PokerGuru Ambassador Kartik Ved aka ‘TheInternetKid’ is the NPS #69 – NPS Super Highroller champion! The WSOP bracelet winner entered the six-handed final table, played live on-board the PokerBaazi LIVE poker room at Casino Majestic Pride in Goa as the chip leader, and pulled out a dominating run to collect the NPS gold medal and ₹22.09 Lakhs in prize money.

The FT turned into a long-drawn battle that stretched far longer than initially anticipated, especially the heads-up match where Karan Pantola made a valiant attempt to outdo the more experienced Ved, but it was not to be.

Ved, a protégé of poker veteran Aditya ’Intervention’ Agarwal, is in top form and had only this past Sunday won Spartan Poker`s The Prestige for a record second time. He also happens to be among a handful of Indians who can boast of winning both – a WSOP bracelet and the domestic touchstone of success – The Millionaire. And now, Ved, who has cashed twice in the past BPT editions – both times in the Main Event (2019 and 2020) – has added an NPS title to his long list of accomplishments.

The first of the three NPS 2.0 final tables to play out live at the Baazi Poker Tour, NPS Super Highroller ran Day 1 on PokerBaazi on March 18 and clocked in 311 entries to record an overlay shortfall of ₹6.70 Lakhs on its ₹1 Crore prize pool guarantee. The play was halted once the six-handed final table was formed.

The FT was littered with PokerGuru Ambassadors, with half the field wearing the Red and Blue PokerGuru patch. And while Ved (3,176,000) held the FT chip lead, his stablemate Vishal ‘Vishzz’ Bajaj (3,000,000) was a close second in chips. Karan ‘Mahadevpoker’ Pantola (1,012,000), Ayush ‘Proman502’ Garg (972,000), Nishant ‘rektace’ Kumar (735,000), and PokerGuru Ambassador Gokul ‘Nygma’ Raj (436,000) were the others in contention.

Moreover, four of them were past The Millionaire champions, namely – Ved, Bajaj, Garg, and Raj.

Day 2 was scheduled to start at 1.30 PM but got slightly delayed due to internet connectivity issues.

You can watch the FT live-stream replay on PokerBaazi’s YouTube channel or read through our event coverage here.

We spoke to Ved shortly after the event. You can watch the interview below.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Kartik ‘TheInternetKid’ Ved – 3,176,000

2. Vishal ‘Vishzz’ Bajaj – 3,000,000

3. Karan ‘Mahadevpoker’ Pantola – 1,012,000

4. Ayush ‘Proman502’ Garg – 972,000

5. Nishant ‘rektace’ Kumar – 735,000

6. Gokul ‘Nygma’ Raj – 436,000

Final Table Recap

PokerGuru Ambassador Vishal Bajaj was a close second in chips starting out, but it was just not his day, and he was the first player to depart. He lost a big pot to the start-of-day chip leader Kartik Ved in what Ved described as one of the most crucial hands of the day. Not long after that, Bajaj doubled up Ayush Garg before losing the remainder of his stack to Ved, his falling to the eventual champion’s who hit a full house on the runout .

The NPS #19 Double Jump champion Nishant Kumar was out next, taking home a fifth-place payout.

Even as eventual runner-up Karan Pantola scored a crucial double-up, Ayush Garg found his stack dwindling. Garg eventually hit the rail in fourth place.

Three-handed play went on at a slow pace, but PokerGuru Ambassador Gokul Raj finally gave way as he ran his into Ved’s . Raj failed to connect on the rundown , exiting in third place.

Kartik Ved (720,000) held an over 3:1 chip lead over Karan Pantola (220,500) at the start of the heads-up match, and the duo exchanged blows for two hours. Pantola had a swingy ride, and the match came to the brink of ending on several occasions, but each time Pantola managed to double up to get back in the game. Despite the significant disadvantage, Pantola doubled up four times during heads-up play and almost came at par with Ved at one point.

However, the victory was staring at Ved’s face, who soon reclaimed the lead. The final hand saw Pantola move all in for his last 117,000, and Ved called.

Karan Pantola

Kartik Ved

Ved turned a winning two-pair on the runout to clinch the NPS gold medal!

Final Table Results (INR)

1. Kartik ‘TheInternetKid’ Ved – ₹22.09 Lakhs

2. Karan ‘Mahadevpoker’ Pantola – ₹15.50 Lakhs

3. Gokul ‘Nygma’ Raj – ₹9.97 Lakhs

4. Ayush ‘Proman502’ Garg –₹7.38 Lakhs

5. Nishant ‘rektace’ Kumar – ₹5.54 Lakhs

6. Vishal ‘Vishzz’ Bajaj – ₹4.43 Lakhs

It’s been an exciting start for the 2022 BPT that had the ₹15K Kickoff running in tandem with the NPS Super Highroller. You can follow the event coverage here.

Keep following PokerGuru for the latest updates from the National Poker Series FTs and the 2022 Baazi Poker Tour!

And it’s over! The WSOP bracelet winner Kartik Ved has added an NPS Gold Medal after triumphing in the National Poker Series Super High Roller, netting a hefty ₹22.09 Lakhs!

The result, even though predictable, took a lot longer than initially anticipated – all thanks to a brave fight by an unrelenting Karan Pantola!

After scoring four double-up in the heads-up match, Pantola`s luck finally ran out as he open-shoved his four big blind stack with . Kartik Ved called off tabling .

The board ran and with that, Ved won the NPS Super Highroller! A detailed tournament recap will be put up shortly.

Kartik Ved slowly chips away Pantola’s stack, and the duo went on a short break before resuming play. It wasn’t long before the final hand was played.

Pantola was all in for his last 117,000, and Ved called.

Karan Pantola
Kartik Ved

Board –

Ved’s turned two-pair dominated Pantola’s ace-king, and Pantola was eliminated in runner-up place to bank a ₹15.50 Lakhs payout.

Kartik Ved limped in with , and Karan Pantola checked his option holding

Flop

Pantola bets 25,000, and Ved called.

Turn

Pantola, who hit a monster three-of-a-kind checked, and Ved bet 50K. Pantola had a smile on his face as he moved all in for 295,000. Ved, who had 498,000 behind, gave Pantola a good look before throwing his cards into the muck, handing Pantola the pot.

Chip Counts
Kartik Ved – 498,000
Karan Pantola – 443,000

Pantola seems to have found his rhythm and has scored another double-up to get back in the game.

Kartik Ved jammed with . Karan Pantola gave it a good thought before calling. It was a good call by Pantola, who was ahead with and the runout got him another double-up!

Chip Counts
Kartik Ved – 733,000
Karan Pantola – 208,000

Karan Pantola lost a few hands to get down to his last two blinds. And just when everyone thought the inevitable was in sight, he found a double up to get some more breathing space.

Ved jammed and Pantola snap-called.

Kartik Ved
Karan Pantola

The board opened , and the jack on the flop got Pantola the crucial double-up.

Chip Counts
Kartik Ved – 825,000
Karan Pantola – 116,000

Ved has been consistently digging into Pantola’s stack. But Pantola soon added some to his stack.

The hand in question saw Ved open with . Pantola called with .

The flop went check-check and the appeared on the turn. Ved checked his flush draw before Pantola bet 40,000. Ved thought for a few minutes before mucking his cards.

Kartik Ved – 760,000
Karan Pantola – 226,000

Karan Pantola opened, and Kartik Ved wielding his chip lead, jammed with , putting the pressure back on Pantola.

Pantola called and tabled as he got up from his seat.

Board –

Pantola hits two-pair of queens and eights for a double-up cutting Ved`s over 3:1 chip lead to a 2:1 advantage.

Chip Counts
Kartik Ved – 630,000
Karan Pantola – 311,000

Kartik Ved and Karan Pantola are back on the table following a 15-minute break. While Ved who is an overwhelming chip leader is the hot favourite to claim the title and the ₹22.09 Lakhs up top, Pantola has survived through a swingy ride to come thus far.

Will it be a quick kill for Ved, or will Pantola persevere and turn the tables?! Stay tuned!

PokerGuru Ambassador Gokul Raj had entered the final table sporting the shortest stack, but he laddered up well to make a third-place finish.

Down to his last five blinds, Raj jammed and Kartik Ved called.

Gokul Raj
Kartik Ved

The dealer peeled off the [, and Ved scooped the pot, eliminating his stablemate Raj in the process!

Kartik Ved – 822,000
Gokul Raj – Eliminated

Players have gone on a short break before the heads-up match.

Heads-up Chip Counts
Kartik Ved: 720,000
Manoj Pantola: 220,500

Kartik Ved is riding strong as the dominating chip leader, and he’s wielding his chip advantage by exerting pressure on the opponents.

On a recent hand, Ved jammed with and Karan Pantola, who had 85,000 behind, snap-called with , putting his tournament life on the line. Pantola got up from his seat as the table watched the dealer peel out the cards.

The board ran , and Pantola paired his queen for a much-needed double-up.

Kartik Ved – 490,000
Karan Pantola – 176,000

Preflop, Kartik Ved raised to 32K with and Pantola who held called. Gokul Raj got out of the way.

It was two-way to the flop – Pantola paired his ten, but Ved was ahead with a broadway straight.

Pantola checked his option, and Ved fired a bet of 16,000. Pantola called.

The turn was the , and Pantola checked-called Ved`s 32K bet.

The river came the . Pantola checked for the third time, and Ved moved all-in, forcing Pantola to fold.

Ved now holds 70% of the chips in play while Pantola is down to just four big blinds.

Kartik Ved – 620,000 (70% of the chips)
Gokul Raj – 207,000 (12 BB)
Karan Pantola – 64,000 (4 BBs)

The former The Millionaire champion Ayush Garg displayed a lot of resilience on the final table. After coming close to elimination on a few occasions, he also found crucial double-ups, even taking over the second chip lead after for a while.

However, Garg couldn’t maintain the momentum and was soon down to 14 big blinds. We lost his elimination hand again, owing to technical disruptions in the live stream, but Garg, the shortest stack, fell out in fourth place.

Ayush Garg, who had 164,000, moved all-in with , and PokerGuru Ambassador Gokul Raj called off with .

The board ran resulting in a chopped pot.

Ayush Garg – 173,000
Gokul Raj – 230,000

Left with only seven bigs, Karan Pantola scored a crucial double-up through Kartik Ved to stay afloat on this stacked FT.

With the blinds at 6K/12K, Ved moved all-in with , and Pantola called with .

There was a sweat as the flop opened three hearts: but with the on the turn and the on the river completing the board, Pantola’s ace-five held, getting him a much-needed double up to 15 big blinds!

Chip Counts

1. Kartik Ved – 400,000 (40% of the chips in play)
2. Gokul Raj – 230,000 (19 BB)
3. Karan Pantola – 188,000 (15 BB)
4. Ayush Garg – 185,000 (15 BB)

A technical glitch led to an interruption in the live stream, and while all of that was happening, Nishant ‘rektace’ Kumar was eliminated in fifth place.

Kumar had only a fortnight back shipped the NPS #19 Double Jump for a career-best ₹8.70 Lakhs. He was looking to better his scorecard but conceded to a fifth-place finish worth ₹5.54 Lakhs.

It just wasn’t PokerGuru Ambassador Vishal Bajaj’s day. The 26-year-old MTT pro came into the final table with the second biggest stack but is the first to leave!

Bajaj lost two sizable pots, doubling up teammate Gokul Raj and Ayush Garg before losing the rest of his stack to the start-of-the-day chip leader Kartik Ved.

Both players moved all-in preflop.

Kartik Ved
Vishal Bajaj

Ved was ahead, and the runout saw him hit a full house on the river, dashing Bajaj’s hopes of clinching his first NPS gold medal.

With the action folded to him, Ayush Garg limped in from the small blind holding pocket nines. PokerGuru Ambassador Vishal Bajaj woke up with a strong hand himself, King-Jack (offsuit), in the big blind. After some thought, Bajaj made the call!

It was off to the races, and the board blanked out – Garg doubled up with Bajaj sliding down further.

In a battle between two PokerGuru Ambassadors, saw the two big stacks at the final table go head-to-head.

Vishal Bajaj raised 12,000 from the hijack holding . Gokul Raj folded and the action moved to Kartik Ved on the button who called with . The flop opened and Bajaj checked. Ved fired a bet of 11,000 and Bajaj called. The turn brought . Both players checked down to see the river. Both checked again and Ved won the massive pot boosting his stack to 404,000, while Bajaj came down to 223,000.

Chip Counts

Kartik Ved – 404,000
Vishal Bajaj – 223,000
Ayush Garg – 98,000
Karan Pantola – 86,000
Gokul Raj – 80,000
Nshant Kumar – 49,000

As they say, it’s not over till the fat lady sings! Proving the adage to be accurate, PokerGuru Ambassador Gokul Raj found a double-up through his stablemate, Vishal Bajaj.

A battle of the blinds ensued when Bajaj jammed for 289,000 with from the small blind. Raj called with from the big blind with his last 41,000, putting his tournament life on the line.

Board

Raj’s Ace-high won him the pot, getting him up to 86,000 (14 BBs) for more breathing space.

Chip Counts

Kartik Ved – 363,000
Vishal Bajaj – 249,000
Ayush Garg – 101,000
Gokul Raj – 86,000
Karan Pantola – 80,000
Nishant Kumar – 61,000

The live stream link of the NPS Super Highroller Final Table is now up with a 15-minutes delay.

And it’s finally underway! The six-handed NPS Super Highroller final table has begun with blinds at 3,000/6,000 and 35 minute blind levels.

Following the player presentation, the six-handed final table of the NPS #69 – NPS Super Highroller is now underway. PokerGuru Ambassador Kartik Ved commands the chip lead with a stack of 3.176 Million.

We will share the live stream link (with a 15-minute delay) shortly, so stay tuned as we bring you all the exciting action from ground zero!

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Kartik ‘TheInternetKid’ Ved – 3,176,000

2. Vishal ‘Vishzz’ Bajaj – 3,000,000

3. Karan ‘Mahadevpoker’ Pantola – 1,012,000

4. Ayush ‘Proman502’ Garg – 972,000

5. Nishant ‘rektace’ Kumar – 735,000

6. Gokul ‘Nygma’ Raj – 436,000

There has been a slight delay in setting up of the NPS Super Highroller FT. It will begin shortly. Stay tuned to PokerGuru!

To fill you in with the NPS background, the flagship series is the brainchild of the PokerBaazi team and was initially planned as a national-level live tournament series. The inaugural edition was extensively planned and scheduled from April 30 – May 5, 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a spanner on those plans, forcing the organizers to host the NPS online. The NPS made its inaugural run from June 13 to 27, 2021, with ₹15 Crores guaranteed over 64 events.

The NPS was a treat to play. We said “Encore” and PokerBaazi obliged, rolling out the second edition from March 6 to 20, with ₹18.50 Crores in prize pool guarantees spread across 84 tournaments and 252 NPS medals. Even better, the NPS features the online-live hybrid formula and will culminate with the final tables of three of its most exciting tournaments to be played in a live setting.

Now, about the first NPS tournament final table. The ₹33,000 buy-in NPS #69 Super Highroller was the most expensive tournament on the NPS 2.0 schedule and played online on Friday, March 18. Last June, Satyam Prakash from Patna had won the first-ever NPS Super Highroller, converting a ₹1,650 satellite investment into a career-best ₹23.88 Lakhs after topping the 379-player field. PokerGuru Ambassador Ankit Wadhawan had finished runner-up for ₹16.71 Lakhs.

Welcome to the first live tournament coverage of 2022 brought to you straight from the vibrant PokerBaazi LIVE room at Casino Majestic Pride, anchored on the Mandovi in Goa!

We’re witnessing the onset of another smashing Baazi Poker Tour (BPT) edition and running right along the BPT action will be the final tables of three National Poker Series (NPS) marquees. The first of them – NPS#69 – Super Highroller is scheduled from 1.30 PM today, that is March 23 – sounding off the live tournament action.

The NPS Super Highroller edition brought in 311 entries, and though the event fell ₹6.70 Lakhs short of its advertised guarantee, the top 36 finishers got paid. The play halted on Friday night with the formation of the six-handed final table with PokerGuru Staking’s head honcho, Kartik ‘TheInternetKid’ Ved (3,176,000) topping the list. PokerGuru Staking has indeed made a blockbuster show in the event, and Ved has company of two other stablemates on the FT. While Vishal ‘Vishzz’ Bajaj (3,000,000) is the second-biggest stack, Gokul ‘Nygma’ Raj (436,000) comes in as the shortest stack left in the field.

Karan ‘Mahadevpoker’ Pantola (1,012,000), Ayush ‘Proman502’ Garg (972,000), Nishant ‘rektace’ Kumar (735,000) comprise the mid-rung in stacks on the final table.

Team PokerGuru is on ground zero, so, keep watching this space for play-by-play updates of the NPS Super Highroller!