Pokerguru Mentorship Program

[intervention]

Apply here to be selected for the program. Mention as much details as u can, more information u provide better chance of getting picked.

[dark horse]

What is the criteria?

[techdemo]

Read http://www.pokerguru.in/forum/entry.php?233-Quick-Update-and-Pokerguru-Mentorship-Program

[BabyShark]

Hi Aditya!

Thank you for starting this program for the future superstars of poker. Whether selected or not I shall be following this with great interest.
I was watching your sunday million when you got knocked out with AK against AA...commiserations on that.

My name is Simon. Not sure if you remember me but I met you in Casino Pride last December during the Pokerguru tour. Rajat remembers me a bit since I've spoken to him a couple times.
I'll try to keep this brief. I'm a wannabe poker pro. I play online poker very regularly (6-8 hours everyday) and have been doing so since end of 2009.
I play SnGs and few Mtts at extremely micro stakes.
I have racked up more than 7000 tourneys (FTP and PS put together.) So I've really put in the hours and encountered most situations in online poker (at micro stakes).
Unfortunately, I'm a losing player online. I'm not proud of it but it is the fact that I'm looking forward to rectify with some help from you guys.
I'm a huge fan of this sport (yea I really think of this as a sport). Almost all my waking hours are spent thinking about the game and somewhat childishly dreaming to get that one big score.

My OPR stats can be found here: http://www.officialpokerrankings.com/pokerstars/DoctorPorker/poker/results/F9094ACA41D441C7AD1D7B4DD972B1FF.html?t=2&scp=190

You can see my ITM % is 15% which is not too bad but somehow the ROI is terrible(mostly because of bad bankroll management initially) . I know almost everyone says don't be results oriented but having played for so long, then seeing that kind of stats is tough.

If you have the time, I have a load of hand histories that you can view samples of, if that will help you decide.
I really really want to make it big in poker. I dream of it everyday.
It's just a matter of the right timing and a little bit of luck, I'm sure I can make this a career.
I know how hard poker can be because I've been grinding for a long time, so in terms of commitment there can be no doubt I will give my 100%.

I don't want to make this post too long, so if you need anything from me pls let me know.

Thank you very much.

Cheers!
Simon

[Acehighallin]

hi i would like to apply...i started playing poker online in 2010 so i am relatively new at this....in recent times i have played lots of micro MTT in PS...i reached money positions in almost all of them but in the semi late stage where 1000 players are remaining (out of say 10,000) i lost concentration and i end up losing my stack...same happens after i get a bad beat in late stages....also i get intimidated by others chip stacks in my table....and one importent thing that you should know about me is my bankroll management is awefull, i lose most is cash so i am staying away from cash games now....i know poker needs patients so in terms of commitment i will give my best...thanks

[intervention]

would be helpful if you guys include general background information. Whats your age? married/single/kids, city, job or student, how often u can play, whats ur financial situation etc etc, any information helps

[BabyShark]

Hi Aditya!

I was worried I might put too info and bore you but I just spoke to Rajat and he's given me the license to add more information to my earlier post.
So here goes:
Some background about me....I have more than 10 yrs work experience with different multinational companies. My last job was as a Technical Lead for an IT company in chennai for 5 years. Then I totally got fed up with the corporate rat race, chucked my job and went to Taiwan for a year and a half to learn Mandarin Chinese! Very tough language to learn but it was a lot of fun. The cute taiwanese girls made it easier to learn.
I'm back in chennai now and pursuing my poker conquest.
I am single, there's 3 of us in my family, my mom, bro and me. I am currently unemployed not because of a lack of opportunities, I just want to give my best shot at Poker and having a job and playing poker full-time is just not doable.

I get along with people quite easily and like to share information which will help everyone.
I am no saint but in my heart I believe that everyone is good. It's only because of circumstances that cause people to change.
Whenever I get terrible beats, like the last couple days or have a bad day for whatever reason, I remember this quote "Success is not the key to happiness, Happiness is the key to success."
I am a big fan of "The secret" author Rhonda Byrne. If you haven't read the book, please do so. It will change the way you see things. If nothing, it has given me a lot of confidence and faith in my own abilities.

I can keep adding more info but I will stop at this for now.

Anything else you need to know, don't hesitate to ask :)
Simon

[Acehighallin]

i am 23, single, kolkata, doing mba, i can play daily...in case of sng and cash games i can play for 3-4 hours and for tournament i can play 2-3 each day, since i am a student my financial situation is not very good and i don't ask my parents for money to play poker, i teach some college students mathematics (graduation level) and what ever i earn from that i use most of it to play poker...thanks

[Indian avatar]

HI Aditya,

My name is Saumil Krishnani from ahmedabad city, i am right now on the verge of completing chartered accountancy course.

I am interested in joining the internship as its my dream to get trained under you Aditya as i respect you a lot because of your poker game style.

My exams will get over by 7th of may and after that i want to dedicate my life totally towards poker and want to become a professional poker player.

I have won many freeroll tournaments, the highest bankroll online i had made was 300$ with a 10$ but den busted it out.

I have been studying this game since past 3 years and i feel i am good at it and thus want to get better and i think this the best place where i wont just get better but the best.

I just won second place in a local tournament with 60 players and 2500 rebuy tournament, i made 20k.

I crack small cash games here with 500 buy in.

but just because of the bad beats i am break even in cash games.

Waiting for your reply,

Thank you
Saumil Krishnani
email id: saumilkrishnani21@gmail.com
pne.no : 8905324971

[SuicideSpree]

Hi,

I am Prabhat Mukherjea, I am a 26 year old single guy from Calcutta. I am a professional poker player, live alone and I can be free pretty much all the time. My financial situation is excellent and I don't have any concerns about living expenses etc. I am a graduate from the National Law School of India and worked at an MNC for around 8 or 9 months.

I am primarily a MTT player, I have winnings of around 59,000$ online at an ROI of 20% over 6400 games. I also have live cashes worth around 24,000$ in tournaments at Goa. I have 4 years experience at poker and have played large amounts of all forms of poker including SnGs and cash games. At this point my primary goal is to improve my game dramatically. I am more interested in boosting my skill as far as possible rather than having short-term financial or volume targets, and I am really looking forward to learning as much as I can about tournaments from Pokerguru team pros and mentors as well as everyone else who wants to be a part of this program.

[BigBlufferAY]

Hi Aditya

This is Anil Yadav from hyderabad. I am 28, single, playing poker full time. i have been into online business before started playing poker a year ago. After browsing through many poker forums i believed poker can be taken up as a career and started playing it seriously since June 2011..
I have been grinding out 180 mans on stars and built up my roll to 3000$ (over 7K games played so far) from 10$ within 7 months.. Not much success with mtts except few decent scores but i really want to be a big MTT player.. I lack focus at end and spew it away most of the times and the bad beats get to me very easily in MTTs compared to 180 mans.. As i am completely dependant on poker for money i have been withdrawing money regularly and with the recent downswing i am left with not much of BR.

My OPR stats :http://www.officialpokerrankings.com/pokerstars/BigBlufferAY/poker/ratings/20BDF5F4805A47278FD2EE74FAF81609.html?t=3

I am very much interested in joining your mentorship program and wish to take my game to the highest levels.. :)

Thanks and Regards

Anil
Email ID : aybigbluffer@gmail.com

[antilog]

Hi,

I am Sahil Agarwal, 23 years old single guy from bhubaneswar, orissa. Presently, i am working with Infosys Limited as a Systems Engineer.
I have been playing online since a year now and have had some marginal success. My nick on stars in Antilog.
The lack of discipline in selecting the games has kept me down mostly.
Currently, strictly following BRM, i am mainly playing the $2.5 180 man SNGs on stars and have had decent success.
Inspite of my work, i find at least 4-5 hrs everyday for poker and weekends are completely dedicated to poker. So, basically i can put in enough hours for the game.
And about poker being primary source of income, trust me there's not a single day when i do not wake up with a dream of playing poker professionaly.
Being a part of this mentorship program would be the best i could have ever asked for. Really looking forward.

Thanks,
Sahil

[ashutoshnaik]

Hi,

I am 29 years old from Bangalore/Goa. I have a strong mathematical and logical background education-wise and am a computer programmer. I have had decent success in live tournaments and cash games, however, when it comes to online multi-tabling, I dont have many good results to show at all, although I am still in positive. I would love to learn from the PGT mentors, who have proven success in the online and live world.

I usually play 100/200 and 200/500 cash games and upto 25K buyin tourneys live. Online, I play upto $15 buyins and satellites and sometimes the big ones. I try to read a lot of stuff on the internet, books, the harringtons, brunsons et al to improve my game. I am also in the process of getting my hand history analysed.

Most of what I have learnt is on my own, and I feel its time for me to learn as much as possible from you guys to take it to the next level. I want to know where I stand, and want to turn professional at some stage, but I feel I really want to improve my skills before that. I am a student of the game, and I just want to learn learn learn....

I would love to share my hand history and would love to take guidance to know where I stand. My pokerstars/888 poker ids are ashnaik/a7ashh14 respectively. I feel that with your guidance I can improve my game and take it to the next level.

Coming to your question, I am single, can play fulltime, and have a good bankroll mainly generated through live play and good financial status. I am playing poker since about 1 year seriously, was playing very occasionally online for 1 year before that. I was professionally playing poker between September and December 2011. I feel one of my positives is that I can learn fast and am always hungry to learn more.

Would look forward to your response

Cheers
Ashutosh Naik

[APB89]

Hey...
I am Alok Birewar. I am 23 year old single guy from Ahmedabad and I am pursuing mba. I play poker 4-5 hrs everyday. I have been a pokerguru member since a couple of years and this was exactly the kind of oppurtunity that I was waiting for. I play poker at micro stakes since black friday. I have never deposited any money online but had accumulated a bankroll of $400 on FTP after I won a freeroll there. I have read whatever comes to hand from Dan Harrington to David Sklansky. I have around 200 gbs of poker stuff lying in my lappy from WPT,WSOP to HSP and NBC. Just wanna say that I am crazy about poker. If given a chance I would definitely make the most of it... cheers!!!

[inpiggybank]

It Was Not AK against AA . Actual Hand Was Ah Qh Vs AA .

[pratik_24]

Hi Aditya 'INTERVENTION' Agarwal , it feels unreal when you come up with things like these . Your doing a great job with your PGT team .

My name is Pratik Manjrekar , im 22 years old , and single . Im a student , from Mumbai . Ive been playing poker since 3 years now , but i haven't got a chance to play at the highest level cause im not financially that good . But ive been building my bankroll by playing small cash games and tourny's in Mumbai . I have even worked with PNI , my purpose to work with the PNI was that i wanted to see the best players from the country play and learn , which i did on a large scale . I even played the IPC 6.5k , but got a bad beat , which is pretty regular in poker and which every poker player has to learn to live with . If i get chosen for this , it would be a great oppurtunity for and would allow me to grow a lot in my poker skills as i would get to interact with YOU .

I would be waiting for the good news , thanks for the lovely oppurtunity your giving and coming up with , INDIAN POKER will surely grow from this . Want to thank you Aditya ' INTERVENTION' Agarwal and the entire PGT team for this lovely oppurtunity .

:) :) :) :) .

[jetmukesh]

Hi,

I am 32 years old from Parbhani (small town in Maharashtra) . I have completed my BCOM, doing business(mobile showroom), married, have one kid. I have decent financial background.
I started playing poker from last 18 months and played live tournaments once in 3 months in goa. NO FT till now, but have deep runs. Though I have shipped few tournaments online on PS and also have decent deep runs including TCOOP(5 cashes).
I was the member of TPE, from where I have picked up my game also have one session with Mike Leah which also helped me. Currently I am trying to experiment many tournament strategy in tournament like small and long ball, semi-bluffing, 3/4 bet stealing, min raise, narrowing down opponents ranges based on his stack size, etc etc. I am also trying to different styles of play to see which style suites my game like LAG, Hyp-LAG, Tight aggressive ( I hope u help me to sort out)
I usually play upto 25K buyin live tourneys and 2$ to 100$ in Online. I play daily on PS. No time limit. I consider myself as at pre semi-pro level as of now and I want convert myself in pro level as soon as possible with my hard work, devotion and your guidance, I would be happy to be member of your team, if given opportunity.

Would look forward to your response

Regards
Mukesh Jethwani
9011203007

[AbbasAli]

Sounds great..... This definately aint gotta ge folded..... M all in....

[slammyjammy]

Hi, im 24 and im from kolkata.. im currently working in HDFC bank as a Personal Banker.. I'm single and have been playing poker for almost 2 years now.. my biggest success comes from winning the freeroll of the first ever edition of the PGT and splitting the 10k turbo prize money three ways in that same edition.. as far as poker goes that was the moment when i realized that i could compete and wanted to take this seriously.. since then i have tried learning as much as i could from players by railing them or discussing hands with them..
I believe that learning is the key to success in this game, knowledge is power and have always had nothin but respect and admiration for the pokerguru team members, infact just watching donkabomber deep in tornies online is a sight to watch one can pick up a lot on how to play at the most crucial stages.. Also i try and pick up on things from all the blogs on here.. for e.g i remember reading samohh in one of his blogs mentioning how one needs to always look at an opponents chips stack n know how many blinds every1 has at the tab accordingly and then estimate there range acc to that info, well just small bits and pieces have really helped.. Last but not the least the most i have ever enjoyed poker has been in the Febuary edition of PGT when in the first two events both me and intervention went deep and i had so much time to play with him was just an awesome experience three betting him light :P.. at the end of both nights he finished 2nd and first accordingly but just being deepstacked and playing with him for so many hours also taught me alot..
Anyways it would be great to be given an opportunity to be mentored coz at then end of the day i want to improve my game and be one of the best so cheers for comin up with this opportunity and hope to hear from you guys soon..

[danishshaikh]

Hi,

I'm Danish Shaikh 24 years old single from Goa. I have been playing Poker for just more than two years and Poker has been my prime source of income. though i'm not a professional poker player, I'm basically an MTT player and have done well both live and online, I have won just over 11k$ online at an ROI of 60% over 1600 games. My 888 id is danishshaikh and PS id is danish7 I have not been able to put lot of volume online or live since my work keeps me busy, hopefully I would be able to play poker daily upto 10 hours a day. i consider myself as an average player and i want my game to reach the next level and learn things which no one in India can teach me. it can only happen if i'm selected for the mentorship program. One time!!

Skype id : danishh1987
Email id : danish.shaikh0@gmail.com

Best Regards
Danish Shaikh

[philrounder]

hi aditya sir,,
this is harshil dhingra from delhi.i am 21 year old ,single ,,engg. student ,almost in my final year,,i can give decent volumes,, 8hrs+ june onwards,,i am very passionate abt poker,,and i am definately looking at it as a full time career choice,,and was really waiting for something like this to happen,,my BR is around 1k$,on stars,as i live with my parents i dont have to worry abt my poker income for atleast a year or 2 ,,(so i can concentrate on improving my tournament game,,without worrying abt giving too much volume on sngs and cash games to support my living),,

abt my online poker history,,,,started 6 months back,,, have put a lot of time everyday trying to improve my tounament game as much as i can(by railing u of course,and,by posts forums ,,books videos etc),,
the tournament poker is the area which excites me the most,i usually like to play 6 max sngs (7$<)and micro tourneys($5.5<)both fr and 6 max ,i havnt played a lot of tourneys ,,but out of my 100 odd micro tourneys played,,
within a month i have twice topped -the asia poker league weekly leaderboard for 90$(which became was my starting capital) on pokerstars,,,
had a decent success in six max hyper sngs{incl. 25th place finish on weekly leaderboard} ,,shipped a 6 max 1.1$ tourney(4000 players) ,and made a couple of final tables in fr games as well,,
my ROI for these 100 games is aroound 375% ,,i know its a poor sample size,,but my hunger to improve in the tounaments as well as my dedication towards this program could really do loads of good for my game.If choosen for this program ,i would be pleased to give 100% commitment towards Pokerguru .

thanks and regards
harshkumarrounder@gmail.com
skype:harshildhingra1991
(pokerstars id- philrounder)

[invi]

Hi,
I am Nitish Gupta. I hail from Kolkata, presently based in Bengaluru. To keep it short, I am a college dropout full time grinder . Have been playing fulltime for the past 7 months. My working hours stretch to almost 10-12hrs each day, and the format I play the most is DoN’s SnGs . Still in the process of acquiring skills to be a better HU player I dedicate my 12hrs time playing, learning and researching on poker. I have no time boundations, and I’m ready to dedicate whatever hours needed to improve my game further and if given an opportunity I can stretch my legs to almost 15hrs a day.

[URaBIGjoke]

Hey Aditya ,
My name is Nehal Kapadi.
Am from mumbai ,19 years of age and studying in 2nd year bms.
I have been playing poker more than year now. But i have put serious efforts to improve my games since the last 4months.
Videos , books ,2+2 , articles etc you name it.

I havent had huge success like the others , thats why probably ill need the mentorship program more:P

I have been quite successfull with my 0 to 1000$ challenge ,i hve posted my progress here-

http://www.pokerguru.in/forum/showthread.php?1045-Chris-ferguson-Challenge-0-to-1000-%28Reached-52.03-in-2-weeks%29

I grind the 1.50$ mttsngs turbo on pokerstars . My bankroll is 300$ which i grinded out from 0$ by playing freerolls etc.
Wanting to play live tournaments in goa but my bankroll wont allow it neither will my parents financially back me up,so gonna keep grinding .

POKER STATS -

Games - 622 games
ROI - 41.3% (for the 45 man turbos)
ITM% - 23.5 %
Profit - 302$

Here the graph for my 2 buyins games -
35
I think thats about it.

Skype - nehalkuul
Email id- nehalkapadi@gmail.com


Nitish guptaYou sicko ,you should be providing coaching lol. Congrats on your live win.

[Abbas_Ali]

Abbas Ali, Single, Mumbai.

[richestuser]

Hi,
I am Mukul Misra , 28 years old, single from New Delhi, Currently i am working with India Infoline as an equity Analyst, Have Done MBA(finance) and Btech( Computer Science). I have been playing live poker since 8 years now. Have played at Vegas,AC, Macau and almost every place in Asia. Playing online since 5 years Mostly cash games. Have been In and out of poker seen because of Multiple swings. over all i am Winner in Online MTTs ,online cash games and live cash games and looser in Live MTTs. Currently in pursue of a 3 way prop-bet with 2 other poker pros on P5 (http://www.pocketfives.com/profiles/richestuser/) . Need to drastically improve my online MTT game..Since starting of march playing regularly 40-50 hours a week MTTs as to achieve target.
I have been observing a lot of difference in abilities at sharkscope.. all big winners at MTT like u and many others have ability over 90%. while almost everybody having ability less than 70 are either small winner or looser. So wanted to fill up that gap 20% with this mentorship program. and benefiting pokerguru in turn.
As u had asked in blog to give details about past association with any similar brand. Hence i wanted to let u know that in past i have taken guidance/coaching from Deucescracked.com for improving my online cash game.Further i have never been staked by any individual or organization.

Thanks,

Mukul

Skype-richestuser

[shre1511]

Hi
I’m Shreyansh Patel 20 years old single from Vadodara (Gujarat). I have been playing poker since 3 years. I only play home game but now I want to do something big. I have made more than 80000rs in home games and more than 60000rs in casino last Jan with 10000 minimum buyin in 1hr, but now I’m not getting entry because of my age issue(minimum age limit is 21 now, before it was 18)but in November I will be 21. I had started playing online in 888 last year there I had make many enters in Sunday guarantee tourney with 1$ satellite….but I lost on pretty good hand (AA vs 33….flop A Q 2 then I go all in he gave me a call runner quads turn and river both 3) then stop playing there and delete the software….now started playing on pokerstars but not getting success. Hope you can help me. I want to take poker as my main source of income….i can’t do the job of 12 hrs a day. I had also won your ipl edition tourney on 888poker, taking my team on top here is the link http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=234023226615289&set=a.181187311898881.47906.161596530524626&type=3&theater
My online winning is not that good but I can do much better after getting training by you

[sumit44]

Hi Adi,
I m sumit n i m 26 yrs old engaged {my status} i think it was asked..from delhi. i hv tried many times to take poker professionally but my bankroll n other problems never allowed me to continue. i hv worked earlier in casino pride and recently in carnival as poker room assistant manager..i hv done MBA in mkt nd finance.
i stared my poker journey when 1st IPRT tourney took place in pride in sept 2008 i guess. that time i cashed out in 2 out f 4 tournies{runner up once to ashish naik} ..so it was a great motivation factor for me to continue poker...
Recently i played LIVE in macau in RED DRAGON CUP for which i won a package on PS..other wise i was never goin for that..n i got lucky to cash out in 1 tourney out f 2 i played there...before that i was in royale for PGT2 wher u busted me twice in 5k n 50 k tourney...luckily U were not on my table in MAIN EVENT where i went on to finish 4th lol. i must thank god for that as i hv just realised this thing...i would really like to learn from a player like u, Raman and shark of india Rohit.
Now a days i m playin online only but i think i m missin some things in my game as i m finishin too much in early middle phase { i spoke to kc also bout that n he advised me to hv a coachin session with you}. to improve my game i hv been readin many articles on pokerstrategy and now on 2plus2...but i think its very much different tn learnin from a player like u..so i would like u to consider me for this coaching program.. here r the links for my stats on various sites..
http://pokerprolabs.com/i%2blove%2b8%2b10/PokerStars
http://www.officialpokerrankings.com/pokerstars/i+love+8+10/poker/results/D04DFF20AA444B9A9D1AB8621C7CB2A7.html?t=2

i also play with 1 more id on stars which is a sort of complicated thing so i dont wanna post it here..but i can PM rajat if its required...
I am really looking forward to learning about tournaments from Pokerguru team pros and mentors and take poker a s my full time profession.
i must say thanks to u for comin up with this program for the benefit of players..

[SuicideSpree]

"i also play with 1 more id on stars which is a sort of complicated thing so i dont wanna post it here..but i can PM rajat if its required.."

Stop immediately. You will almost certainly get banned from stars if they find out, which they are very good at doing.

[sumit44]

hehe they hv done it n my $4500 is struck ther..

[inpiggybank]

HELLO POKER GURU
MY NAME IS RAJNISH KUMAR . I AM BASICALLY FROM PATNA . I STUDIED 2 YEARS AT PES COLLEGE BANGLORE THEN AFTER I DROP OUT MY COLLEGE. I STARTED POKER UNDER THE GUIDENCE OF MY ROOM PARTNER NITISH GUPTA . AND HAVING AVERAGE FINANCIAL CONDITION. I AM FULL TIME POKER PLAYER AND WANT TO MOVE MY CAREER IN THIS FIELD .
CURRENTLY I AM PLAYING SnG DoN AT MERGE AND PACIFIC NETWORK NEAR ABOUT 8-10 HOURS DAILY 6 TABLE MAX AT A TIME. I EARN $1500 TO $2200 PER MONTH BY PLAYING THIS FORMAT . FOR IMPROVING MY GAME I GENERALLY DISCUSS MY HANDS WITH NITISH OR WATCH COACHING VIDEOS.
SINCE I HAVE ONLY WORK TO PLAY POKER AND IF YOU PROVIDE ME A CHANCE I CAN EFFORTS 12-13 HOURS DAILY AND TRY TO PROVIDE RESULT. AT LAST I ONLY WANT TO SAY I WANT TO A PART OF THIS GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY.
THANKS

[BabyShark]

I'm blinded by all the CAPS...

[finesse]

Hi Aditya,

This is Laveena here. I’m from Mumbai and have been playing poker for abt 6-8 months now – mostly live tournaments in Goa n made it to 3 cashes in the past 3 months (details in my profile on POY LB.) making my live ITM ratio 40% approx. Since I’ve realized that I have the potential, I’ve been in the process of winding up all my work commitments in Mumbai. I will now be moving to Goa to concentrate completely on poker – live as well as online. I started with $10 on PS at the start of this month and am up to about $200 so far, putting in a couple of hours or so most days of the week. In fact I’ve been looking at your online tourney tracker to take leads to plan my online grind in a methodical manner; which is why I see this program as the perfect opportunity coming at the perfect time. Meanwhile, I’ve been watching a lot of videos and discussing a variety of hands on a daily basis and starting to read books as well for improving my game. Apart from this I also observe a lot of tournaments on PS even when I’m not playing. Having had the taste of success in last couple of months, my desire to pursue and excel at this professionally has become very intense and I believe the mentorship platform is the ideal place from where I could take it further.

Do let me know if u need any more info

Thnx

[shashank.s]

Hey Adi,

I was very excited when I read your blog today. I think it is a wonderful opportunity & I am very excited to apply.

To tell u a little bit about myself, I am22 years old & currently living in Bangalore. I graduated from college about 9 months ago and have been working since.

I started playing poker in March 2010, initially learnt the game from a couple friends & played at a local home game. In a couple of months I found a game with a few guys from college, I played here regularly & basically built my entire bankroll from this table, in about 4 months I made 8k @ 100 buy-in. In October 2010 I deposited $50 on Pokerstars, started off playing 9 players SnG’s & in busted it in couple of months or so. Then I put in another $50 and moved from SnG’s to MTT’s , occasionally playing a few HU SnG & cash games.

The following are my online stats;
http://www.officialpokerrankings.com/pokerstars/player/poker/results/3D012C20E5D94443938892A5C5FAF956.html?t=2
http://www.pocketfives.com/poker-scores/shashanksantosh/

In September 2011 I withdrew my entire bankroll and decided to take a few shots at live tournaments & cash games in Goa. The following are my results;

1. IPS Chapter 8 - 15K ME – 10th / 64
2. PGT March 2012 – 5K Freeze out – 20th / 94
3. PGT March 2012 – 12K Head Hunter - Busted in Level 5

I have also managed to put in sometime at the cash tables in CR playing at 100/200 & am overall in the green.

I currently work on my game through reading & posting on twoplustwo, watching videos & reading whatever books that I can get my hands on. Since the March PGT I have stopped playing online MTT’s & have moved to playing 6-8 6-max tables @ 0.05/0.10. This has been a deliberate move at my part, as I believe this will help improve my post flop game.

In terms of time that I can commit towards poker now, I will be able to put in 6 – 8 hours a day mostly after work. Like most others applying, the thought of taking up poker as a full time profession has crossed my mind on multiple occasions, but I have always shied away not because of the fear of going broke or lack of commitment toward the game. But because of lack of direction & guidance with my game & this mentorship program will definitely give me that.

Will be looking forward to your response.

Cheers!!!!

[Arjun]

Hey Aditya,

My name is Arjun Parmar and i am from Pune. I have finished my Masters in Business from Griffith University Australia and joined my family business a year back. I am 27 years old and just got married in Feb 2012. My financial condition is pretty good so no worries about that.

I have been playing poker since 2 years in Pune. Its mainly been cash games for me since there are not much tourneys happening around. Depending on my bankroll i choose anything from 500 - 10K. I normally play 2 - 3 sessions in a week. I have also started playing online but unfortunately i have not been very good at it cause i don't have much knowledge about online poker. I have read various poker books to start with, then started watching a lot of poker videos and training programs online and it has helped me tremendously.

I know the game pretty well but i wont say that i am a pro at it cause i lack experience in live tournaments and online and that's where i wanna improve.

I had spoken to Mr. Rajat in November last year about the same (poker training) i don't know if he remembers but we did exchange a lot of mails and even spoke on the phone about the same.

I wanted to ask you that how is this whole training program gonna work?

I hope that the info provided is good enough. If anything needed from your side please do let me know.

Cheers
Arjun

[syko112]

Hi,

My name is Amar Katharani, 32 years old, married from Mumbai. Im not a professional player but i play alot of cash games here in Mumbai almost 3 times a week and have played almost all tourneys in Goa...including PGT, APT, IPC, IPRT etc.

I have been playing poker since 3 years now and have been learning somethin everytime i play by observing the people i play with, the kind of moves they make, the plays they make, and also by reviewing which hand i played wrong and try not doing the same mistakes again. My only drawback is i dont have a bankroll to play big events or to play very often in Goa. Secondly since im into my family business and married i cannot play as much poker i want to...but yes i can dedicate around 60-70 days in a year to poker if given a chance and yes i really wanna learn from my mistakes and improve as a player :). If i am eligable to a part of this programme or no thats secondry my main concern is to imrove my game and become a good poker player :)

[WiRmola]

Hi.

I am Olli Virkkunen, 34 years old. I was born in Finland and grew up in Finland and Sweden. I have been working, living and playing in several countries, as Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark Thailand, Cambodia, India, Macau and a few more.. For the last 7 years I have been making my living from running guesthouses and playing poker. I am now staying in Goa permanently, and I want to go full time pro.
My financial situation is ok, but it does not really allow me as much poker as I would like to.
I have been a winning player in live poker for many years, but I really would like to improve my online game, which is a bit too unstable.. Normally I play online around 5 days a week and mainly NLHE and PLO MTTs. stakes are normally around 2-20 dollar, sometimes the million and other bigger MTTs when my roll allows it..
I am trying to improve my game by playing more, reading, using holdem manager for analyzing my game. But what I really need is a mentor and to be part of a team.

You can contact me on facebook or mailto:wirmolassuperhemliga@hotmail.com

Best regards Olli Virkkunen

[flushkick]

Hi,

Personal Background (Name, Age, Education etc.)


- Vivek.S
- 30 yrs
- MBA
- Self Employed
- flushkick@gmail.com
- ph: 9535573063
- Bangalore

Financial Condition


- Average to Good

How often do you play?

Around 8 - 10 hours a day apprx

What stakes do you play?


- freerolls, low, medium stakes

What do you do to improve your game?

- Read a lot of poker articles written by doyle brunson, others. Referring to many websites providing useful insights on the MTT's and SnG formats.

- Watch a lot of poker videos and try to learn from the pro's playing LIVE!

[flushkick]

FYI- I've never played Live Tourneys, only online!!

[gurpal83]

hi i am gurpal singh nanda ...i am 29 years single from delhi...i have a family bussines....i have a lot of time so i play like 8 to 10 hours a day.....i generally play mid stake mtt have shipped 3 tourney at pokerstars id gurpal83.....i would love if i get some advice from you to improve my game
thanks
gurpal
contact .... gurpal83@yahoo.com

[intervention]

We will be announcing the 15 chosen candidates by May 3rd. Looking good keep em coming.

[terabyte11]

Hi Aditya,
This is Phanindra, 26 years old,single, currently residing in Bangalore . I had completed my MBA' 2011( finance and project management) from Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom and was back to India in last September. My financial status is average. I fell in love with poker 2.5 years back after reading an article in Times Magazine and started learning the game and playing online on poker stars since then. Its not my dream to become a professional poker player but its my set goal to become one of the finest poker players representing India on the world poker circuit and am confident enough that i can smash it. I put in 8-10 hours playing online. I played around 20 events live in the local casinos in and around Liverpool and won 3 tourneys and cashed in 5 events totaling around £3250. Those helped in improving my game , reading skills, adopting different playing styles in accordance with the situation and tested the small ball strategy successfully which helped me to take the game on to the next level. My continuous learning of the game helped me for thorough undestanding of the game and i believe am good at all formats of No- Limit Holdem including sit n gos( turbo& hyper turbos), MTTs, Heads up. I usually spend most of the time playing MTTs($2-11), Heads up($3.50-15) and Sit n Gos Hyper- Turbos at micro-low stacks. Though not a member of poker guru till today i was continuously surfing this site since an year n half investigating the poker scene in India. I cashed in may online MTTS totaling $2500 and recently placed 2nd in a freeroll tournament on pokerstars and was awarded $215. After doing research on Hyper-turbos sit n gos i found them more challenging and profitable , i am playing the $7 hyper games multi-tabling(4-6) and was up by $400 in 3 days. I have a flare to learn and continuously improving my game reviewing my hand histories, correcting the mistakes, reading different articles, poker forums n watching videos, pro-talking sessions, player blogs and i remember a video on pokerguru helped me in correcting my strategy and led to a winning approach towards 2.50$ 180 sit n go. Apart from my positives there are some leaks on which i am constantly striving to overcome. I hope this particular program with India's best players of the game will be of a great opportunity and a platform to overcome the leaks in my game and put me on the track and in the race. Lots more stuff in my mind to put in but i dont want to make my thoughts look like a boring essay.Finally i believe my interests are in line with your search and i am ready to put in 100% commitment for the long journey, effort and time to be a part of your team and contribute to the success of POKER GURU . Hoping to talk with you very soon.

thanks& regards
phanindra
7760956626

[saby]

Hi Adi,
I am Saby a MBA graduate from AIM married and regular job in HP. Learnt poker in the dorm cos Rajat was my room M8.. been playing ever since on my own..been helped a bit by a1ias (Martin) who diverted me to 180 mans and turbos..then i got selected by the staking group of Leo Cheng (LeoC00 on stars). Coached by Leo, Frank the tank, Dtrain27 etc for MTT and Alex campbel (keepurdayjob on stars) for 180 mans since Nov 2011. My mentor is Daniel Francis (hesbluffingx on stars) who currently stakes and coaches me. I can give u the threads of my coaching and staking deals if we take it ahead on PM. I am used to staking and know whats required of me in terms of volume and integrity as i have been under stake for 6 months now without a complain from my backers. Needless to say i have a good ROI in 2012 as a result of the efforts of my coaches. I play atleast 500 games a month and more.

[theflunk]

I forgot to mention that my financial condition is decent, i am single and can assure you that i m not involved with any other poker forum/mentor ship program. I can also guarantee of a full time honest commitment with Pokerguru, if selected.
thanks again and let me know if u guys need to know anything else about me.

[siddarth_singhvi]

Hi PokerGuru Team,

I am Siddarth Singhvi, 27 year old, married guy from Hyderabad. I completed my B.E in 2006 and since then have been working as a software engineer.I have been playing the game for the last 5 years, the early part of my learning was through virtual chips on sites like gamedesire.com,orkut and FB. Later a couple of years back when Pokerguru launched their site, I joined it immediately to learn more about the game and got introduced to the online poker world when Pokerguru conducted their first ever freeroll tourney on 888Poker for an entry into IPS 5k rebuy. I won that freeroll and also got an opportunity to play in a live tourney in Goa with intervntion on the same table(I still remember finishing 12th in that tourney).

I had to pick this from Ashutosh Naik post because its just so well written and relates a lot to my feelings as well - "Most of what I have learnt is on my own going through all the contents available online(videos,forums,blogs,freerolls), and I feel its time for me to learn as much as possible from you guys to take it to the next level. I want to know where I stand, and want to turn professional at some stage, but I feel I really want to improve my skills before that. I am a student of the game, and I just want to learn learn learn....".

I started playing online on 888Poker a couple of years back and then shifted to playing MTTs on Pokerstars in July,2011 under the screenname "gunner9696". I have been putting in massive amount of hours online on PS for the last 8 months with decent results in MTTs. I can easily manage to put in atleast 40 hrs per week even while working. I am primarily a MTT player who plays Micro-Low-Mid stakes turbo on PS and I have winnings of around 30,000$ online at an ROI of 15% over 1500 games. My live tourney achievements are not that good, I have played very few live tournies in Goa mostly due to the overhead costs which comes along with it (travelling,accomodation,time)- finished ITM just once and have bubbled thrice :(. Since I am mostly an online player, I have railed a lot of both the Adis(intervntion and donkab0mber- my fav online players and some other random fav. PS players) and have learnt a lot by watching them play.Also keep a track of Samohhs blog because as a common man and a poker aspirant u can just so easily relate to it- infact have even mentioned to him once that i look forward to his blogs and love - This week intervntion says "..." part of the blog.

I would surely love to be a part of this wonderful mentorship opportunity. Looking forward for a positive response.

Thanks,
Siddarth Singhvi
9030495745

[vinay_suchede]

Hey PG Team,

Awesome idea to start this. I m 35, single, Mumbai resident. Got started by depositing 50$ on PokerStars. Ran it up to 1500$ playing the single table SNGs, 45/90 player SNGs, 8-game MTT and microstakes 6-max cash. Currently playing the micro stakes 6-max daily for 2/3 hours. Do a bit of leak busting exercises post sessions. Also play the Goa tourney circuit. (Shipped the PG Main event in Feb-12). Will like to definitely start working on MTT's. MTT's are huge variance and it better to start out playing them the right way rather than have a slow learning curve which very often busts rolls. This program is just perfect. Throwing my hat in the ring here.

Cheers !!

Vinay

[lakkub]

I am Pratap Singh. I played couple of times at Casino Royale and few cash games in Mumbai. I also passed a test a poker site and they staked me *edited. Also in monthly leadership board of India Poker Championship at Pokerstars I am at position 6 for month of april after 7 events though I missed the first event. I love this game and want to make a career out of it. Your mentorship surely would be a step ahead.

Thanks and Regards
Pratap Singh

[brabbit337]

Gaurav Jee
22 Male
3rd Year B.Tech @ Manipal
Pokerstars - jeegaurav1
888poker - gauravjee

I come from a well to do family and am currently a student

I put in 3-4hours of play most of the days at pokerstars

Online NL2 NL5 and NL10
Home games 20/40INR

I review my game once or twice a week and read poker articles and watch training sessions

I Started playing poker about 2 years back in college with 5/10 No
Limit Holdem with a buy in of Rs.100, during this time the game was
either very loose(complete gambling) or very tight, you can guess the
game of starters. Initially losing money or winning some had their own
deep impacts, but soon enough I got over it and saw both as temporary.
After a few days we would randomly play Rs200 minimum. Poker was going
good and I used to play for 4hrs most of the days and so did most of
the players in college. But after a few weeks the 100 bucks game
looked very small and some of us werent playing our 'A' games because
100 bucks was just to small. This is when me with two other friends
decided to start playing with a different group which included older
players and seniors. This was the10/20 500 bucks minimum game. I
started playing a tight game and was doing okay, the swings werent too
big as I had expected, the nice days paid me 1000-1500 bucks and the
bad days tolled almost the same amount, this is when I thought of
changing my game. Earlier on I would hardly think the range of hands
my opponents could hold, I used to play my cards not the game and used
to slow play most of the times, bluffing was hardly an event. During
the course of the next few weeks I started reviewing my game as well
as my opponents' and tried improving. I started entering the pot with
raises most of the times, this started giving me insights about the
game of others, I turned aggressive and loose in a few weeks. The
swings had changed too, my best days had won me 4-5K and bad days
took off something like 3k. But the ratio of money making days and
money losing days had changed too. Earlier it were lots of winning
sessions with a few losing sessions, but now with the swings changed
the ratio, it was more like 5/3 or even 3/2. But again the game was
quite fun and very competitive. There was a phase during this time
like no other, I had experienced bad streaks before but this was like
no other it went on for weeks hence challenging my game, but I could
hardly improve, I wasnt playing in right mind after the first 10 days
or so after a few more days I planned on taking a break but I would
not play for a day or two then go back again thinking that it ll okay
bt of no use. It was after 5-6 more sessions that I decided I would
take a proper break, it was almost exam time so I thought I would
concentrate on exams then go home for the vacation, come back and
start playing again which worked out quite well. I went to play during
this time twice or thrice but didnt lose much. After almost 2 months
off I came back very excited and started playing again. The 1st few
days as I remember, the table was short handed and made playing more
fun, the game of these guys had hardly changed and it was nice to find
myself not lagging. Things were back to normal and I was very happy.
During the next few months, there were the normal ups and downs and
the game was improving on a firm pace. We got invited to the best game
in college the 20/40 2000 minimum game. The very 1st session had left
a big impact on me, I mean what a game it was, this was the best table
I had ever seen. So soon enough from occasional 2K games we shifted to
only 2K games. This game was like a learning cradle, apart from a
couple of very loose players in the pool everyone was good(even the
loose ones). I was very successful in this game, I mean although I was
still aggressive I had turned a little tighter and sometimes I would
play passive. The game was going good with huge swings and I actually
had managed to build a proper bankroll. In our next trip to Goa we had
decided to go to Casino Royale to play. I was eagerly waiting for the
day. I went to the card room with 2 more guys to find it empty, no
game had started yet that evening, the room manager asked us to give
our numbers and we would be called once the table was arranged, we had
decided to play the 100/200 game with 10K. So we spent a lil time in
the gaming floor where I had lost a lil money then we got the call. we
decided that only 2 of us would play and went for the game to find
just 2 other guys on the table but the dealer said, the game is gonna
start in a few mins as some more players will be coming in, after
sometime entered a group of uncles who sat down at our table,
initially I was happy as I heard stories about loose uncles but these
were not that type, they had actually come in for the big game but as
it hadnt started they sat in our table, I was busted of my 1st buy in
just under 15mins or so. AQ vs KK, no pre flop raise, I had hit my Q
on the flop with random cards, I guess I was in late position, I
raised first, it came down to me and an uncle, some other random card
on the turn, he raises me, I re raise him allin as I wouldnt have had
much left after the call, some other random card on the river, I dont
remember any draws then he shows me KK. I had never felt that bad. I
took a break went to the gaming floor to chill out, made some money
and had quite a few drinks when I saw my friend who was at the poker
table come, he had lost 20K. I was kinda drunk when I decided to hit
the tables again. In a course of 1 hr i had lost 20K more, busted both
the times with double pairs on the flop, Aces up both the times. I
stopped playing and was quite drunk by the time, the other friend
after losing some more money had managed to get up at 70K profit. We
went back to the hotel and 2 of us came back again the very next day,
but this day was not like others, I couldn't gather the guts to play,
so I ended up not playing and my friend won 15K. We returned back to
college, I was very down. Anyway I returned to our '2G' table as we
used to call it and went down 18K the very first day, 22K the next day
and 10K the next. I was devastated. But the following week was crazy,
to start with I won 50K in a long session, this was the highest single
win by anyone on the table and finished the week with profits of just
over 90K. The confidence was roaring high. I decided to go back to Goa
and play but it didnt work out as these were the final days at
college. The 2G table was the best table I ve ever played in. I was
repeating a few subjects so I had to stay back for a few extra days.
Most of the tables in town were off so I used to go to this 500bucks
table and used to play them like dolls, even these guys were impressed
with my game. Anyway college ended and I came back home, I dont know
many guys here so it was like no poker here. Its here that I started
playing online and my record is not something boast about, I am down
about a 1000 dollars give or take in the past few months. Have a few
Sunday Storm money finishes on Pokerstars and a 5Kish finish in the
world record tourney, my best sit n go leaderboard score is 340. And I
have placed 3rd on a 11usd(3.5k guaranteed) buyin tourney at 888.
Thats all of it I guess. My online poker record is pathetic, my
problem being not being able to cashout everyday because I am very
poor at bankroll management.

[$$TtotheMFingROLL$$]

I thought I was the only one searching for intervntion on sunday nights, to watch him play the HS MTTs... wondering what he had certain hands...
After a while I stopped doing it cause I thought It was weird.. Glad am not the only mad lurker.. good going weirdos..

[intervention]

hey guys,
Wednesday the 2nd May is the last date to apply. We will be starting lessons immediately and will have 2 sessions (May 5th and 7th) before the PGT.

[SuicideSpree]

I thought I was the only one searching for intervntion on sunday nights, to watch him play the HS MTTs... wondering what he had certain hands...
After a while I stopped doing it cause I thought It was weird.. Glad am not the only mad lurker.. good going weirdos..

Lots of people rail good players and I can't see anything weird about this. I mean you wouldn't feel weird about watching a cricket or football match. Poker tournaments aren't private events, so just watch if you enjoy it!! It really doesn't matter whether someone else might think its weird... though I can't for the life of me see whats weird abt railing HS tourneys!!

[alchemist]

Whats your age? married/single/kids, city, job or student
Age:32, Single, Bangalore
Profession: IT consultant

Background in Poker
I started playing poker in 2006. I mostly played only live tournies as online was banned in US. I used to live near atlantic city and used to play once a month.
I consistently put in hours in the $200-$500 tournies and $1/$2 and $2/$5 cash games. I must confess though volume wise in terms of hands played i have not put enough numbers, but quality wise i have had good experience. And playing for this long helps you think about your game and I must say over a period of time I have reinvented my game few times.


I moved back to india in 2011 and since then have been searching for avenues to play poker. I played in live tourneys in goa twice since then. I am still trying to setup the online account though, as I am slowly settling in India. So will get into full gear pretty soon.

About my Financial Status
Financially I am quite stable.

I am looking for two things from this program.

1. I have always tried to improve my game by reading, watching and doing a lot of self analysis. But this program lets me talk to others and share ideas as a Team. I feel this is what i was lacking in the past and I am looking for some fresh perspective and also understand how others think in a particular situation.

2. I am looking for someone who can stake some percentage of my buy ins and not complete bankroll(something like 50-50). This will let me play the higher buy in tournaments without much at stake and would hedge my investment to a certain extent.

How often I can play
2 days in a week (30-40 hrs)


OK I know you are not looking for people who cannot commit full time, but here is an odd request for you and consider this as an exception.

In short I want to know if this mentor ship program can be applicable for a semi pro like me who does not require complete stake in. Also you can expect my complete dedication and loyalty to the Team. I will be playing the poker guru tour in may, so you can evaluate my play that time and i can clarify all you concerns/questions.


P.S:Although i will be honest with you I have no intention of becoming a full time pro in the future. I intend to continue playing as a semi pro only.

[Sachin111]

Hello Aditya and the Pokerguru team,

My name is Sachin, a poker enthusiast from Mumbai. I have been thinking for a while whether to apply for this exciting program or not, mainly due to the fact that poker is not my primary source of income (one of the criteria intervention mentioned) and I haven’t been able to spend too much time playing poker. I have started playing around 30-40 hours a week for the last couple of months and still find myself lacking the MTT volume required to see some decent monthly results.

After some considerations, I have finally decided to apply for this program. I have great passion for poker and I believe I do have the right skills to be a successful poker player. I started playing poker in 2010 as a recreational player and found myself addicted to this game immediately. I have been playing poker on and off for the last 2 years. In January this year, I decided to give poker a serious shot and made my first deposit on Pokerstars. Within a month, I reached $1000 from the starting $100, thanks to my second place finish in a $1 buy-in tourney and some decent cash game sessions. I play $2 to $11 buy-in tourneys these days and have a positive ROI. I had some success in live poker as well. I have played 3 tourneys in Goa so far and my best result was 5th place finish in IPS 5 (5k rebuy with 97 entrants). I had a chance to play some live cash games (£ 1/2) in UK a few months ago and I was up £1000 in 5-6 sessions I played.

Over time, I have improved my game by reading a lot of online articles, blogs, and quizzes. However, the learning process has been slow and I hope this program will give me the right momentum I need (if selected J). I cannot commit to full time poker yet, but this is something I would consider once I take my game to the next level. At this moment, I can promise 30-40 hours a week and full commitment towards the mentorship program. Not sure if this is enough, but I hope you guys will consider my case. My details are below:

Name - Sachin
Age – 27, Single
City – Mumbai
Education – B. Tech.
Job – a full time 5 day job
Financial situation – Decent
Online play – 30-40 hours a week
Live play – Very few
MTT stats - http://pokerprolabs.com/topsharkpro?pnid=1&pn=nutscracker9&tt=mtt
http://www.pocketfives.com/profiles/nutscracker/
Email – pokerlife111@gmail.com

[theflunk]

Last day to apply for the program....i guess all others who have applied are as excited as i am.
gl everyone

[Adil66766]

I am Adil Memon a Poker enthusiast recently shifted to Surat from Dubai, I have been playing Poker for 3-4 years now. Online and Home Games, visited Goa and apperared in Tourneys couple of times, liked it and wanna learn more. A Good friend of mine always says " You rather be lucky than a skilled Poker player " and I wanna Prove him wrong.

Name : Adil Memon
Age : 34
Self Emplyed
Email : adil66766@yahoo.co.in

[dark horse]

Hi ,
I am Sanat Kaikini . I am 26 and single from manipal. i have been playing poker since 2 years now. Got attracted to the game while watching the wsop being televised in india many years back. Have been following the Poker Guru right since the start. Stated with the freerolls and promotions done by the poker guru team. Had a few final table finishes. Did manage to win a seat for an event also once. But started playing more since last 6 months on poker stars. . Have a few scores. But nothing great to be spoken off. Still waiting for the 1 big score. i normally play MTT, SNG AND HUH under 5 dollars . My bankroll management is very bad. I would love to learn the game more and make it my source of income. My financial status isn't that good. so have not been to goa much. I can play 8-10 hours a day. I really want my game to go towards the next level. Hopefully you guys will help me .:)
Thank you
sanat7@gmail.com
9886296202

[salvi]

HI,
I am tejas salvi, m 19 years old, i am frm mumbai, i am a student pursuing engineering from nmims mumbai, my financial condition is gud as in i can pay for my living ( except my college fees ) .
I STARTED playing poker online in october 2011 . i used to play heads up tounaments and sitingo and did a gud job.....den i started plyn cash games 0.50-1$ , and some times 1$-2$. i hav even played many MTT but never cashed in evn a single mtt.
i often watch videos on youtube to learn more and more about online poker , d strategies , do's and dont's and try to implement in my game.till now i have made 1500$ in pokerstars with 200$.
i seriously want a chance to learn poker from pokerguru pros and mentors.

WAITING FOR UR REPLY.

REGARDS
TEJAS D SALVI
09820594514
salvi_tejas@yahoo.in

[ilovefls]

Hi Adi and rest of the guys,
I have been playing poker for about 3 years now in all, used to be recreational for the 1st couple of years, and at a more serious level in the last year or so. In terms of my background - am a Chemical Engineer who never took up an engineering job, went to business school straight and have been working in the financial services industry for about 9 years now, mostly in the clean-tech space, most recently helping a large American firm raise funding for solar power plants.
I am 33, have been married for a little over 4 years now and live in Mumbai, also spend a fair bit of time in Goa courtesy of the Goa tournament scene.
I will talk a bit about my poker skills/achievements and a lot more about what I hope to accomplish and learn through this initiative. For the most part I have been an MTT player, especially live, and have learnt the ropes over the last 3 years or so, mainly through the live tourneys in Goa and whatever knowledge/information I could gather from the reading that I have managed or the conversations I have had with tourney regulars like Adi himself. What I have discovered though is that in this sea of information available to any player today, it is a little tough to put the jigsaw puzzle together, in the right order and there is a need for a more structured approach which takes into account several variables like the objectives of the player, the volume he can put in, the stakes he is comfortable with, etc. I think this is where a program like this can really make a difference and that's why I am really excited at the prospect of being a part of this.
I have cashed in some of the tourneys in Goa and even won an event but I will not go into the details of how many cashes I have or what is the amount of money I have won as I don't think those kind of figures paint the right picture. What I will definitely concur with is that experience is the best teacher and if we can all learn from the experience of some of the successful players in this field it will definitely help in climbing the learning curve at a much faster pace that would be possible on our own.
Let me not bore you guys with more and look forward to being a part of the program.
Cheers,
Sumit Sapra

[vcgannu1]

Hey Aditya !

I'm Ganesh from New Delhi. I'm 20 years old and I run a web development agency here in New Delhi. I have been playing poker since the last 2 years both Online and Offline. I don't play online regularly these days but I have been playing a lot offline. I pack up my bags and go to Goa whenever I can but mostly I'm indulged into house games every weekend. We play 5K Buy Ins ( 50 - 100 Blinds).

I'm totally available for poker tourneys. I have had some nice runs Online ( Big $11 , Big $16 ). Although I have not cashed big yet but I intend to do so as I grow my poker knowledge. I have played a lot with one of your ex team member ( Aditya Sushant ) . I have met him twice and I have spent hours with him grinding over poker tables at Royale ( Both Tourneys & Cash Games ). He has mentioned me to you earlier as well

About my financial situation , Currently its a bit low due to some important personal expenses during the last 2 months. This is the reason why I'm not playing online these days. Although Offline games are still On.

I have played and survived big tourney's but my game is weak as I proceed through the final 200 - 300 ( Tournament start's with : 5K + ) . I have had real bad beats and sometimes I personally have made wrong decisions as well. But this is the reason why I'm applying for this mentorship program. I want to learn and I want to grow to become a poker pro.

City : New Delhi
Ph : +9196544114992

[Fanatic]

Hey Aditya / PG Team,

Hope you 'll doing well.

Well to start off with I'm Rohit Bezawada, I'm 24 years old and I have completed my Masters in November 2011 from United Kingdom.

I was introduced to the game by a friend about 9 months back and it's been history since then. I definitely love the game and Enjoy playing it. I play cash games (1-2$ & 2-5$) , S&G HU on stars ( 15$ & 30$ ) and Live MTT's. The initial period was definitely quite hard as I didn't have any experience playing the game and trying to figure out the game wasn't an easy process as well.

Some of the things I have been doing to improve my game are as follows:

Read super system (DB).
Watch Poker related Videos on Youtube.
Read Poker Blogs & hand history on various Poker related websites.
In addition to the above I jot down my mistakes associated with my game and try to not to commit /repeat such mistakes the next time I play.
I have learn't to Adopt to a particular situation rather than going to a game with a pre determined plan.
Understanding the advantages associated with the Betting patterns. ( I have been working on betting ranges and also try to get reads on opponents based on the opponents betting patterns).

I reckon discussing about the game with other fellow poker folks would help one to improve his/her game drastically. Hence I reckon this opportunity to be part of the Poker Guru Mentorship Program where I would not only be trained by the Poker Guru Pro's but also I would be able to learn, discuss and share everything that is associated with the game and this would help me to improve my game drastically.

I intend to start playing the game on regular basis, improve my skills and I can assure that I 'll dedicate the required time and will be available whenever required.

My Financial situation is decent and I wouldn't have concerns about traveling and living expenses etc.

Like they say to be a good poker player and to be able to do that on a consistent basis, One needs to keep updating oneself with the concepts related to the game from time to time and it's a never ending learning process. I would be grateful to be part of such a program where I could learn from the pro's on regular basis that would help me to improve my game and play well consistently.

I look forward to hearing from you and to be part of the Poker Guru Mentorship Program.

Please do let me know If you need to know anything else in addition to the above.

Regards,
Rohit Bezawada.

E - mail: rohith_0083@yahoo.com.

[vivek200311]

Hi Adi, I am your big fan, my name is Vivek

Personal background

Name -Vivek Patel

MaritalStatus - Unmarried

Age -24

Occupation-Lecturer

EducationalBackground – Graduate from IIT Kharagpur

How often do you play and What stakes do you play? – I am mainly a live player playing on weekends. I have played for the last 2 years though not regularly. Currently I play 25 /50 , 50 /50,100 / 100 cash games. I don’t feel comfortable disclosing my winning on the open forum but I would like to state that I am good winning player. I keep a private record of my sessions played, some peculiar hands, money won or lost and general atmosphere and theme of that night. I have also tried playing online ( pokerstars-id – vivek3008 ) but didn’t had much success although I am familiar with Holdem manger and interpretation of vital stats.

Financial Condition - I will require staking online as I don’t feel comfortable putting my hard-earned money in some poker site and I am keeping my bankroll for live games separately.After 15th of May I am having 2.5 months break from my job due to summer vacation. So I am thinking of putting my 100% dedication at online poker whether I get selected or not. Depending upon how much talent I found inmyself, I will take a decision to turn pro or not.

What do you do to improve your game? Well the question should be what I didn’t do to improve my games and answer would be nothing. It sounds cliché but I couldn’t explain it better. I have read almost every text, book and watched videos (multiple no. of times) which was available to me whether they were helpful or not. I have day dreamed about playing particular spot in several ways during weekdays and tried to execute them in weekends. I have tried doing everything which I can do from software like Holdem manager, pokerstrategy equilator, ICM trainer etc. I have also watched almost all the poker tv shows (later I realised that they are more for entertainment than for learning). I like to discuss strategy with selected good players. I am addicted to poker it’s like I am always reading, watching or playing poker.

Strengths – Apart from my strong analytical skills my play is backed up by mental toughness. I rarely tilt in live games (same can’t be said about online), on the table I am rigid follower of “not educating the fish” rule, I don’t discuss / talkback / respond /acknowledge strategy in front of weak players as I don’t want to make them uncomfortable. I rather play good poker than winning some stupid argument with my opponents. Most of these things come naturally to me, this is one of the major reason I believe that I can be a very strong player if I am coached properly and work hard.

Email ID – vivek200311@gmail.com (vivek200311@gmail.com)

[intervention]

Hi Guys,
Thanks a lot for the overwhelming response, I am going to need atleast a week to select the candidates, I have decided to take a total of 21 students and teach them in batches of 7 each. Applications are now closed and I will be getting in touch with each candidate over the next 7 days and letting them know if they hv been selected or not. Our first lesson will be on May 9th at my apt in Goa (for those who r in Goa for PGT, the remaining candidates will be given skype/teamviewer info (dld both pls) and the time to participate. Each week I will set up a time for coaching with each batch and will hv a two hour lesson, this will start after PGT finishes.
Adi