HNIs bet big & play the cards right

NEW DELHI: The mood may be one of cautious optimism but the spirits and stakes continue to be high. The ongoing financial crisis and negative sentiments therefore have failed to dampen the festive gaming circuit.

HNIs are continuing to bet big on Diwali card parties this year as well. And even though bets may have come down by around Rs 5 lakh, overall the cards season continues to witness the flow of big money.

The cards��� season gets going a week before Dussehra itself and it started almost on time this year too. And the hot favourites are games such as Eiffel Tower, Russian Roulette, Counter of 21 and Blackjack.

Says Rajesh Arora, MD of Arora and Associates, a real estate brokerage company: ���We can���t say that the international economic meltdown has affected the cards��� season entirely. But I am sure there have been fewer parties this time around. While the minimum chaal (bid) for the elite last year was upwards of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh, this year its down to Rs 12 lakh. But still there are games winding up with a few crores changing hands.���

Agrees Vikram Sabharwal, MD of SABH Infra, a company which develops upmarket apartments, who isn���t a player himself and wonders where the money is coming from. ���This year people are not talking so much about how much have the stakes gone up,��� he says.