PokerBaazi.com, one of the biggest poker sites in India, was founded in 2014. Now, seven years into its run, the site is approaching its billionth hand. To celebrate this landmark, the PokerBaazi team has put together a series of promotions and events.
These celebrations include a sponsorship push for the final three tables of the National Poker Series held in Goa from March 23 to 25. There are also "Baazi Billion" editions of the site's regular Moneymaker, Cash Royale, and End Boss events over the next few weeks.
It has been a long journey for Poker Baazi. The company has had to negotiate the ever-changing and inconsistently enforced regulatory landscapes of India's 28 states and 8 union territories.
"It has been a journey that has helped all of us grow at PokerBaazi along with the brand," Navkiran Singh, the founder and CEO of Baazi Games said in a press release. "Today's achievement is no small feat as it includes the contribution of each member of our team who has worked relentlessly to make this dream possible.
"We have stayed true to our goal of creating a new poker ecosystem in India and in the last seven years we have clearly been able to create resonance amongst the poker lovers of India and the same has resonated in our company's continued growth trajectory. With our users at the core, we have not only redefined technology but have been able to interact and analyze the clear trends which make the difference.
"While we sit at a billion hands, we will continue to strive to do better and match up to the expectations of India's poker community."
Breaking down a billion hands
Looking back over the unceasing work of PokerBaazi.com's plucky little random number generator, the company's PR team put together some of the stats from that time.
For example, the site has accrued a player base of around 2 million active individuals. And in February 2022 alone, players clocked over 400,000 hours on the site.
Some details are unsurprising (two out of three hands are Texas Hold'em). Others stats come as a surprise (an emoji used every other hand, a throwable every third hand). Still other factlets show how similar the Indian grind is to the grind in Europe and the U.S (Sundays are the most active days on Poker Baazi). However, the main thrusts of the stats are to reassure readers and customers that the site is going strong.
India's importance in the global poker market has seen a huge shift in the time Poker Baazi has been operating. Increased acceptance of poker as a skill game has resulted in more states legalizing online poker. In turn, more Indians have taken up poker. Increasingly poker is replacing gin rummy and teen patti as the nation's card game of choice.
This looks like it might be the first billion hands of many.
Featured image source: PokerBaazi.com
