Satheesh Francis Uses WPTDS Houston Run to Jumpstart First Main Tour Appearance

By Sean Chaffin

It may not just be beginner’s luck for Satheesh Francis (pictured). The 35-year-old originally from India and now living in Houston, Texas, finished sixth in the WPTDeepStacks event in his hometown in September for $28,520 and was third in chips as play moved into Day 2.

Francis moved to the U.S. in 2008 and now works as a contract plant supervisor, moving all over the country from job to job. While he may be in only his second poker tournament, he has had plenty of practice. Currently, he’s working in Baton Rouge, LA but also spent some time in New Orleans where he started playing in cash games.

His foray into poker wasn’t easy. After seeing the game on television a few years ago, Francis decided he wanted to give it a shot.

“I never really learned how to play and didn’t ask anybody,” he says.

Instead, Francis just took some cash and headed to Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans – armed only with the knowledge of the game he’d gathered by watching it on TV. There may have been better plans of action, but he wanted to just jump in the action.

The results weren’t good.

“I lost a lot of times,” he says laughing.

But he kept at it – learning as he went. Francis liked the poker scene in New Orleans and continued to improve. When WPTDeepStacks rolled into his hometown, he decided to give the $1,000 buy-in event a shot. It was his first tournament and ended with a nice return on investment. Francis finished sixth for $28,520.

“I got lucky,” he says. “On the first day, I was chip leader. My first tournament – sixth place. Now this one is my second.

After watching the game on television, what brought him to the tables?

“I like the excitement,” he says of playing poker. “To me, it’s not gambling, it’s a sport.”

As Day 2 of WPT bestbet moved into the third level of the day, Francis didn’t survive. However, he said he plans to play more events and was loving his experience here in Jacksonville.

While he’s not married, Francis has family is still back in India. The nature of his job allows him to head home a few months during the year to visit.

At the first break of the day, Francis recounted some tough luck that saw his chip stack sink in the first two levels of the day. He lost with pocket Jacks, 10s, 8s, and 7s. Francis may not have survived Day 2, but plans to be back for more.

“It’s nice here,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how I do here today. But if I continue to do well at poker, I’ll be here again. I like the WPT.”

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.

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