Tech-savvy Shammi Kapoor has a new obsession poker

01 June,2009 08:34 AM IST |   |  Shaheen Parkar

Shammi Kapoor has just found a new love poker. The veteran actor is so hooked to the online game that he spends at least four hours every day at it.


Shammi Kapoor has just found a new love poker. The veteran actor is so hooked to the online game that he spends at least four hours every day at it. At the moment he is playing for a $355 million stake and there is nothing that can stop him except his wife (Neela Devi) stops him in his tracks or if there's a telephone call for him!

Shammi Kapoor and Armaan Kohli playing online poker

"That's the only time my attention gets diverted and I lose. Right now, I am talking to you and my hand of flush has just got awry!" he rues.


An addiction now

Kapoor's net savvy prowess is well known. He was one of the earliest internet users not just in Mumbai, but India. The septuagenarian also has the unique distinction of being extremely tech savvy at his age. But only recently while surfing, he stumbled upon the realm of online poker and found it interesting.

"A friend of mine introduced me to it and now it has become an addiction. I have my own group of friends who are also into it. It is challenging and fun. There are thousands and thousands of tables, and an equal number of stakes. It is an online game so it is the virtual world, so also the money it is virtual but you get a high playing for millions and millions."

Among the actor's group of poker friends is actor Armaan Kohli, son of filmmaker Rajkumar Kohli "I play with him as he is also hooked on to it. I acted with his mother Nishi Kohli about 40 years ago and now I am interacting with her son. We are online poker buddies!"

The star of films like An Evening In Paris and Teesri Manzil admits that he has paid real poker years ago. "But that's a thing of the past, now it's only online poker for me."

What is poker?
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. The first round of betting begins with some form of forced bet. The action then proceeds to the left. Each player in turn must either match the maximum previous bet or fold, losing all further interest in the hand. The betting round ends when all players have either matched the last bet or folded. If all but one player folds on any round, the remaining player collects the pot without showing his hand.
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Bollywood Shammi Kapoor Tech-savvy Online poker veteran actor