Greetings from the IPC!

Well let me first begin by saying Congratulations because you have at last decided to pop your live-tournament-in-Goa cherry. And I will follow that up with a Thank You, for deciding to choose the India Poker Championship for your very first outing at live poker.

So what should you expect at the IPC? Let’s break it down to the basics:-

Check schedule for next event – Whenever you decide you wish to participate in the IPC, head to  www.indiapokerchampionship.com/register to sign-up your account. This is a onetime process and you can use your chosen username and password to log into the site and register for any IPC event and tournaments within those events.

Register yourself for the tournaments – Once you log into the site go through the detailed event schedule to see which tournaments you would like to play and choose them accordingly. There is no compulsion to play in all the events. You may pick and choose whichever tournament/s you like.

Book your travel and stay – Since the casino is located in Panjim (Central Goa), it is advisable that you choose your hotel in Panjim as this will cut down on your travel time to and from the casino. You are welcome to stay wherever you please i.e. in North or South Goa. It takes about 30-40 minutes by taxi from either of these areas to reach the casino. Book your travel and accommodation through any one of the various travel sites on the internet such as www.cleartrip.com, www.travelguru.com, www.expedia.co.in, www.makemytrip.com and many others.  It is advised that you make your travel and accommodation bookings in advance so that you can avail of lower room rates and cheaper travel fares.

Getting into Panjim - You can reach Panjim via bus (Panjim bus depot), train (Madgaon station) and flight (Dabolim airport). Once you leave the station/airport, you can take a taxi to Panjim which should cost you between INR 600-800. Rates fluctuate during season time which is between late September to late February. The taxi ride will be around 30-40 minutes to Panjim. Casino Royale (CR) is well known to all taxi drivers so they will drop you right outside the CR boarding point at Panjim jetty.

Get to the venue – The venue for the IPC is Casino Royale, a floating casino which is located on the River Mandovi which flows through Panjim. So you need to take a speedboat from here and travel upriver for 10 minutes to reach the main casino ship. The CR boarding point is called Noah’s Ark and it’s a 2 level boat like structure on the jetty. Head into the CR boarding point and present yourself at the registration desk which is located just inside the main entry.

At the CR boarding Point (Noah’s Ark) – When you get to the registration desk, mention that you are there for the IPC tournament and the jetty staff will check your name against the guest list. Once they confirm you are on the list, you will receive an entry coupon. Proceed to Noah’s Ark from where you will take the speed boat to Casino Royale.

Inside the ship – Once you disembark the speed board, enter the ship and just on your right as you enter, will be the registration desk for the tournament. Here you can pay your buy-in and receive your seat card. Carry the seat card with you to the door which is on the immediate left of the registration desk. This is the entry into the Royale poker room which is located on the lower level of the ship. You can then hang out in the poker room, grab a drink or something to eat before the tournament begins. Once the announcement is made by the tournament director, head to the table and seat as mentioned on your seating card.

Shuffle up and deal – That’s it! You’re all set to now take part in some intense tournament poker action! Good luck at the tables and we hope you have an exciting and enjoyable poker experience at the India Poker Championship.

Outside of poker – Now while most poker enthusiasts come to Goa to get their fill of tournament poker action, there are plenty of other things you can do during the day outside of poker. Goa is renowned for its long stretches of beautiful, sandy beaches. There are plenty of clubs, bars and nightspots where you can let your hair down and groove to the music. And of course there’s the wonderful Goan cuisine you partake in which is available at numerous restaurants around Panjim and elsewhere.