Amit Makhija Poker
Poker News Daily: How did you get started in poker?
Amit Makhija played Event #16, a $5,000 no-limit hold’em event that started yesterday and by dinner break, had one of the biggest chip stacks in the field due in large part to a hero call. The 2019 WSOP Big 50 event has set the record for the largest field in live tournament poker history. The event attracted an astounding 28,371 entries, blowing away the previous record of 22,374. Philip Stark raised to 36,000 on the button, and Ron Jenkins made the call from the small blind. Amit Makhija reraised to 110,000 from the big blind, and Stark got out of the way. Total life earnings: $2,989,538. Latest cash: $2,353 on 05-Jul-2020. Click here to see the details of Amit Makhija's 93 cashes.
Makhija: I won a freeroll three years ago on a small site that no longer exists called Tropics Poker. I won $100, transferred it to PokerStars, and then grinded $5 sit and go tournaments.
PND: When did you realize that poker could become a career?
Makhija: That’s a tough question. It never really hit me at once. I always had done well at poker and was naturally pretty good at it, but I kind of just fell into it as a career. When I finished college, I was making a lot more money than I would have in a regular job. I decided to ride it out while I was young and could try.
PND: If you weren’t playing poker, what would you likely be doing?
Makhija: I graduated with a degree in finance and economics, but never really saw myself working a 9-5 job. It just isn’t something I’ve ever been interested in. I have always been interested in starting a small business and still would like to do something like that. I think I would have been looking into becoming an entrepreneur. I’m not sure though. It’s obviously not easy to start up a small business without some capital.
PND: You finished second in the 2008 World Poker Tour Legends of Poker event. What was it like playing in this televised final table?
Makhija: It was really surreal. When you start playing tournament poker, you dream about playing under the lights and cameras of the WPT and WSOP. I have been fortunate enough to experience both in just my first year playing live poker seriously. It was a lot of fun, but I wish I could have left the WPT table with the title. I thought I played very well and can’t even describe the disappointment of watching John Phan take the victory pictures with all of the money and the bracelet in front of him.
PND: Other players have described Phan as very aggressive. Tell us about his play in the WPT Legends of Poker.
Makhija: I think John played quite well overall and he is obviously a talented player. He can definitely be aggressive, but he changes gears as well as anyone. Overall, I was very impressed with his play. That being said, he ran by far better than anyone at that final table in many situations to get the win.
PND: What advice do you have for beginners just getting started in the game of poker?
Makhija: I think aside from the obvious aspects like bankroll management and game selection, people should always make sure that they are very open-minded. In poker, you have to adjust constantly and change your game to the way people are playing. It’s important to watch the top players play with an open mind. Try to figure out what they are doing and why they are doing it; it will help tremendously. People that are closed-minded and set in their ways will get passed up by the game time and time again. It takes a very special person to stay ahead of the curve for long periods of time. When you’re on top, it’s easy to get complacent while everyone else is getting better.
Amit Makhija Poker Video
PND: After so much success, what keeps you coming back to the tables?
Makhija: It’s such a great game. There are so many levels to it and there’s no other game I’ve ever played that’s like it. I can’t think of another game that is both as complex and as simple as poker. It has the perfect mix of gambling and skill to keep the fish coming back and also to provide a solid consistent living for professionals.
On Thursday at 4:00pm Pacific time, the final table of the World Poker Tour’s Legends of Poker tournament will kick off from the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, California. Six players remain to battle it out in the nationally-televised final table, which will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Net as part of the WPT’s new agreement for Season VII. Amit Makhija enters the final table holding just under 30% of the chips in play, which means that the other five players have a lot of work to do in order to catch up to this young poker prodigy. Makhija held the chip lead since very early on in Day 4, which occurred on Wednesday.
Makhija’s composure throughout the Legends of Poker has been unmatched. He told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman, “This feels like any tournament. I don’t think it’s set in yet and I haven’t played that many World Poker Tour events. It feels good to run well right off the bat.” Makhija is no stranger to televised final tables. Just a few weeks ago, his fifth place finish in Event #1 of the 2008 World Series of Poker was beamed into homes around the United States on ESPN. He noted, “I didn’t even notice [the cameras] at the time. You’re in the zone.” Makhija is an accomplished online poker player who has a win in the PokerStars $100 rebuy as well as a runner up finish in the $200K Guaranteed on Ultimate Bet. Makhija enters the final table with 3.2 million chips.
John “The Razor” Phan will begin play on Thursday with 2.4 million chips, which is good for second place at the Legends of Poker. Phan is on a heater in the poker world and is fresh off winning two bracelets at the 2008 WSOP. He captured hardware in a $3,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #29) as well as a $2,500 buy-in Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball tournament (Event #40). His career WSOP earnings top $1.3 million. He was born in Vietnam and currently resides in California.
Zachary “CrazyZachary” Clark is third in chips at the Legends of Poker, holding a stack of just over 2 million. Clark won the Main Event of the fifth Full Tilt Online Poker Series for $395,000. He’s also made the final table of the PokerStars Sunday Million. In live tournament play, Clark has six WSOP cashes for a grand total of $127,376.
Kyle Wilson is a high-stakes cash game player who predominantly plays online. He’s also made the transition into tournament poker, telling Leatherman in an interview on Wednesday, “I’ve spent a few years on the WPT trail. I finally made a final table.” He was railed most of the day by Greg Mueller. Wilson commented, “We’re two great poker minds and like to talk about hands. Two heads are better than one.” Wilson has 1.4 million chips, which is the fourth largest stack out of the six remaining players.
Amit Makhija Poker Player
Paul Wilson is fifth in chips entering the final table, holding a stack of 1.1 million, just ahead of Trong Nguyen, who is the short-stack at the table with 980,000 chips. Play will begin at 4:00pm PT from The Bike. WPT Hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten will be on-hand calling the action. When play resumes, the blinds will be at 30,000-60,000 with a 5,000 chip ante. We’ll have a full report on the winner of the 2008 World Poker Tour Legends of Poker event on Poker News Daily.