Amit Makhija (pictured right) has had a successful poker career since he began traveling on the tournament trail in 2008. He has made final tables at both the World Series of Poker (fifth place at the 2008 $10,000 pot-limit hold’em world championship), and the World Poker Tour (second place at the 2008 Legends of Poker). He has $2,446,261 in career earnings, and his consistency has been impressive during his first two years on the road.
He is also a force online, and he is a well respected high-stakes heads-up player. This string of early success has led Makhija to be picked as a member of the Brunson 10, a group of young players that represent DoylesRoom.net that were handpicked by Doyle Brunson.
Card Player caught up with Makhija recently, and he talked about being selected for the exclusive group of young players, as well as what his sponsorship duties include.
Ryan Lucchesi: What did it mean to you to be picked as a member of the Brunson 10 to represent DoylesRoom.net?
Amit Makhija: It’s a great opportunity to become a member of that team. They’re doing a lot of good things. They’re trying to get some young people for the team, and they’re really putting together a good group of poker minds that are among the best young players in the world. It’s an honor to be a part of that.
RL: Did it mean so much more because you knew that Doyle Brunson was involved with the selection process?
AM: To me that was one of the biggest parts, because one of his main criteria was if he thought the players were going to be around for a long time. That’s tough criteria, because he has seen so many people come and go over the years. It’s an honor that he thinks I have what it takes to make it.
RL: What is the key to staying consistent during the course of the year in each tournament and cash-game session that you play?
AM: You just have to keep your head clear and not worry about past results. You can’t let the past have any affect on your future. You have to make sure that each decision is as good as it possibly can be. You always have to be working on your game, because if you’re not getting better then you are getting worse, because everyone else is working on their games. A lot of people get complacent really quick. I always try to work really hard at poker. I try to have no ego and make the best decisions possible.
RL: What is your involvement with the DoylesRoom.net website?
AM: We have a lot of input with the website. There is an e-mail circulating around that we voice any issues that we think they can improve on. They’re working on improving the software, which was one of the big issues, I think. We have a weekly conference call where the DoylesRoom president calls us and we discuss ways to improve the site, as well as different promotional things we can do to help the site. We have a lot of input.
It’s not like a lot of deals where it is just a deal to wear a patch. We are definitely very involved with the site, and we are determined to make it one of the best sites to play on online. It’s really cool.
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