JioCinema, the OTT viewing platform, in collaboration with PokerBaazi, the poker platform, recently launched a 6-part Poker-focused reality TV show, Poker Masterclass. The 5-day learning experience is shot in a game show format. This series presents players who participate against each other in different poker games and activities that promote learning and building of skills while displaying a whirlwind of emotions and entertainment experienced in the Masterclass.

Abhishek Goindi captains the team Shark Squad, Kanishka Samant takes over the Anti-Tilters, Vinod Megalmani gets the reins of the Pocket Rockets, and the Crusher gets captained by Shravan Ch.

Elated about the launch of Poker Masterclass on JioCinema, Navkiran Singh, Founder and CEO, PokerBaazi Games, said, “We are excited to share with everyone that PokerBaazi has contributed, even more, to nurturing the Indian Poker community by launching one of the first-ever poker reality TV shows in India on OTT, Poker Masterclass, in association with JioCinema. Over the years, we have seen the Indian poker community grow exponentially. This sport is to offer so much more, and now that we are bringing in the entertainment element too with the skills in playing poker, it is through a learn-gaming format in an exciting way for our Indian viewers. It shows how poker players train and prepare for tournaments, and it also makes an attempt to get a totally new audience to this game of supreme skill in India.”

Talking about the association, Vivek Mohan Sharma, head of branded content and youth properties sales, said, “Strategic partnerships is the way to push the boundaries of content further, and we are really excited to partner for a show like Poker Masterclass. This will be our first ever poker reality show on the platform. Collaborations such as this bring brands to the fore; it only gets enhanced manifold through our reach and impact across the large pan-India platform. We’re committed to continuing to deliver power-packed brand experiences to our audience.”

Set in the Poker capital of India, Goa, the series features 28 players who participated in a five-day Poker camp under the guidance and mentorship of 4 Indian Poker gurus for the training of Indian Poker Masters hosted on PokerBaazi.

Abhishek Goindi captains The Shark Squad and has under him Subhodeep Paul from West Bengal, Mahima Walia from Karnataka, Shubham Upadhyay from Haryana, Areyann Gurbaxani from Maharashtra, Pranav Baheti from West Bengal, Siddhant Khanna from Delhi, Tanay Kauntia from Jharkhand.
Vinod Megalmani captains the Pocket Rockets and has under him Ramu Kushwaha from Uttar Pradesh, Riyana Rasheed from Karnataka, Pratap Maurya from Maharashtra, Unmesh Nair from Kerala, Apoorv Bhanot from Delhi, Ritesh Khat.

Lastly, Crushers mentored by Shravan Chhabria include Radhika Shankar from Delhi, Anish Arora from Maharashtra, Dhaval Doshi from Maharashtra, Daniyal Akhtar from Jharkhand, Basant Singh from Delhi, Ganesh Durgade from Maharashtra and Rohit Chaudhary from Haryana.

This series had winners of all the tournaments of PokerBaazi and four more winners who qualified through a social media contest. The participants were given free entry tickets to the Indian Poker Masters series on PokerBaazi. The winning team scored a trophy and MVP recognition for their outstanding performance. The Indian Poker Masters series will be inaugurated on August 4, with PokerBaazi already placing a mammoth prize pool of Rs 60 Crore up for a tussle among Indian Poker players for the ultimate title.