Once A Poker Player, Always A Poker Player

PokaBunga Poker Stories are back with a different chronicle of a new & diverse Poker Player, but brings along the same kind of dedication & enthusiasm towards playing card games.

A frequent traveler, nature lover, Biker & energetic marathoner, Ravi Tanna , MBA SP Jain School of Global Management alumnus of the 2011 batch, Let’s hear your story…

I raised my sore eyes and looked around. The noise of Slot machines was clamoring all over the place. The place was abundant with sweet aroma of coffee & coke served by the waiters. The air had freshness of new card decks dealt every now and then. And I had no clue about the whereabouts of my friends as I sat at this Poker table at my favorite casino and rolled along all night, or till as long as my pockets were empty. Geeeeezzz!! This is how a typical night would unfold at our weekly, and at times, daily trips to the casino.  ‘Aaj Kuch Toofani Karte Hai’ was always on top of my mind during my MBA days and I made sure I live upto the motto…

It all started when I was a kid and was introduced to 2 games namely Bridge and Rummy. With a penchant for counting cards, I immediately got captivated on to these games, or any other, that required me to keep a count of cards in order to guess the move of the other players. Soon I had formed a coterie of friends interested in cards that met during the afternoons over the weekends.

As I grew, so did my risk taking ability. I had matured to become a small time “gamer” from just being a card player who played with friends. We started with any random card game but finally settled on the one addiction that was to remain the love of our lives, POKER. Playing Poker is like any other addiction; you can never check out of an addiction. It’s just not limited to that, I always looked upto the advantages which the game brought along.

Back to the casino night which I will remember for a long time to come, the dealer had just dealt me the cards. As many nights before that one, I was again on the verge of betting the last dollar I had in my pocket. But this night was going to be different; or so I felt. Those who have seen the Dev Anand starrer movie Gambler would recall the scene in which he is broke. He finds a single coin in his pocket and goes on to gamble that coin only to make millions out of it. There is something about this particular night that makes me feel like the Dev Anand from that movie. I mean who would not be upbeat with 2 Queens in his hand.

The dealer lays down 3 cards – 2, King and QUEEN !!!!! I am sure this is going to be mine. Dev Anand is all over my mind.

Another card – QUEEN !!!!! I am All In.

Can anyone guess the last card? No? It’s a King again. Now card counting and probability theory tells me that if you have four of a kind, and that too Queens, there’s not much of a reason to worry. As luck would have it, the dealer had 2 Kings and I lost even my last dollar; yet again.

And if you think this is going to deter me coming back to this godforsaken game and to the casino, let me tell you that you are mistaken. Always remember – Once a Poker player, always a Poker player.

As the saying goes, once a poker player always a Poker player. I am sure a lot of us would be able to connect or relate to Ravi’s Story. Ravi Tanna we see the sportsmen in you, appreciate & acknowledge the zest of being a gamer with the tossing of an adventure guy.. Hope you go places….

Ladies On The Floor

About a week ago, we posted about 5 sexiest ladies on the poker floor. We did make a pitch for 5 of our favourite lady sharks, but we felt like we did not justify our choices. So, here is what we looked at.

1. Does she turn a few heads or catch a few eyes when she walks onto the floor?

2. Poker winnings (Money matters!)

3. Does she jump off of cliffs or play a guitar or generally cool stuff that would add to her sexiness?

So, here's the list.

Rank 1: Jennifer Harman

Mother of two kids, 4th highest poker winnings by a woman. One of the most feared cash game players. Jenna Harman has 2 bracelets and has made it to the WSOP final table 12 times. She is definitely our sexiest female poker player. Good luck for WSOP 2013, Jenna!

Rank 2: Vanessa Rousso 

Vanessa Rousso is nick named Lady Maverick for her tricky plays and her skill. Guess what! She's only second to the great Vanessa Selbst in her winnings. Oh, she's also a sports illustrated swimsuit model. Couldn't resist putting her at No. 2 now, could we?

Rank 3: Kara Scott

Kara Scott has stolen so many hearts with her sweet smile and smooth voice, that we decided to call her the queen of hearts. She has a sizeable poker winnings. And she has also hosted WSOP Main Events number of times. Kara Scott is often referred to as a "Total Lady", by the colorful commentator Norman Chad. We put her at No. 3.

Rank 4: Beth Shak

She is an entrepreneur. She is the richest of the lot. She is very generous and has played on numerous charity tournaments. Rich, smart, beautiful and kind. If she not for the top 3's overwhelming skill at the game, she would be Rank 1. But for now, Beth Shak will be Rank 4. 

Rank 5: Olivia "Liv" Boeree

Nicknamed The Iron Maiden for her taste in metal music, Olivia "Liv" Boeree is one of the most skilled british players WSOP has ever seen. She's an EPT presenter and a swim suit model. Oh, the icing on the cake; she's a Astrophysics major from University of Manchester. She definitely deserves a mention in the top 5. We give her Rank 5.

Anyone else we have missed out on? Let us know. Write to us at pokabungaindia@gmail.com