India, Sept. 28 -- For most IIT graduates, a career in poker would be an unlikely detour. For Nishant Kumar, it became a five-year pursuit that saw him leave a corporate job, compete in thousands of tournaments and eventually cross $1 million in winnings. The 31-year-old IIT Guwahati graduate is now building a startup, Ollinlabs, which he describes as "the Chess.com of poker".

Nishant Kumar spoke to Hindustantimes.com about what it takes to become a professional poker player, his own career trajectory, the path from IIT to poker and much more.

Originally from Lalganj in Bihar, Nishant Kumar holds a BTech in Electronics & Communications at IIT Guwahati. After graduating in 2017, he followed a fairly conventional path, working at Sears Ho...