Viswanathan Anand becomes brand ambassador of Poker Sports League

The latest to add to the list is their announcing Viswanathan Anand, the chess maestro, as their Brand Ambassador.

The announcement came in at a time when there are an array of poker leagues( both online & offline) trying to establish their foothold in the country.  

Vishwanathan Anand, Brand Ambassador for Poker Sports League while announcing his association with the league said, "In the last couple of years, we have been observing a paradigm shift in people's mindset for Poker as a sport. The zeal displayed by poker lovers has given rise to a lot of platforms which are not only encouraging the sport in India but also opening doors for youngsters who are keen to explore a career in the game. Like many other international universities, we also have Poker being taught as a course now in IIM (Kozhikode)  to establish that it’s a game that’s played with skill.”

He further added, " My association with PSL is an attempt to establish the fact that Poker, like the game of chess, is indeed a game of skill, which involves a lot of strategy & a defined skill set. I have played chess all my life and when I was introduced to poker I could instantly draw the parallels, which made me connect better with the game."

Amit Burman, Co Founder Poker Sports League mentioned, "Chess and poker are frequently compared as both games are based on strategic thinking and decision making. A chess game is broken up into an opening phase, the middle game and the endgame, often with blurred lines between each phase. Depending on your overall strength as a player, each part has varying levels of importance as to what is best to improve next. Similarly the whole theory behind poker brings to light facts like, how to figure what the best plays would be in different sorts of situations. A lot of it involves reading the other players at the table. Bluffing is the other key aspect of the skill edge in poker."

When asked about his views on this association, Pranav Bagai, Co founder PSL said, "PSL's main objective is to establish poker as a mind sport in India. We approached five time world chess champion - Viswanthan Anand who is the biggest name in mind sports in the country. He plays poker and enjoys the game at an amateur level. We are super proud that Viswanthan Anand agreed to be our brand ambassador. It's the biggest move ever -  towards changing the negative perception of poker in India."

Unlike last season, this season opened with bids for 2 more teams last month, garnering a lot of attention in response to which, PSL has been able to add another team from South India (Andhra Bullets) & the bid for a team from east (Kolkata) is still open.

PSL aims to sportify poker and test it on a team level.

PSL will give a chance to Indian poker players to showcase their skills and get the ultimate shot at glory. The Poker Sports League is one unified poker league which offers Indian poker players, the chance to be a part of 12 teams who fight it out for ultimate glory in poker.