part of the gaming industry who work Cover Photography Vishwas Gulati tirelessly behind the scenes. Some glam factor in this issue with actor/DJ Siddhanth Kapoor Volume 1 I Issue 5 December 2020 sharing his thoughts about the game they love and we’ve got articles on games like rummy and Printed and Published by: Peter Abraham for Gutshot Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., S/6-8 Khira Industrial Estate, B.M.Bhargava Road, Santacruz (West), esports as well rounding off the issue. Mumbai-400054

Gutshot Magazine is not responsible for the opinions or views This year has been a forgettable one and all we expressed by individuals or writers that may be included in any part of Gutshot Magazine. The views expressed are for encourage - ment and can do is look onward and upward. On behalf of entertainment purposes only. the entire team here at Gutshot, here’s wishing

By being an author on this site all writers transfers copyright ownership of you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and the manuscript to Gutshot Magazine. for publication in print, on line and Happy New Year! in downloadable form. Permission is also given to publish all subsequent electronic media, reprints, and any other subsidiary print rights worldwide of this article for Gutshot Magazine. The author(s) will have the unrestricted right to reuse this material on condition that credits are included for Till next time, stay safe and keep crushing! prior publication in Gutshot Magazine, to include the issue and date of publication. Interviews are the personal opinions of the interviewee and are not necessarily the views of Gutshot Magazine or it’s Publishers Gutshot Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. take no responsibility for any of their answers or comments. All interviews are subject to editing spelling, grammar, and any content that is not useful may be disregarded when posted/published. PETER ABRAHAM Editor-In-Chief Gutshot Magazine reserves the right to change, update this disclaimer and policy at will without any notice. GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 0 5 POKER NEWSS

Joe Biden gets elected as US president, Poker industry may flourish Donald Trump’s administration had reinstated the Wire Act, which sought to criminalize certain forms of interstate gaming, including online poker. The Biden Annie Duke Gives A administration, however, has assured US citizens that Talk For Motilal he will reverse the Wire Act implying that the gaming industry will be allowed to operate without any unnec- Oswal On Decision essary restrictions. Making

World renowned poker pro, a decision strat- egist, an author, and a performance coach, Annie Duke, gave an insightful talk on decision making to viewers as part of Motilal Oswal’s investment series. Duke covered points such as ‘re- sulting’, knowledge India Poker Championship Conducts One Of The tracking, and hindsight bias. She also empha- Biggest Poker Tournaments this year! sized the three Ps of The prestigious online poker event, Final Table Series decision-making: Pref- (FTS) by India Poker Championship boasted of a mas- erences, Payoffs and sive prize pool of INR 8+ Crore GTD, one of the biggest Probabilities. prize pools for an online gaming event in India. Held between 16 – 23 November, 2020, it was one of the most The webinar was a sought after events this year. huge hit with prom- inent names in the Like icing on cake, the FTS also had five international industry such as and Indian commentators taking viewers through the Muskan Sethi in action, namely Maria Ho, Sam Razavi, Ramesh Tho- attendance. tapalli, Kevin Macphee and Radhika Shankar.

06 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 RUMMY NEWSS

Tamil Nadu Bans Online Rummy And Other Gambling Games The Tamil Nadu government banned all online betting and gambling games in the state last month. The decision was made by the AIADMK government, A New Look for The Rummy Federation headed by Chief Minister Edap- padi K Palaniswami. Petitions for The Rummy Federation (TRF), changed the ban were made after reports their corporate name to The Online Rum- of gambling related suicides, my Federation (TORF) earlier this year. deaths, and cheating began to The decision had been made to keep up increase. The ban includes on- with the game’s rising online popularity. line poker, rummy and other on- They also changed their seal and logo in line gambling apps. This move line with the new name. The organization puts Tamil Nadu in the growing continues to be a self-regulatory body for list of Indian states banning all the online rummy industry. Their objec- forms of gambling and is a ma- tives are to develop and promote online jor setback to the rummy indus- rummy, while also ensuring that online try. The Online Rummy Feder- rummy operators are following the stan- ation (TORF) were in favour of dards and guidelines that will promote a the game’s regulation but are healthy environment for gaming. against its outright ban.

RummyCircle Announces Exciting Christmas Specials RummyCircle announced a Rumble 2020 tournament which will run from 25 De- cember, 2020 to 1 January, 2021. Players will be able to win from a prize pool of INR 75,000 every Rumble Hour. A player with an unbeaten high score by the end of the event will win first place and a prize of INR 5 Lakh. Along with this RummyCircle will also be hosting a Christmas Tournament for all rummy lovers from 23 - 28 December. There will be three finales through the week, each with a prize pool of INR 20 Lakh. Players who don’t qualify for the first finale can still qualify for the remaining two.

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 0 7 ESPORTS NEWS

NRG Esports unveils a $10 million Gaming Fantasy Factory!

NRG Esports, an Ameri- creation of over-the- can professional esports top gaming content and organization based out esports competitions. It LoL and TFT Tourna- of Los Angeles, Califor- lies in the heart of Los nia, has revealed a $10 Angeles. It is a multi- ments to pay for your million worth massive level spot with a unique education? “NRG Gaming Castle” design in the world of on 18 November, 2020. gaming. Executive pro- Personal Finance app It is a 20,000 square ducer Grady says, “You SoFi has decided to foot gaming studio that can technically play ev- partner with N3rd Street mirrors Rob Dyrdek’s ery video game ever cre- Gamers and Riot Games Fantasy Factory or Wil- ated on this giant movie for a series of collegiate ly Wonka’s Chocolate screen,” placed inside of League of Legends and Factory, specifically for the castle. Teamfight Tactics tournaments introducing Meta Melee to students’ lives. Say goodbye to League The prize pool will be of Legends’ Prestige $50k which can only be Points AT the end of utilized to pay for school fees and investment in 2020! shares and other secu- rities. The students will Riot Games announced be expected to open up that LoL fans will soon a free account on SoFi be saying goodbye to Active Invest and to have the prestige points or at some serious LoL & TFT least the way they used to skills to convert their work. The organization is winning prize money into making some significant investment options. To changes to the Prestige qualify, players have to system for the upcoming be above 18 years of age year. With patch 10.25, a new Dianna skin will be re- and be enrolled in a four- leased as the Last Event prestige of the year. year college or university programme.

08 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 www.pocket52.comGUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 0 0 POKER

Poker Milestones of 2020

WORDS BY DONNA AMO

he poker commu- look at amazing poker mo- defeating Siddharth Mun- nity experienced ments of 2020 that even dada at the final table. major changes in COVID-19 could not stop Labroo won a whopping 2020. Many pop- from happening. INR 61.8 Lakh along with Tular live events scheduled an INR 20 Lakh sponsor- this year had to be moved Rubin Labroo ship from Spartan Poker and INR 6.6 Lakh worth online or cancelled due to crowned India Poker the pandemic. But amidst MS Dhoni limited edition this unfortunate situation Champion 2020 Panerai watch. With this the poker industry saw Starting the year on a win Labroo has officially a huge growth, owing good note, Rubin Labroo made his place in India’s to the digital format that took the India Poker poker hall of fame. was being adopted every- Championship by storm where. There was an influx when he was crowned M.S Dhoni becomes of players getting into the ‘India Poker Champion’ PokerStars India poker scene, slowly bring- 2020. The 31-year-old ing the industry into the from Delhi, won the 50K Brand Ambassador limelight. But this wasn’t Main Event after getting The year saw many the only good news for past an enormous field sportsmen in India take poker this year. So, let us of 693 entries and finally continued on page 12 10 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 www.pokersaint.com

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 0 0 POKER

Asia. With all these titles Crore) and his first brace- under her belt, it didn’t let. From entering the table come as a surprise when with the smallest stack to Spartan Poker brought being crowned champion, her onboard as a Spar- this was definitely a mem- tan Poker Pro in June this orable win for him and the year. Aptly nicknamed the country. ‘Superwoman of Poker,’ an interest in poker. MS Luther managed to create Dhoni, one of the big- a mark in the poker world gest players in the Indian which is dominated by cricket scene, was signed men. Her role as a Spartan Poker Pro will be to repre- by PokerStars India as a brand ambassador. sent the brand at all major Suresh Raina was another tournaments as an expert cricketer who was signed poker player.

as the brand ambassador BLITZPOKER for online poker platform Mandovi wins India’s launches in India 9stacks. fourth WSOP Poker’s bad boy and king Nikita Luther signed Bracelet of Instagram, Dan Bilzeri- August of this year saw as Spartan Poker an is not one to shy away India welcoming its fourth from the spotlight. Known Pro WSOP bracelet when pok- for his outrageous lifestyle Nikita Luther is the second er player ‘Mandovi’ won and colourful personality, player and the only Indi- the 2020 World Series his fans expected nothing an woman to win a World of Poker (WSOP) Online. less from the poker star Series of Poker (WSOP) ‘Mandovi’ defeated Rus- when he announced the bracelet. She is one of the sia’s Konstantin Maslak launch of his own poker top poker players in India and bagged a massive win platform: BLITZPOKER in and among the top 10 in of USD 234,433 (INR 1.75 India. With ‘Bigger, Better, Ballsier,’ as its tagline, the platform perfectly cap- tured Bilzerian’s larger than life persona. Joining the QuadNet network which also has Spartan Poker on it, BLITZPOKER was welcomed into the Indian poker scene with much enthusiasm as its launch would help the growth of the poker industry. Re- cently, Bilzerian was roped

12 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 in by GGPoker as brand largest prize pool for an Ho, Kevin Mac and more ambassador (read below). online poker tournament. commenting on the lives- The record prize pool was tream. The event ended WSOP goes Online shared among the top with Arjun Pasricha be- 728 players in the tour- ing crowned as the FTS in 2020 nament with each prize Main Event winner and For the first time in its 51- winner earning a mini- took home a massive prize year history, the World Se- mum payout of $11,834. of INR 40,01,584 with an ries of Poker (WSOP) held The previous record was 18K Gold and Diamond held its entire tournament $21,780,000 and was set studded Medallion and an series online. It was Bul- by partypoker MILLIONS INR 10 Lakh sponsorship garia’s Stoyan Madanzhiev in 2018. by IPC. who entered the history books when he won the New Tourney For- GGPoker Signs WSOP $5K Main Event mats Being Used in Several Big Pros as this September, bagging India for the First Ambassadors a record $3.90 million in Time The year 2020 was a good prize money. But with the The lockdown pushed one for GGPoker as they WSOP recently announc- many poker platforms to welcomed several big in- ing another main event adopt new and innova- dustry pros as brand am- with the traditional freeze- tive ways to engage their bassadors. Poker players out format, one question users. New tourney for- like the 27-year-old poker remains: Will Madanzhiev mats were introduced to coach Fedor Holz, French continue to hold the the Indian poker scene player Bertrand’ ElkY’ title of WSOP Champion promoting the game fur- Grospellier, Felipe Ra- 2020? ther. One of the formats mos, and recently Insta- introduced was the first gram King Dan Bilzerian GGpoker Breaks the Heads Up Challenge by joined the GGPoker fam- Guinness World 9stacks in which players ily. With so much talent on faced each other in a one- board, we can expect a Record on-one game. Prakash spectacular year ahead for When GGPoker an- ‘pinnug’ Gupta was de- this poker giant. nounced the World Series clared the winner of this of Poker Online Tour- event and he took home To sum it up, the poker nament, they didn’t do a prize of INR 200K and industry did not have it it with the intention of a winner’s trophy. India easy, but despite the un- breaking a world record, Poker Championship expected situation and but that’s exactly what (IPC) held the Final Ta- rollercoaster of a ride, the happened. The success ble Series which was the industry has not only man- of the event raised the first online event in India aged to survive but thrive initial prize pool of $25 where all the featured final as well. So, here’s to an million to $27,559,500, tables were streamed live eventful 2020 and hopeful- breaking the Guinness across social media. With ly an even better 2021. World Record for the notable guests like Maria

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 1 3 POKER SIDDHANTH: HITTING THE BULLZEYE IN POKER

WORDS BY DWAYNE FERNANDES

ome of us know him as a techno disk jockey. Some of us know him as an assistantS director. Even more know him as an actor, having played vital roles in films like Shootout At Wadala, Hasee- na Parkar and more. Howev- er, he’s best known as one of the most enthusiastic, caring and fun-loving members of our growing Indian poker community!

We’re talking about Siddhanth Kapoor aka ‘Bull- zeye’ who is a frequent at live poker events and almost a daily online grinder, with several deep runs to his name. If there’s a Highroller taking place in Goa, you’re sure to see him buying into the tournament. But in recent months he’s been restricted, like millions of others, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. Photographer: Sheldon Santos

14 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 Siddhanth is a good friend hour grind. of Gutshot and he decid- “Poker just boomed for me ed to speak to us about ever since the Covid pan- his poker play, his time demic. It was a good time during the pandemic and and actually still is. Yes, a of course, a major online lot of online training and title he won recently. When playing took place ever asked about how he man- since the pandemic hap- ages to fit poker into his pened, and that’s probably daily schedule, he said, some of the reasons I now “I actually manage to find own a WPT title.” time for poker solely because I love the game so Prior to this tournament much. I just find the time win, Siddhanth won a few somehow. I need 5-6 hours online poker titles and and that’s enough to get in plenty of deep runs in daily a couple of tournaments on features as well. Howev- a daily basis. I’m not a cash er, he admits that nothing games person; I like my beats the excitement of “I’m itching, literally itching tournaments only.” being at the mecca of pok- to get back. Can’t wait. I er—World Series of Poker just hope everyone takes Talking about tournaments, (WSOP) in Las Vegas. He the required safety mea- he’s recently been grinding recounted making Day 2 sures and we can get back across platforms including of the WSOP Main Event out there. Yeah, poker’s Adda52 where the World as his favourite moment in amazing,” he said about Poker Tour (WPT) India poker till date! wanting to be at yet anoth- Online recently ended. He er live series in Goa and waded through a field of You would see this friendly maybe even abroad, as he 307 players in WPT India face in live events in Goa was even spotted at the Classic 5 Lakh GTD to take (pre-Covid) and I remem- European Poker Tour (EPT) home his maiden WPT title ber last bumping into him stop in Barcelona once. and Rs.1.25L in prize mon- at the India Poker Cham- His love for the game is ev- ey. Impressive, yeah? pionship (IPC) in January ident and we hope to see 2020, where he came in much more of Bullzeye in “It feels amazing to be to play the Highroller and online and live tournaments a WPT title holder and I if I’m not wrong, the Main to come. Don’t forget to honestly feel it’s just the Event as well. He bricked stay tuned to Gutshot beginning of a lot more to that series but is waiting because he may feature in come,” he said about the to get back to the physical one of our exclusive tour- win. Playing as ‘bullzeye- felts once again, especially naments in the near future power’ on Adda52, he beat after claiming to have im- where we’re sure to place a number of known pros to proved his game since the a special bounty on his emerge victorious in the 6+ start of the pandemic. head!

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 1 5 POKER Vishwas Gulati Vishwas Photographer:

16 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 ROLAND LANDERS: LIVING, LEARNING AND THRIVING IN 2020

WORDS BY SHRIYA GHATE

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 1 7 POKER

What would you say to work together for the specifically not mentioned are the biggest trends common cause of the in any of the ordinances in 2020 as far as the industry, and changing passed till date. Would industry is concerned? the negative percep- this mean online horse Do you see a shift to- tion around online skill racing would be permit- wards esports more gaming, educating and ted in those states where than online skill gam- highlighting the menace wagering and betting on- ing or the other way of illegal offshore betting line is covered under the around? and gambling businesses ordinance? The year 2020 has been in India. In addition to this, an exciting year for the most of the State Gaming At the time the acts Indian gaming market. Acts are archaic and were were put up, there was WFH resulted in more brought into effect much absolutely no digital people participating in before the era of the in- presence. All these online gaming. The game- ternet. Moreover, differing have changed for many play increased three folds state interpretations of industries. People’s way on the online platform and online skill games make it of communication has many online skill gaming difficult to build scale for changed. Look at the platforms reported three businesses. stock market, which times more user engage- is regulated and well ment and 30% higher managed. From the initial traffic in mobile gaming. model of brick and mortar Time spent on gaming At the time brokers/traders/agents, has been on the increase it has completely been with EY FICCI Frames the acts transformed online. 2020 report stating that 662 million hours were were put up, Currently, the Industry spent on gaming. Esports is self-regulated, gov- is one of the emerging there was erned by comprehensive sectors in India but is charters and audits. Rel- still at a nascent stage, absolutely evant regulators should whereas the Online Skill strengthen the self-regu- Gaming sector is now al- no digital lation mechanism of the most a decade old—both sector by backing and en- sectors will witness signif- presence. dorsing it. States should icant growth in the future. view online gaming from the perspective of how it What was the biggest Other than these, there can contribute econom- challenge for you as are certain analogies that ically, job creation etc., the CEO of AIGF? can be presented, let us and understand the differ- The biggest challenge take the banks: ence between online skill was getting the online Horse racing and betting gaming, Indian registered skill gaming stakeholders on horse racing has been companies who follow all

18 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 beneficiary of the mas- members comprising of sively successful digital Justice Vikramajit Sen, India initiative. former Supreme Court Judge, Prof Deepak Over the years, we also Dayanidhi, IIM Kozikode, developed a detailed and other eminent do- strategy, considering wide main experts from diverse scale media outreach backgrounds like aca- and started working at demics, finance, educa- the forefront with various tion, and mental health. stakeholders, conduct- ing events, press con- Which aspects of your ferences, and educating personality and expe- people about the industry rience did you rely on Vishwas Gulati Vishwas and its socio-economic in order to overcome benefits. these challenges? In an industry as dynamic

Photographer: Furthermore, due to the as ours, patience, and lack of central regula- perseverance have helped tion, AIGF has been at me the most in overcom- the laws, including direct the forefront ensuring ing these challenges. and indirect taxation and global best practices for the illegal offshore betting, its stakeholders through Who or what would you and gambling websites self-regulation. The Skill say was your biggest which should be banned. Games Charter which support system this was released in 2018 is year? How did you overcome based on the foundations My colleagues, member this challenge? of integrity, legality, global stakeholders and the AIGF was set up in 2016 best practices, and good industry have been the with a prerequisite to the governance. The Charter biggest support system existing challenges. Our focuses entirely on player working together from main objective was bring- protection, responsible home during these un- ing recognition to the on- gaming including guide- precedented times. line skill gaming industry, lines for advertising in this Earlier this year, AIGF through representations space. had boarded eminent with the relevant state and experts from the diverse central government min- The skill games charter backgrounds like Justice istries and stakeholders has been prepared by Vikramajit Sen, a former to highlight the economic India’s leading law firms Judge of the Supreme benefits of this sunrise and has been vetted by Court & former Chief sector, which is a direct the AIGF advisory panel Justice of the Karnataka High Court, Ms. Fatema

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 1 9 POKER

Agarkar, leading educa- The gaming industry tionist & Founder of the has had an unprec- Agarkar Centre of Excel- edented year busi- lence (ACE) combining ness-wise. What are sports and education, the changes you would Ms. Jhulan Goswami, suggest in our educa- Indian, International Crick- tion/legal/systems that eter and the former cap- would help boost the tain of the Indian National growth of the gaming women’s cricket team industry in India? and Ms. Ishita Pateria, There are some critical Counselling Psychologist policies that each gov- & Psychotherapist to offer ernment should consider their expert guidance and implementing, similar to support. the AVGC in Karnataka. Poker is being used effec- Do you feel like the tively in the curriculum in lack of understanding IIM Kozhikode to help the business continuity is regarding gaming is students in their various always suspect. It has to more this year, given faculties. be completely clear with that more people than proper regulation and ever before are playing Many online learning policies should be imple- online in 2020? systems should also de- mented with guidance Some states are taking velop course content with from AIGF. a negative view towards gaming in a perspective online skill gaming due to that will help many in their By banning, we are in- a lack of understanding local and global pursuits. advertently paving the the differentiation be- Companies have used it way for all the illegal on- tween Skill Gaming vis-à- for enhanced sales reve- line gaming operators to vis betting and gambling nues and customer reten- make hay. They are also –Courts and legislatures tion as well, effectively. not paying taxes. This across the country have This will provide a lot of does not help the govern- recognized games of skill investment opportuni- ment in any way whatso- as separate from betting/ ties to the state as well. ever. People continue to gambling. We have seen in the gamble illegally and the past, progress is made suicide rates also do not I sincerely believe that it is in leaps and bounds and fall. The first step always in all stakeholder’s interest we are also as nimble should be to see if the ille- to regulate/support the to go back on what has gal online gambling indus- self-regulation practices been implemented, with try is completely curtailed like the one followed by equal aplomb. This con- by these states, before AIGF rather than impose fuses everyone and the they go about banning bans.

20 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 digital skill games. The portant now that the digital skill gaming indus- industry’s self-regulation THE BIGGEST try in such cases would be recognized and en- only look to build a base dorsed by the relevant INDUSTRY TRENDS IN elsewhere where every- government ministries so 2020: thing is clear and above that it encourages more • Gaming is becoming board. and more investments more interactive, leading to technological immersive, and social Also, the media pres- advancements as well as ents a lot of noise in data generation of increased • Gaming technologies which cannot be ascribed revenue and employment are becoming more to digital skill gaming. in the country. affordable Interpretations from that • Emphasis has shifted to lead many to consider ac- What is your message localized themes and tions immediately without to all the people who games. Many indigenous looking at each and every are working in this game developers are case with merit. industry? The online gaming indus- building titles in multiple All these will need to be try is one of the sunrise local languages addressed and controlled sectors in India that beat for customized content. by a regulating body em- the economic downturn. • Introduction of cloud paneled with necessary The sector can become ministries. AIGF has al- one of the potential sourc- gaming services Arcade ways been at the forefront es of employment in India and Stadia here to provide any help alongside being a major • Advancement in aug- to institutions who de- contributor to the exche- mented reality (AR) and mand the same. quer through taxation. virtual reality (VR) To sum it up the online • Smartphone penetration Any chances of a gaming industry has a lot with affordable & faster collaboration with to offer to the business any other gaming ecosystem in the upcom- data federations in India? ing future and is a focus • Growth of Digital ecosys- The Online Skill Gaming area for investors in this tem for payments Industry stakeholders sector. • Growing investments in have begun working together for the common Gutshot salutes and cel- the sector cause of the sector. ebrates the industry’s • Increased recognition indomitable spirit, and and growing popularity What are your aspira- wishes Mr Landers an amongst the youth as a tions for 2021? even better 2021! valuable career option It has become very im-

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 2 1 POKER

CARDS SPEAK: MAKING POKER CONTENT IN 2020

WORDS BY MANTHRA KOLIYER

recreational poker player, commenta- A tor, production wiz- ard and content creator. Aditya Wadhwani is all of this and much more. We caught up with Wadhwani to get his perspective about the changing times in our industry. Here’s what he said:

The online poker industry has surged to a great extent during the pandemic. What is your perspective on this? I think an upswing in activity has always been and not just this niche companies have to put up around the corner. The audience? the message that poker is pandemic was a catalyst Mass marketing, while a skill game. of sorts for online poker, a juicy proposition, will especially during the early never be as efficient as The current mass mes- days of the lockdown. targeting existing play- saging is some twisted However, the reach is still ers. More focus needs to version of “It’s like rummy little compared to other be put on converting the or teen patti but different”. sports. That is a pretty already pro poker players This sends a mixed mes- strong indicator that pok- in the metros into viewers. sage to newbies. So they er in India still exists in a This is because poker is come, get cleaned out relative bubble. not the easiest game for eventually by the regulars recreational players to and pros. Then they nev- How important is it to learn, and more impor- er return. Those who get create content that tantly, make any money lucky early on and win a reaches the masses from. Legally speaking, little, get that classic

22 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 the play time of half your audience.

Content is needed and is in demand but it’s not quite engaging enough Especially for what is being spent by some pro- ductions.

The recent WPT, IPC and PSL events with cards up has been a great step forward for content innovation, but it’s still the false sense of security or some content creators like same 200 folk watching it. winning tilt and proceed 9stacks’ who are try- For operators this must be to lose whatever they won ing to pull in the masses. frustrating because they’re citing “bad luck or rigged For example, their recent spending a lot of money RNG” as their problem. Heads Up Championship on operations for major There are other contribu- is a great fun format which events and inviting interna- tors to new player dissat- could be like the T20 of tional celebrities, etc. But, isfaction in the community, poker. The point, as they are getting out done too. One is the classic always, is to put out quality by individuals on organic know-it-all keyboard content and volume con- performance metrics. warrior and troll who sees sistently. posts from new players How do you even justify about bad beats and Tell us about other con- that to your investors? proceed to belittle these tent ideas that you have For my own brand and people instead of helping. apart from live streams. poker’s visibility, it will be Side note, I love those I am working on more about shareable, relatable players personally be- YouTube based content content that will hopefully cause they are the easiest focusing on uploading engage people who are money—the overconfident videos and their re-watch- already playing and want a bad regular! Milking this ing ability. Until you grow fun window into our world. player is a million times your following outside of So stay tuned everyone easier than the crazy new the current poker network and support the growth of fish. Without a good entry your growth is going to be this content! point, mass marketing for limited. Live streams are poker is only going to get going to become increas- Wadhwani has been a consis- you so far, at least while ingly tiring to stream and tent contributor to the poker the messaging has such to watch. The only time community. His effort to bring double standards. you get a good boost is visibility to poker must be when it is late at night, applauded and celebrated. We However, there are which also conflicts with wish him more successes in

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 2 3 SPECIAL FEATURE

SEEN AND RAISED: DEEPANSHI Well known poker player and TOMAR GM Marketing at Baazi Games, Deepanshi Tomar, had quite an eventful year, even by 2020 standards! She spoke to Shriya Ghate about how she used this year to study the game.

24 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 What were your biggest I didn’t want to play the challenges in 2020? game as much, but to At the beginning of the study it. I went through a year, I did very well at the few books, online materi- I have put in a lot Baazi Poker Tour and al, and tried to study the of time in 2020 to IPC. I found myself at the minds of a few poker bud- “ final table a lot in January dies by observing their know the game 2020, and to celebrate, game style. Initially my I booked a trip to Leh. efforts were quite scat- better. At the mo- Unfortunately, I broke my tered but now I am able to ment, I am also knee while climbing an ice place all the pieces in the waterfall there. Following right places. practising yoga this, my movement got and meditation very restricted. Obviously, How did you overcome it wasn’t the greatest thing these challenges? in the Himalayan to happen to me but there As I said earlier, I have were some upsides. put in a lot of time in foothills. I got to spend some 2020 to know the game time with my family with- better. At the moment, I out knowing that the am also practising yoga Who was your big- lockdown would even- and meditation in the ” gest support in the tually give family time to Himalayan foothills. It’s workplace and per- everyone! With ample helping me get back on sonally? time at hand post lock- my feet, both physical- I have been associated down, I decided to read ly and mentally. I will be with Baazi Games as about poker as a subject. ready for beasting soon! GM Marketing for some

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 2 5 SPECIAL FEATURE

taste customers prefer. In this case, I am the restaurant and the customer too! Poker players are constantly looking to sell. Marketing requires the same skills. Being in touch with poker helps me understand the market’s Poker is good, it’s demand. Like it is often said, if you’ve done your exciting, chal- homework correctly, you “ and the person you are lenging, creative, negotiating with are both energetic, gives there to play the game with the hope of walking freedom, glory, away satisfied. and much more. What is your message time. For the community to people within and it is the most trusted site, outside industry? but for me it is home. I Poker is good, it’s exciting, software, and most im- want to mention Varun challenging, creative, ener- portantly, their own intelli”- Ganjoo in particular who getic, gives freedom, glory, gence and intention. I see has been an extraordi- and much more. this lacking in our country nary support to me at It is also a skill-based since the majority of the work and Navkiran Singh, game that has been de- population is punting. who asked after me, both veloped by great players Still, there are some great about my game and other since its inception. In In- players in our country aspects of my life. dia, the industry is going to look up to. There is a Personally, my family has to grow and thus will gen- lot to learn from them. I always been my greatest erate enormous opportu- hope they all grow and support. They have tak- nities for anyone who is take the game to new en really good care of me willing to put in the work heights. Good luck and and in 2020, somehow, from now. we have found ourselves In the West, poker has together. been seen as pure skill. Deepanshi Tomar’s And I am not just talking positive attitude, not just Does being a player about the government towards the game but help in the way that you but the people, the play- also to life, is nothing market the game? ers. They go deeper into short of inspiring. We It’s always great for a it using various tools like wish her the best in 2021! restaurant to know the books, online material,

26 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 INTERVIEW PANDEMIC AND POKER: PSL’S UNSURPASSABLE SUCCESS ” WORDS BY MANTHRA KOLIYER oker Sports When the pandemic first Switching from live to League is India’s hit us, it was a really big online has had plenty of first poker league, blow. advantages. Normally for Pand their captain Our PSL and production a finale, we would fly peo- is Pranav Bagai. As CEO business were entirely live. ple down, pay heavy ven- and Co-Founder of PSL, Our immediate thought ue costs, and our event Bagai has successfully was, what are we going would only last for five hosted a charity event and to do? What was interest- days, but now we have several virtual tournaments ing about the pandemic a five week finale. Team during the pandemic. was that it gave us a lot of owners have also started Manthra Koliyer caught up time to sit back, think and to show greater interest, with Bagai to find out more pivot. that has eventually been a about PSL’s progress and We are a really strong bonus. I would also like to his insights about the years team and we were not mention Sidharth Mishra, to come. ready to give up. We Co-Founder of PSL and started to think about the his team for the produc- TELL US A LITTLE things we did live and how tion and stream aspect ABOUT PSL’S PROG- we could do it online and of the business. All of this RESS DURING THE still remain pioneers in wouldn’t have been pos- PANDEMIC. those spaces. sible without his constant

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 2 7 INTERVIEW support. at least one VPL every AS A BRAND THAT year keeping it as a charity CONDUCTED LIVE PSL HOSTED THE event and also seeing how POKER TOURNAMENTS FIRST CHARITY POKER we could involve other IN THE PAST AND ARE EVENT IN INDIA. HOW companies and eventual- NOW MOVING TO A DOES IT FEEL TO BE ly make this into a global DIGITAL SPACE, DO YOU THE PIONEER? event. This will help with THINK ONLINE POKER I won’t say we are the pi- the negative perception of WILL TAKE OVER LIVE oneer philanthropists, but poker that exists in India TOURNAMENTS IN THE I will say that Virtual Poker and some parts of the FUTURE ? League (VPL), the charity world. The live tournament is event that we conducted, not completely in the past. was super successful. It The VPL that took place One of the most interest- was the first time that top this year only had a bud- ing things that happened poker players across India get of INR 10 Lakhs, but during the pandemic, was were able to come and in the future we aim for that there were significant be a part of something bigger. The virtual poker cultural and habit chang- bigger. For them to play scene is not completely es. Earlier on if I asked for charity was a good in the past, casinos are people to go online and experience. It was a great opening up and people play such games, it was concept and VPL is defi- are getting in touch with something people were nitely a property we will us to host livestream ta- uncomfortable with. The be investing heavily into. bles. pandemic forced us to do We are planning to have things virtually. So I think the overall effect on the game has been mostly positive in some ways as a lot more people are comfortable playing virtually than in a live environment. Online poker tournaments are something that’ll just keep growing, like the recent Spartan Final Table Series that went live online.

We are still in awe of PSL’s suave approach to a crisis. Expectations just keep building and we’re sure PSL will fulfill each of them!

28 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 RUMMY

WHAT IS A SET? WHAT IS A SEQUENCE? WHAT IS A LIFE SEQUENCE?

Do you want to play rummy online and make some moolah? Here, we demystify these rummy basics so you understand the game really well and cash in!

niversally, rummy is played with two decks of cards which con- tain two Joker cards. Amidst all the cards you are dealt, you Uwill need to pick the valid declaration which will make you a winner! You can make a valid declaration by picking and discarding cards from the piles of cards in front of you. Easy peasy! There will be two piles of cards in front of you–one is closed and the other is open. You cannot view the card you pick from the closed deck. The open deck consists of the cards that the players discard while playing the game. Once the game runs its rounds, you will only win at rummy when you group the cards in valid sequences and sets! Let’s understand what these winning horses, i.e. Set, Sequence and Pure Sequence are.

Ground rules: • When you are dealt with 13 cards in total, you can win the game with a minimum of two sequences in hand. • One has to be a pure sequence and the others can be any valid sequence

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 2 9 RUMMY

or sets. Example: • At any cost, a pure • 5 6 7 (No sequence is a must for a joker is used here. rummy declaration. Just a pure se- Before we get into the quence with three details, here is a little cards in consecu- know-how. tive order) • In this game, the cards • 3 4 5 6 (A in each suit start with pure sequence of Ace and end with King, four cards sans the ranking low to high – use of any wild or Ace,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, joker card) Jack, Queen and King. • Ace, Jack, Queen and Impure Sequence King will win you 10 You make an im- points each. pure sequence by • The value of the rest inserting one or of the cards is simply its more joker cards in face value. For instance, a group of three or card 8 gives you 8 points more cards of the and so on. same suit.

How to form Example: sequences? • 6 7 Q 9 If you have a group of (Q is the Wild Joker one will be your ‘Second three or more consecutive here and it replaced 8 Life’. cards of the same suit, to form an impure se- you have a sequence in quence) In any case, one of hand. But there are two • 5 Q 7 8 PJ (Q is these sequences must types of sequences, Pure wild joker here replacing have four or more cards. and Impure. 6 and the Printed Joker And voila! You can now is replacing 9 ) make a valid declaration! Pure Sequence At this point, the scores You can form a pure What is a life of the rest of the players sequence by placing a sequence? are counted. group of three or more If you have a minimum of cards of the same suit in two sequences, one being So there you have it— consecutive order. Here a pure at least, then that the basics of rummy! you must remember that marks your ‘First Life’. What are you waiting for, a joker or wild card will go ahead and make your be invalid. The other sequence can first set, sequence and be pure or impure. This life sequence!

30 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 RUMMY

IS RUMMY THE NEW POKER?

WORDS BY DONNA AMO

ard games have played a sig- my has been catching up to poker with nificant role in Indian culture. many more rummy players joining the Crucial in social gatherings online gaming scene. as a form of entertainment, Popular sites like Adda52 Rummy, Ctheir presence has always been wel- Rummy Circle and Rummy Baazi have comed. Out of these, rummy has been seen an incredible growth in their online the most popular and recognizable. It’s players especially during the coronavirus easy-to-understand rules and enjoyable lockdown. They have kept players com- gameplay have made it a favourite card ing back for more with tournaments like game among Indians. daily and weekend freerolls, loyalty pro- There are different variations of rummy grams, and bonus offers. Going online like Gin rummy which is mostly played has truly helped the industry grow with abroad and Canasta rummy which origi- more users joining everyday. nated in Uruguay. Rummy, unlike Indian rummy is poker, is a card the most popular game which is in the country, familiar to most In- especially in the dians, which gives south. the industry an In the past de- added advantage. cade, rummy has With a rise in pop- found a footing in ularity there is also the online gam- a need to regu- ing space. Many late the industry’s sites have cropped up to offer players an activities, paving the way for organiza- online version of the classic card game. tions like The Online Rummy Federation Its recognition as a game of skill by the (TORF) to ensure a healthy environment Indian government has made it legal to for gaming. play rummy in the country. Rummy’s Although still in its infancy, the online rising popularity in India is rooted in its gaming sector in India is the perfect familiarity which has paved a way for space for rummy to make its mark. many people to engage in online rummy. Rummy lovers can expect this beloved Although rummy is popular among In- game to grow tremendously over the dians, poker’s worldwide popularity has coming years, possibly dethroning poker in some way overshadowed its reach in popularity. in India. However, over the years rum-

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 31 SPECIAL FEATURE

SEEN AND RAISED: SESHU

PRATAPDue to the economic downturn in 2020, Seshu Pratap lost his job at an MNC at the beginning of the year. But thanks to his expertise and network- ing skills, he is now a Solution Architect and Producer at DX Minds. Seshu spoke to Shriya Ghate about what it takes to survive in the gaming industry on the software side.

What were your biggest plications and gave them challenges in 2020? support and solutions. How did you overcome At the beginning of the these challenges? pandemic, I lost my job I think the main challenge I am a self learner of new with a MNC. While the for anyone this year was technologies, and when I pandemic was hurting holding on to their job. take up something I dig as people physiologically, it I believe that everyone deep as I can. Once I do was also hurting us eco- should always have a that, I know each and ev- nomically and I was one of back up plan. Every 4-5 ery key point. And because the people that was affect- years there is a crisis in of this, I am able to explain ed. Luckily, due to my skills the software industry it to others as well. This is and my network, I sur- when a new technology very helpful, especially from vived. I started training ses- arrives and a lot of people the training perspective for sions for anyone from 4th are laid off. It’s important the team I am leading. I std children to profession- that people in this field have real-time experience als. I did a lot of freelance are technically strong and which can help the team. AR (augmented reality) open to adopting new I think these qualities real- projects, I supervised proj- technology. You must al- ly helped me get through ects for OTT mobile ap- ways be one step ahead. these challenges.

32 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 SEEN What were some learn- long way. ings that got reinforced AND in 2020? 2020 experienced un- RAISED The important thing is, precedented growth in don’t stick to one solution. terms of users because Whenever you create a of the pandemic. What users is also important, game, for example, there are your thoughts on especially when you’re may be some challenges. this? introducing something And often we get trapped In the pandemic, people new so that their interest by thinking that our solu- not only wanted entertain- is retained and they keep tion is the best one. But ment but also knowledge coming back. we need to see through all and time-pass. Travel time the other ways. We should was of course gone, but What is your message be ready to listen to elders also, there was no judge- to people outside the and to youngsters. Don’t ment from people at work. industry? degrade anyone. Give No one was watching or My main message is that people in your team two or blaming you! This is why I games are not going to three chances to come up feel there was an increase ruin people. In fact, games and match others. That’s in the membership. What will help them increase the way you can be a most people don’t under- their concentration levels good leader. stand about games is that and make them empow- they can be educational ered. The level of immer- Who was your biggest as well. Look at PUBG, for sion games offer is actually support in the work- example. You learn how good, because when a place and personally? to strategize, you improve person plays they can My workplace connections your logic, and you also forget everything else and over the last 12 years in the learn to play as a team. focus on the game. This industry have really helped is why games are being me to survive. They asked How can you prepare used to educate. Different for my support in their for a wave of new users genres give different skill projects, and I was able to from an architecture or improvements. provide it as well. Because software point of view? of this I was able to do Whenever there is a user Constant innovation some international projects pile up, you have to make and learning new skills too. Whenever there is a sure that the custom- seems to be the theme situation like this, you can er experience is good for 2020 and indeed either go on a strike path or you will stop receiv- many more years to or get a reference through ing financials and user come. Seshu’s story is the network. Regardless, acquisitions. You must a testament to this fact. you have to prove yourself. regularly change themes We wish him many more Communication skills and and improve functionality. successes in 2021! a good attitude also go a Communication to the

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 3 3 ESPORTS

SHOOTING FOR FAME: INDRAJIT SINGH

WORDS BY MANTHRA KOLIYER

ndrajit Singh runs four YouTube channels, is a master at editing and a top notch gamer. The Iphrase, ‘humble begin- nings’ fits perfectly for the character of Indrajit and his rise to fame. We, at Gutshot, had a chat with Indrajit Singh, an esports content creator from Mathura. 1.29M subscribers

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. I was born and raised in Mathura. I moved from the interiors of Mathura to Delhi because everything I wanted to do required better technology, includ- After completing 12th Tube in nine months, they ing the internet, and I found grade, I was preparing to started believing in me. Delhi was better for that. I clear entrance tests for the I purchased a laptop with am a 22 year old full time Indian Air Force. This was the money I earned and YouTuber and I own four the time when I started started my journey. channels. My first channel, photo editing. My fami- known as ‘Ritesh Creation’, ly members were initially HOW DID YOU that I began in 2017, was skeptical about the path I BECOME A CONTENT about photo editing with was taking but when I was CREATOR ? the help of a mobile. paid INR 45,000 from You- I started with editing pic-

34 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 tures and have now be- ground etc., should be very BROUGHT BACK. come a content creator who neat. WHAT CAN INDIANS does gaming. The same Upgrading content: You EXPECT ? friends who encouraged me need to upgrade yourself The logo could have some to edit photos also installed according to changing Indian reference. the first game I played. As trends. PUBG has given people a a fan of YouTubers Poorga- huge dream that esports mer and Dynamo, I loved “When criticism could also be a career for watching their game. many. So much so, people But I wanted to do comes your way, have also reached various something different than levels of tournaments, etc. streaming. So I started take it, because It will come back better making videos that would than before. help people play PUBG people that criticise in a better way. I started you only help WHAT ARE SOME a YouTube channel called OF YOUR BIGGEST ‘Bandookbaaz’ where I you grow” ACHIEVEMENTS? used to make videos about HOW HAS YOUR LIFE- tips and tricks. With the Predominantly, people STYLE CHANGED help of that channel, I hit a get greedy when they think AFTER BECOMING A record of 100K subscribers about YouTube and begin a CONTENT CREATOR? in a day. channel mainly to earn, but I have been able to live that should not be the case. in the capital city by HOW HAS THE PUBG You need to invest time in myself with the money I BAN AFFECTED YOU? creating content for your earn by creating content. At first it was intimidating. channel to even get recog- That itself is a very big Later, the ban also forced nized by YouTube. Until you deal. I have started to us to explore other games. take it seriously, it does not take all the criticism that Now, in one of my chan- take you seriously. comes my way. I have nels called ‘Baazi Gaming’, Each individual that wants started to believe in I stream PC based games. to become a potential myself and my craft a lot YouTuber needs to know more. Many of my rela- ANY ADVICE THAT what content they wish to tives have also started YOU WOULD WANT upload. If you clutter the following my footsteps. TO GIVE POTENTIAL channel with everything, STREAMERS ? then it also confuses the Indrajit began with just Thumbnails: Very import- audience. one channel and now has ant as the first impression more than a million sub- is the last impression. THERE HAVE BEEN scribers. This surely is a Content quality: Tone, RUMOURS THAT tale of success we can all sound/voice quality, back- PUBG WILL BE look upto!

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 3 5 ESPORTS

CLASH OF CLANS: STILL GOING STRONG

WORDS BY SAMEER BAIG

he mobile gaming games that keep play- known as COC. The aver- industry is worth ers glued to their mobile age lifespan of any mobile $68.5 billion, so phones & tablets. The game is not more than it wouldn’t make one that caught our atten- three months (which is Tsense if we didn’t look at tion was Clash of Clans true only for 10% of the some of the top grossing by Supercell, popularly games. Most games

36 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 drop within three days of premium and gain advan- 5v5 format based on the their launch). We picked tage over other players. Clan War Leagues, plus this game specifical- $1 Million in prize money. ly because of its eight CASHING IN CLASH In addition to these, year legacy and how it An article by Casey you can see players like still continues to domi- Johnston for The New Sumit 007 who stream nate the mobile gaming Yorker, “Clash of Clans attack strategies on market as one of the top proves that our impa- YouTube with a sub- preferred and played tience is worth billions” scriber count of 10.5 games online. gives a gist of how lakh which speaks vol- organizations like Su- umes about the popu- GAMEPLAY percell can set up a larity of COC in India. Inspired by World of War- business worth USD722 craft and Travian & Gaunt- million by targeting the let, COC is a fermium impatience and spirit of DID YOU strategy multiplayer online gamers. KNOW? game. Every player has Games like Clash of their own village which Clans are designed to they work on for years to keep their audience As per the App Down- build using four major engaged for the long load & Usage statistics resources: run. Being a multiplay- of 2020, Business of a. Gold - for upgrading er game, it ignites the Apps reported that some of the buildings, spirit of competition there are over 1.85 storages, defenses, and among its players. It million different ap- traps of their villages. keeps them hooked plications that are b. Elixir - for training & by sharing constant available on the IOS upgradating of some of in-game updates and platform and approx- the troops for battle and short character anima- imately 2.56 million upgrading buildings and tion films on YouTube. apps on the Android storages of their villages. platform for users c. Dark Elixir - for train- CHAMPIONSHIPS to download. Sen- ing & upgrading of the Launched in 2012, the sor Tower in a report dark troops and the 4 he- game hasn’t only been stated that there were roes who assist the troops doing well but has grown more than 42.1 billion in attacks and defenses of rapidly over the years. mobile game down- the villages. Listed on the Pro ESL loads in 2019 and 28.5 d. Gems - targeting the gaming tournament, the billion mobile game impatience of the players Clash of Clans World downloads in H1 2020 for faster upgrades and Championship currently from Apps Store and better performance where features six months of Play Store combined. the player puts in their real action packed compe- money to make the game titions and a brand new

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 3 7 SPECIAL FEATURE SEEN AND RAISED ALVINA ROY

JOESPHAlvina Roy What were your biggest challenges in 2020? Joseph, AVP I think the biggest chal- Marketing at lenge was not having my team in front of me. Spartan Poker, spoke Pre-pandemic, we would to Shriya Ghate find a way to sit together in large board rooms about what made her to discuss the upcoming tick in 2020. campaigns, to coordinate, and to brainstorm. But all of that was obviously gone. Something that took half the time earlier, took that much longer. Vendor calls doubled up and coordina- tion became extremely time consuming. Apart from this, fitting into domestic life and finding a work-life balance was also a challenge.

How did you overcome these challenges? At first it was incredibly difficult to deal with the fact that we were going to be at home for six months with nowhere to go. But I think

38 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 SEEN once the realization sank in, going to work out! we all started to adapt to AND the new lifestyle. Who was your biggest RAISED support in the work- What were some of the place and personally, qualities that helped you who helped you over- sleepless nights, especially overcome these chal- come the challenges? while planning the biggest lenges? I think I am very lucky to tournament, IOPC. But my I had to be very accom- have not only good men- team has been dedicated, modating and patient. I tors but aggressive ones! ambitious and aggres- had to take in everybody’s Anuj Barasia and Amin sive at every step. Yesha, perspective. Working and Rozani have pushed me Aishwarya, Anushka, An- living with flat mates during to go above and beyond vay, and the creative team the pandemic was difficult what I thought I was capa- need special mention here. as everyone had their com- ble of, and pull off projects Also, the customer support mitments and priorities, but without a set up. They gave team, which had the maxi- we all had to make it work. me the opportunity to ex- mum challenge of speaking Patience is definitely the ecute things and I am very to the players and solving virtue that helped me pull it grateful for it. Despite the their issues while working off. I also had to be mental- fact that we were not in the from home. ly stable and tolerant. You same office space, they wanted to go out but you were very patient and en- What is your couldn’t, and all you could couraged me throughout. message to people out- do is hope that things were Nasir Patel, a friend and side the industry? colleague, is one person Real money gaming is only who has been an important growing. Eventually it’s go- part in driving me forward ing to have several routes and has been very sup- for success. I think we have Patience is portive, especially when all done some great work, definitely the it comes to cross-depart- despite the challenges of “ mental functioning. WFH! I think with 2020, we virtue that Apart from these indi- have pulled off the worst helped me pull it viduals, I think my team year in the history of living. has been extraordinari- 2021 is definitely going to off. I also had to ly supportive. They have be much, much better really gone beyond work- than this! be mentally ing hours. Despite the big stable and number jumps, they have We wish Alvina the best of pulled through successfully. luck for 2020! May she go tolerant. We had many phases of from strength to strength!

” GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 3 9 ESPORTS LAWNSKY: STREAMING ON A PHONE NEAR YOU

WORDS BY MANTHRA KOLIYER ow long does it take to get famous video. I take every com- if you’re an Es- ment and feedback very Hports streamer? Six seriously. months or Nine months? Here’s Akash Deep Singh Can a person be an Mehra a.k.a LawNSky, a esports player full newbie in the field of esports time? Any advice you but a pro streamer on You- would want to give Tube. With more than 20,000 potential streamers? subscribers on YouTube, If you would have asked Mehra’s breakthrough within “Consistency me this question an year six months of streaming is or two ago I would have outstanding. Let’s take a look is the key!” said no, but in the last at what this esports enthusi- two years the gaming ast has to say: scene in India has shown a drastic uptick. If you want to be a How did you start streaming PUBG? esports player full time, you must know What do you think about PUBG’s what you are best at and then give your comeback in India? best shot. Overnight success takes a I started streaming PUBG on 6 May, long time!. 2020. It’s been almost six months as a streamer, but in reality I have been doing Tell us about your association this for much longer. One day I finally de- with Noble Esports. What are you cided to do it for real and I also got very expecting from their first Bootcamp good feedback from the live audience. in Mumbai ? Let’s expect a good beginning of year I recently became associated with No- 2021 with PUBG back in full swing! “It’s ble Esports. I am glad that they found better late than never!” me worthy of representing them and I feel proud of being a part of such an Your content looks different. Tell us esteemed international organization. All why. I expect from our bootcamp is a healthy I do a self evaluation of my content just environment where we can have team before and after I upload any of my synergy and I am very excited to be videos or live streams so I can make there and share the space. improvements and patches in my next

40 GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 FUN SECTION

Did you know? 1) The first attempt at video games was in 1947 and 1958, with the moderately recognizable game, Tennis for Two. On 19 October 1972, the first video game competition took place at Stan- ford University. Over 10,000 players attended the event. To know more, Click Here!

2) Initially, poker was played for gold nuggets, gold coins and even gold dust. There was a need for a standard unit and that’s when gaming houses came up with the idea of poker chips. Poker chips used to be made of ivory, bone, clay, and wood back in the day. To know more, Click Here!

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Quiz Time! Answer the following questions and two lucky winners stand a chance to win a customized swag bag from Gutshot! Hint: The answers to these questions are on our website and magazine!

1. When was the first WSOP bracelet given and who was the first champion to bag the prize? 2. Which Bollywood actress joined hands with a gaming platform in 2020? 3. What is the Scottish English slang word for slot machines? 4. In a movie, who runs Baadshah Detective Agency and is asked to procure diamonds from a dealer in a casino?

Rummy Word Search winner Congratulations!!! The winner of the Rummy Wordsearch is Mr. Devvrat Singh. Please email us your contact details in order to avail your prizes.

GUTSHOT DECEMBER 2020 4 1 http://bit.ly/2WiGyC8