Dhaval Mudgal: Not One to Confuse Good Run with Good Play

Dhaval Mudgal
  • Profile picture
  • PG News August 20, 2015
  • 3 Minutes Read

Dhaval Mudgal (cover image) is a name that has re-emerged after a long break and recently, the player made a splash at the APPT 9 Manila, where he kept making inroads at several events including a runners-up finish in Event 6: ₱5,000 Freezeout for ₱138,180 amongst several other cashes. With his consistent run, Dhaval managed to make a bagful of ₱269,080 in accumulated prize money from four cashes at the series.

For those unaware, Dhaval is not only proficient as a poker player, but an accomplished musician as well, with music in his blood, being the son of renowned singer, Shubha Mudgal. Poker, though is Dhaval’s other passion, one which he nurtures with great objectivity, looking at long term goals.

The Delhi based pro was recently signed up by online poker site Thrill Poker as a brand ambassador and things seemed to have turned around for Dhaval. After a hiatus, Dhaval began the year with a bang by winning the THOS, 12K Bounty ‘The Eliminator’ event and continued to bulldoze his way in live MTT`s with two more wins and one runner-up finish.

However, all has not been hunky-dory and the player saw a dull run in Manila, earlier in the year and more recently a complete washout of a series at the IPC.

Quiz him about these though, and Dhaval displays an amazing attitude, one that believes in looking ahead with no past regrets. A point that Dhaval does emphasize is the mistake in believing a good run, to be good play. The player is set to attend most upcoming Goa events and is looking forward to the APT events in Cambodia and Vietnam, with eyes on the EPT Prague in December.

We caught up with Dhaval for a quick conversation on his recent poker form and future goals. Here, he talks to us about his recent run, missing a Spadie, the player party in Manila and his plans for the rest of the year.

 

Congratulations on the dream run at APPT Manila. You seem to have been coming out from a bit of a slumber, having missed the WSOP series after a super run in Bengaluru, followed by a not-so-hot run in Manila. How does it feel?

Thanks! Feel quite happy with my consistency. To be honest, the Manila bubbles were already out of my mind until you guys brought them up again! The run in Bengaluru helped build my confidence, and most times play-good and run-good tend to happen hand in hand. Got a bunch of cashes this APPT Manila, but a big score still eluded me so there’s much work ahead.

 

Indian participation has been steadily increasing at APPT over the years. Do you think having so much Indian support at the rails helps the players?

I think the Indian contingent is fast emerging as a formidable force on the Asian circuit and hopefully all the success will encourage even more players to join and create a larger contingent. The group of guys that we are travelling are amazing to have as a support system and in fact I’ve noticed that tons of good players from all over the world seem to have similar support systems, where they discuss hands and blow off steam. It’s now a known fact that Indian rails are some of the rowdiest and that’s how we like it!

 

You narrowly missed the title at the series despite of making several cashes and deep runs. How did you like your game overall? Any memorable hands that you would like to share with us?

It was a huge disappointment to miss out on the title and a Pokerstars Spadie!! I was very happy with the way I played on that final table, was by far the most aggressive and active without showdown on a tough table that included Sam Razavi ( About to be APT POY 4 years running), Iori Yogo (ANZPT POY) and a couple of decent Japanese guys. In the Megastack event, where I finished 9th, I probably took a marginal spot which I’m a little disappointed about but I’m happy that I realized the mistake soon after and will be working hard to rectify in the future.

 

We hear that the player party was crazy. Tell us more about the party and other memorable incidents during the series.

We play hard and Party hard. PokerStars always tries to do fun things for their players and this Party at Chaos was great fun too. Booze was flowing and you know that poker players are a strange kind, so much fun was had. Most of the guys had busted the Main, so could really let their hair down.

 

What are your poker plans for the rest of the year. Any big events or series that you are planning to attend?

The poker plans for the rest of the year revolve around the Asian circuit. The Red Dragon starts soon after IPC and I’ll definitely be playing a large if not the full schedule. I am looking forward to travelling to the APT stops in Cambodia and Vietnam and I’m pretty sure I’ll end up doing atleast one if not both by virtue of the fact that I have never travelled to the these countries and really want to explore them too. I’m also keeping one eye on EPT Prague in December, but thats a long shot as of now. I intend to attend all Indian events of course in Goa, as well as in Bangalore.

 

We are big fans of your Music. How do you intend to balance your music career with your poker career with your sponsorship deal with Thrill Poker and poker commitments?

I always thought managing the two was easy and usually, when Music was my first priority and Poker second, it was manageable. However with the shift in priorities and the hectic tournament schedule that we are on, music has definitely suffered, but post-Macau, I will have some time in Delhi and hopefully you guys can hear some new tunes then. For those who want the old stuff, its on www.soundcloud.com/hsddelhi

 

Any other parting words?

Was really looking forward to carrying through the Manila form into the IPC, but had a terrible series and bricked everything. The good thing is that this gives me the chance to not confuse run-good with play-good and I’ll be sitting down with a few others to assess mistakes that we might have made so that we can go to chase that Red Dragon in Macau in top form.

0 0 votes
Article Rating

Related Players

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Top Online Poker Rooms

Top
PokerGuru