India, 29th July 2024: JioCinema, India’s leading OTT viewing platformin partnership with PokerBaazi, India’s biggest poker platform, recently released a never seen before 6-part Poker focused reality TV series, Poker Masterclass. The 5-day unique learning experience is shot in a game show format. The series showcases players competing against each other in various poker games and activities, designed to promote learning and skill development while displaying a whirlwind of emotions and entertainment experienced in the Masterclass.
Four distinguished poker masters lead a team where they impart knowledge to Poker players to help upskill as well as socialise with the burgeoning Indian Poker community. In the series, Abhishek Goindi is seen leading the Shark Squad, Kanishka Samant leads the Anti-Tilters, Vinod Megalmani captains the Pocket Rockets, and Shravan Chhabria spearheads the Crushers. Each day will be filled with poker gameplay and insightful sessions, ensuring participants leave with enhanced skills and unforgettable memories.
Commenting on the release of Poker Masterclass on JioCinema, Navkiran Singh, Founder & CEO, Baazi Games shared, “We are delighted to announce that PokerBaazi has taken another step in fostering the Indian poker community with the release of one of India’s first poker reality TV shows on OTT, Poker Masterclass, in collaboration with JioCinema. Over the years, we have seen the Indian poker community grow exponentially. This sport continues to offer a lot, and we are now combining entertainment with the skills required to play poker in a unique learning gaming format for our Indian audience. The series highlights the efforts undertaken by poker players to prepare for tournaments and aims to attract a whole new audience to this skill-based sport in India.”
Talking about the partnership, Vivek Mohan Sharma, Head of Branded Content & Youth Properties Sales, Viacom18, says, “Pushing the boundaries of content through strategic partnerships is our approach of choice, and we’re excited to collaborate on a show like Poker Masterclass. This is our first-ever poker reality show on the platform. Collaborations like this not only enhance the brand’s visibility but also amplify the reach and impact through our vast platform. We’re committed to continue delivering power-packed brand experiences to our audience.”
Set in India’s Poker capital, Goa, the series features 28 players who participated in a five-day Poker camp while being guided and coached by 4 Indian Poker maestros to prepare for Indian Poker Masters hosted on PokerBaazi. The Shark Squad, led by Abhishek Goindi, includes Subhodeep Paul(West Bengal), Mahima Walia(Karnataka), Shubham Upadhyay(Haryana), Areyann Gurbaxani(Maharashtra), Pranav Baheti(West Bengal), Siddhant Khanna(Delhi), and Tanay Kauntia(Jharkhand). Vinod Megalmani’s Pocket Rockets features Ramu Kushwaha(Uttar Pradesh), Riyana Rasheed(Karnataka), Pratap Maurya(Maharashtra), Unmesh Nair(Kerala), Apoorv Bhanot(Delhi), Ritesh Khatwani(Rajasthan), and Shivakumar Channappa Koudishetra(Karnataka). Kanishka Samant’s Anti-Tilters team comprises Sachit Malik(Haryana), Vikram Jaiswal(Bihar) , Samarth Bhandari(Rajasthan), Vijay Agarwal(Goa), Niharika Bindra(Delhi), Yash Jaiswal(Uttar Pradesh), and Jyotindra Dubey(Madhya Pradesh). Finally, the Crushers, under Shravan Chhabria’s guidance, include Radhika Shankar(Delhi), Anish Arora(Maharashtra), Dhaval Doshi (Maharashtra), Daniyal Akhtar(Jharkhand), Basant Singh(Delhi), Ganesh Durgade(Maharashtra), and Rohit Chaudhary(Haryana).
The participants shown in the series were rank holders in the tournaments held on PokerBaazi’s platform. Four lucky winners were also selected via a social media contest. The participants of the show were also extended with an entry ticket to the Indian Poker Masters series hosted on PokerBaazi’s platform. The winning team was awarded with a trophy and a special call-out to an MVP who outperformed in the Masterclass. Indian Poker Master series begins on the 4th of August on PokerBaazi. The 21-day Poker spectacle offering a prize pool of INR 60 Crore will feature the best of Indian Poker players battling it out to be crowned as the Indian Poker Master.
About Viacom18
Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd. is one of India’s fastest growing entertainment networks and a house of iconic brands that offers multi-platform, multi-generational and multicultural brand experiences. Viacom18 defines entertainment in India by touching the lives of people through its properties on air, online, on ground, in cinemas and merchandise. Its portfolio of 38 channels across general entertainment, movies, sports, youth, music and kids genres delights the consumers across the country with its eclectic mix of programming. JioCinema, Viacom18’s OTT platform, is one of India’s leading streaming services and most popular destination for live sports. Viacom18 Studios has successfully produced and distributed iconic Hindi films and clutter-breaking regional films for over 13 years in India.
About PokerBaazi
PokerBaazi is India’s biggest poker platform that offers its users an opportunity to play the skill-based mind sport Poker safely and securely. Spearheaded by the Founder & CEO, of Baazi Games – Navkiran Singh, the platform currently has more than 40 Lac registered users. PokerBaazi has been leading the charge for the expansion of poker in India with its consistent innovations across the product and IPs. The award-winning gaming mobile and desktop app provides 24/7 customer support, a user-friendly interface as well as a wide array of tournaments, making PokerBaazi an engaging platform to get involved with.
