The Poker Sports League (PSL) Season 6 has successfully wrapped up its Qualifiers, marking a new milestone with an extraordinary turnout. This season saw 20,927 unique participants, further cementing PSL’s reputation as the World’s largest poker league.
The Qualifiers, which kicked off on June 16th, drew over 5000 participants in the first qualifier alone, a testament to the growing popularity of poker as a game of skill in India. Over 50 days, players competed in daily open qualifiers on Pocket52, with the top 42 players earning coveted spots on the 7 teams advancing to the league matches. Additionally, the top 1,000 participants were rewarded with prizes totalling over Rs. 40 lakhs, significantly enhancing engagement and excitement around the contest.
The live auctions, held on August 13th, 2024 in Goa, marked the next phase of PSL Season 6 with almost 2 crores being spent on acquiring players for Season 6. Out of the 17 pros that went under the hammer, Ritwik Khanna emerged as the highest bid pro category player for a whopping Rs 5,80,000. From the 38 qualifiers, Saransh Garg was acquired for Rs 4,50,000.
In an intense atmosphere, team owners, captains, and analysts engaged in intense strategic bidding to construct their ideal rosters. Streamed live on JioCinema, the auction captivated poker enthusiasts across India as they watched team representatives meticulously evaluate players’ past performances, individual strengths, and future potential. This careful analysis aimed to create balanced and formidable teams, setting the stage for fierce competition in the upcoming league matches.
Pranav Bagai, CEO and Co-Founder of Poker Sports League, expressed his excitement about the success of the Qualifiers and the upcoming league matches: “We are thrilled with the overwhelming success of the PSL Season 6 qualifiers. The participation of 20,927 unique players has more than doubled our previous records, underscoring PSL’s standing as not just India’s premier poker event, but also a significant force on the global stage. This massive turnout highlights the growing appeal of poker as a mind sport in India and reflects our efforts to make PSL more inclusive and accessible through our open qualifiers on Pocket52 “
The anticipation now shifts to the virtual league matches, scheduled to take place between August 26th and September 8th, 2024. These highly anticipated matches will be live-streamed on JioCinema, following the remarkable success of Season 5, which garnered an impressive 12.5 million views. This outstanding achievement positioned PSL Season 5 as one of the most viewed poker events globally and marked a 600% increase in viewership from Season 4 to Season 5.
