By Sean Chaffin
The college party is rocking and Dhaval Mudgal (pictured) is manning the mic. His band Half Step Down hits every chord and Mudgal is center stage working the crowd. He belts out Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” then maybe one of the band’s own songs as heads bob and partygoers swig beers. He feeds on the energy of the crowd, his long hair swinging as he gets in the groove.
When not playing poker, this is the stage Mudgal loves most – entertaining crowds with his musical talents.
But here in Las Vegas, poker is the task at hand. Two WPT champions remain in the field in the Zynga Poker WPT500 Las Vegas and Mudgal is one of those.
Along with WPTDeepstacks Tampa winner Quentin Jones, Mudgal is also looking to make it a second win on the tour’s mid-major buy-in events. In October, he took down the WPT Vietnam event for $104,418 and is now looking for a double-up
After playing in the first flight last, Mudgal was pleased with how things turned out week.
Just because I haven’t had many chances for some #ChipPorn pic.twitter.com/2O5p7PRvZH
— Dhaval Mudgal (@Dirtbagpoker) June 22, 2019
What would it be like to be a champion on two different WPT tour levels?
“I cannot wait,” he said before action got underway on Wednesday for Day 2. “It’s an even bigger tournament and it’s here in Vegas. A second WPT would be amazing. I think it’s very exciting. The WPT treats me well, but there are a few tough players left in the field.”
Mudgal has numerous other cashes in Asia and is now looking for his first win in the U.S. Back in India, poker has become his chief occupation and the game has been growing in recent years.
“The poker scene in India is quite interesting,” says Mudgal, who now has almost $375,000 in live tournament winnings. “It’s at the cusp of a boom. We get maybe 700 to 1,000 runners for $500 main events.”
The WPT DeepStacks tour has also been on the scene in India as well with Nikunj Jhunjhunwala topping a field of almost 700 for $92,176 last November. The Deltin Royale Casino will host this year’s WPT India Oct. 18-21, with a 55,000-rupee ($795) buy-in.
That event is already on Mudgal’s schedule and he’s also a regular on the country’s online poker sites including WPT partner adda52.com.
“We have lots of great players coming out of India,” he says. “And the online sites are getting bigger and bigger.”
Before poker took over much of his time, his band was his consuming passion. The band gained quite a following in his home country and has even been featured in Rolling Stone India.
“I traveled the world singing,” he says. “We played rock ‘n’ roll, blues, and reggae.”
He performed with Half Step Down for about 10 years before poker began taking up most of his time. The band performed at colleges, pubs, and private parties. Mudgal mostly sang but occasionally picked up a guitar – apparently not always with the best results.
He says with a big laugh: “I play a little bit, but my band won’t let me play for too many songs.”
In Mudgal’s case, his bandmates want him to stick to what he’s best at – singing. Poker can also be added to that list now.
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions