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This Week in Poker: February 5 – 11
In the PokerGuru feature ‘This Week in Poker,’ we bring you the weekly roundup of the most significant online scores by Indian MTT players along with the top stories from both the live and online poker circuit.
Here are this week’s top stories!
A firecracker week for poker was predominated by intense action on the virtual felts. Bringing the Spartan Poker-hosted IOPC to a close was The Millionaire Main Event that logged in a humongous 3,489 entries across its eight starting flights. The tournament collected a guarantee-smashing ₹3.49 Crores prize pool and saw MTT specialist Anurag ‘Norman Bates Srivastava etch his name in the history books by championing this record-shattering tournament. The Delhi-based pro defeated Wilson ‘PokerBadger’ Yomso heads-up to earn his career-best score of ₹59.33 Lakhs. But that was just the half of his blistering Sunday! Srivastava managed a further three more cashes in the Millionaire to collectively earn ₹60.34 Lakhs in the event. Not stopping at this, he took down the Adda52 AOPS Millions for ₹8.92 Lakhs and final-tabled two more events the same night. Srivastava`s breakout Sunday saw him padding his bankroll by ₹70.11 Lakhs, and with ₹75.29 Lakhs in winnings in the past week, he was a natural choice for our “PokerGuru Star of the Week!”
Srivastava may have emerged as the biggest Millionaire champion to-date, but it was Amit ‘Immortal Killer’ Sur who topped the IOPC leaderboard with 11,636.87 points to drive away in a brand new MG Hector SUV!
While most of the regs were busy on the online felts, there was a small crew of players busy at The Indian Poker Series (TIPS) Season 3 that ran from February 3 to 10 at the Kings Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. The stop was hosted in collaboration with the Spanish Poker Festival (SPF), and the Indian battalion posted a total of nine scores. The most significant of them came from Nitin Jain, who championed the TIPS Super High Roller to win €18,165 (~₹14.22 Lakhs). Over at the Main Event, Israel’s Alexey Mishuk trounced a field of 1,718 entries to clinch the title and top prize of €58,765, after a three-way chop.
In other prominent developments was the announcement of an all-new National Poker Series (NPS) that will take place onboard the PokerBaazi LIVE room in Goa this April.
The Kerala government has dismissed the possibility of permitting casinos in the state while in Goa, the police busted a four-member gang that had allegedly duped almost 400 people of money by promising them high returns on their investments by gambling at the casinos.
Tournament action in Asia has decidedly suffered due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Even though the WPT Philippines stop is running as per the schedule, the Asia Poker League (APL) Da Nang that was to be held at the Risemount Premier Resort in Vietnam from February 19-28 has been canceled.
In more news coming in from overseas, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) filled in more of its 2020 schedule by finalizing 25 events with a $1,500 buy-in. We also saw a slew of brand alliances and breakups, with Jordan Drummond joining partypoker’s Team Online, Kevin Rabichow coming onboard Run It Once (RIO) Poker even as Fatima Moreira de Melo parted ways with PokerStars.
Live poker is coming back into focus soon at the domestic felts, and we’re now edging closer to the Deltin Poker Tournament (DPT) Xpress that will be held t the Casino Deltin Royale for the very first time starting February 27.
Online Railbird Report
Spartan Poker’s The Millionaire Main Event was the talk of the poker town this past week. Running starting flights all week-long (eight in total), the tournament attracted 3,489 entries in all. Coming out on top of this stacked field was Anurag ‘Norman Bates’ Srivastava, who defeated Wilson ‘PokerBadger’ Yomso heads-up to take home a mind-boggling ₹59.33 Lakhs for the win. His hot run saw him bagging multiple scores across the various sites on the same day that included the AOPS Millions title for ₹8.92 Lakhs. In all, Srivastava scooped in a whopping ₹70.11 Lakhs last Sunday. With ₹75.29 Lakhs in tournament cashes this past week, Srivastava is hands down our “PokerGuru Star of the Week!!”
Others who came out Millionaires in the event were Yomso (runner-up for ₹32.77 Lakhs), Avijit ‘tyler2643’ Jaiswal (3rd for ₹15.70 Lakhs) and Sanket ‘GHOSTF@CE’ Arora (4th for ₹11.84 Lakhs).
Last week’s Millionaire champion, Dhruvin Kothari added another hefty score this week by taking down the IOPC #79 Super High Roller ₹1 Crore GTD for ₹25.18 Lakhs following a three-way chip with lol this guy’ (runner-up for ₹23.90 Lakhs) and ‘Yennefer’ (3rd for ₹23.66 Lakhs).
The notable scores of the week include –
Player | Prize Money | Event | Poker Site |
---|---|---|---|
Anurag ‘Norman Bates’ Srivastava | ₹59.33 Lakhs | IOPC #98 The Millionaire Main Event ₹3 Crores GTD | Spartan Poker |
Dhruvin ‘thepokerplayer’ Kothari | ₹25.18 Lakhs | IOPC #79 Super HighRoller ₹1 Crore GTD | Spartan Poker |
Devang ‘spark123’ Yadav | ₹12.00 Lakhs | AOPS Mega Suits Finale ₹50 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
Gaurav ’mozzie17’ Sood | ₹11.03 Lakhs | IOPC #91 PLO HighRoller ₹30 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Anurag ‘NormanBates’ Srivastava | ₹8.92 Lakhs | AOPS Millions ₹30 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
Yennefer | ₹8.22 Lakhs | IOPC #85 The Elite ₹30 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Anant ‘Pro’ Purohit | ₹6.64 Lakhs | IOPC #73 Destiny ₹30 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
GGGenius | ₹6.47 Lakhs | Sunday SuperStack ₹40 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Vaibhav ‘alienrobot’ Sharma | ₹6.21 Lakhs | Godfather ₹25 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
Srihari ‘zombieballs’ Bang | ₹5.25 Lakhs | AOPS Whale ₹20 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
Vaibhav ‘KingJazz’ Ghadge | ₹4.93 Lakhs | IOPC #78 Ultron ₹25 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Vaibhav ‘alienrobot’ Sharma | ₹4.65 Lakhs | AOPS Big Slick ₹20 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
Niraj ‘ooltus’ Yadav | ₹4.55 Lakhs | PMVS #6 The Summit ₹15 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
sharptooth | ₹3.25 Lakhs | AOPS Inception ₹12 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
Sanchit ‘sanchit1990’ Adukia | ₹3.15 Lakhs | The Endeavour ₹15 Lakhs GTD (RE) | PokerBaazi |
Anmol ‘anzzzzz’ Mehta | ₹3.11 Lakhs | AOPS Hitman ₹10 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
piscean | ₹3.5 Lakhs | Mega Stack ₹20 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Akshay ‘youcantcallme’ Nasa | ₹3.03 Lakhs | Highroller ₹15 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
space ace | ₹3.03 Lakhs | IOPC #74 Daily Hi-Fi ₹12.5 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Dhaval ‘BithBecool’ Mudgal | ₹2.88 Lakhs | Sunday Special Progressive KO ₹15 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
Ameya ‘Volcy’ Gokhale | ₹2.88 Lakhs | AOPS Holdem High ₹10 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
Raman ‘ifryu’ Gujral | ₹2.52 Lakhs | PMVS #2 The Pride ₹10 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
Siddharth ‘CallMeMaybe’ Mundada | ₹2.45 Lakhs | The Joker ₹10 Lakhs GTD | 9stacks |
Srihari ‘bangbang99’ Bang | ₹2.41 Lakhs | ReCharge ₹12 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Pranav ‘I’mThePlayboi’ Bang | ₹2.34 Lakhs | IOPC #84 TGIF ₹12 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
amrut851 | ₹2.26 Lakhs | IOPC #92 Daily Hi-Fi ₹10 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Rajat ‘BloatedBelly’ Mahajan | ₹2.23 Lakhs | IOPC #90 Mega Freeze ₹10 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Srihari ‘bangbang999’ Bang | ₹2.20 Lakhs | PMVS #7 MegaStack ₹10 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
Alok ‘TheProfessional’ Birewar | ₹2.14 Lakhs | The Bout ₹10 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
Anuj ‘Anuj16101’ Laddhad | ₹2.07 Lakhs | IOPC #80 Daily Hi-Fi ₹10 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Kartik ‘TheInternetKid’ Ved | ₹1.96 Lakhs | Uppercut 6-Max Magic Edition ₹10 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
Pranay ‘setmeup’ Chawla | ₹1.89 Lakhs | Maverick ₹10 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
bootsicles | ₹1.88 Lakhs | PMVS #14 Value Town ₹10 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
supernuts | ₹1.71 Lakhs | IOPC #99 Big Daddy ₹10 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
hope123 | ₹1.70 Lakhs | AOPS PLO ₹5 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
Sandeep ‘PoKcey’ Singh | ₹1.69 Lakhs | PMVS #15 ₹7 Lakhs GTD (8-Max) | PokerBaazi |
Prakhar ‘Prak27’ Kapoor | ₹1.67 Lakhs | IOPC #86 Daily Hi-Fi ₹8 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Kanav ‘sokopa’ Parwal | ₹1.60 Lakhs | PMVS #3 ₹7 Lakhs GTD (7-Max) | PokerBaazi |
Siddharth ‘Siddonuts’ Pandey | ₹1.50 Lakhs | PMVS #10 Fri-Yay ₹6 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
Dichin | ₹1.48 Lakhs | PMVS #17 The Monster ₹7 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
Mrinal ‘booyah’ Manna | ₹1.46 Lakhs | PMVS #11 8 Max ₹6 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
Akash ‘K9_A’ Shekhar | ₹1.41 Lakhs | Thunder @8 PM ₹5 Lakhs GTD | 9stacks |
Raman ‘zazen0’ Gujral | ₹1.29 Lakhs | Sixth Sense ₹7 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
Rajat ‘Garammasala’ Sharma | ₹1.15 Lakhs | Hi-Fi ₹5 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
$00th$ayer | ₹1.03 Lakhs | Monday Hustle ₹5 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
Sandeep ‘effuno007’ Varma RS | ₹1.00 Lakhs | Night On Stars ₹5 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
illuminati.AM | ₹93,906 | IOPC #82 Afternoon Hi-Fi ₹4 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
PokerBadger | ₹91,580 | IOPC #76 Afternoon Hi-Fi ₹4 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
wormhole | ₹91,280 | Hexagram ₹3 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
The AnnihiIator | ₹87,456 | Sunday Special (L) ₹5 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
Shashank 'indianrat' Desai | ₹84,558 | Tuesday MonsterStack ₹3 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
Godzilllaa66 | ₹76,237 | PMVS #5 ₹3 Lakhs GTD (8-Max) | PokerBaazi |
Meverick | ₹74,610 | PMVS #20 BSS MegaStack ₹3 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
Ayush ‘lazyman’ Garg | ₹74,472 | Hexagram ₹3 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
Namannnn | ₹73,103 | Afternoon Hi-Fi ₹2.5 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Amit ‘Immortal Killer’ Sur | ₹67,548 | IOPC #95 Afternoon Hi-Fi ₹4 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Sands Myth | ₹67,042 | Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Rajat ‘Oshoswami’ Sharma | ₹64,828 | AOPS Knockout ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
the Snowman | ₹64,130 | Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Ram ‘TheLagLawyer’ Kakkar | ₹62,964 | Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Chinmoku | ₹62,356 | IOPC #93 NLHE ₹2.5 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
jalanchetan | ₹61,376 | AOPS Knockout ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Adda52 |
Sreeharsha ‘yUDdam’ Boneni | ₹59,347 | IOPC #70 ₹3 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Rabkabanda | ₹58,300 | Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Sandy ‘Ziigmund’ Lamba | ₹57,426 | PMVS #18 BSS PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
Amresh ‘Termi’ Kumar | ₹56,600 | Hercules @8 PM ₹2 Lakhs GTD | 9stacks |
Pokerguru01 | ₹56,274 | Afternoon Hi-Fi ₹2.5 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Ravi ‘Rvjn91’ Jain | ₹54,356 | IOPC #75 NLHE ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Sandy Ziigmund’ Lamba | ₹54,354 | PMVS #1 ₹2 Lakhs GTD (8-Max) | PokerBaazi |
Siddharth ‘Siddonuts’ Pandey | ₹54,270 | Monday MegaStack ₹2 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
balaji333 | ₹51,560 | Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Newsolidcash | ₹51,500 | PMVS #13 ₹2 Lakhs GTD PKO | PokerBaazi |
Ashish ‘Krazy8’ Mudgil | ₹51,449 | IOPC #81 NLHE ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
KenstraGol | ₹51,345 | The Classic ₹2 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
mohitbhatia | ₹50,016 | Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
Navdeep ‘Psychonaut’ Sahi | ₹49,740 | PMVS #8 ₹2 Lakhs GTD | PokerBaazi |
rdx1111 | ₹48,077 | Sunday Stars ₹2 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
Mrstarx | ₹47,436 | PMVS #16 ₹2 Lakhs GTD (6-Max) | PokerBaazi |
Ragesh ‘ragesh91’ Mishra | ₹44,540 | 6-Max ₹2 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
vakeeel_sahab | ₹43,676 | Progressive KO 4-Max ₹2 Lakhs GTD | PokerStars India |
Rabdasuar | ₹43,599 | Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTD | Spartan Poker |
OnePlus6T | ₹35,600 | Battlefield Tuesday ₹1.5 Lakhs GTD | Poker Dangal |
Charles ‘jhonnymaddog30’ Donnadieu | ₹34,200 | Warrior Arena ₹1.5 Lakhs GTD | Poker Dangal |
Prakarsh.gupta | ₹24,000 | Monday Texas ₹1 Lakh GTD | Poker Dangal |
Dheeraj ‘Dangerplayer’ Grover | ₹24,000 | Dangal Friday ₹1 Lakhs GTD | Poker Dangal |
ziggyluck | ₹22,344 | Sunday Bonanza ₹1 Lakh GTD | Poker Dangal |
Vikas ‘NIBIRUX42’ Jethnani | ₹16,500 | Wow Wednesday ₹75K GTD | Poker Dangal |
greenboy | ₹15,946 | Saturday Hustle ₹50K GTD | Poker Dangal |
partypoker Introduces New Flexible MILLIONS Passport
Acting on player feedback, online poker site partypoker has introduced an all-new MILLIONS Passport. The offering is a flexible new satellite package worth $11,000 that can be used by the winners to enter any partypoker MILLIONS event within 12 months. Add-ons like VIP accommodation, travel, and exclusive extras are all part of the package.
Read the complete report here
DPT Xpress Hits Casino Deltin Royale From February 27 – March 1
The much-awaited Deltin Poker Tour (DPT) Xpress (DPTX) series is ready to hit the floor on February 27. This is the first of the three stops that the DPT has announced for the first half of 2020, and the series will run till March 1. PokerGuru will be live reporting the series!
Read the complete report here
All-New National Poker Series (NPS) Announced
PokerBaazi CEO Navkiran Singh announced the launch of a new live poker series – National Poker Series (NPS) on Republic day. The series features affordable buy-ins and aims to nourish the next poker superstars of the country. The other attractions at the series include a leaderboard that has two all-expenses-paid packages to Las Vegas up for grabs.
Read the complete report here
Goa Police Busts Ponzi Scheme Promising Online Gateway to Casinos
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Goa Police has arrested four people who were allegedly involved in a Ponzi scheme that falsely promised high returns on investing money for gambling in casinos.
Read the complete report here
Kerala Government Not Ready to Introduce Casinos in the State
The government of Kerala has discounted the possibility of permitting casinos in the state. Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, the State Excise Minister, TP Ramakrishnan, said that the government has not yet decided to give permission to casinos to operate out of the coastal areas in the state.
Read the complete report here
APL Da Nang Cancelled in Light of the Coronavirus Outbreak
The Coronavirus outbreak has forced numerous tournament organizers to call off live poker stops in Asia, and the latest brand to do so was the Asia Poker League (APL). The brand has called off its Da Nang that was to take place at the Risemount Premier Resort in Vietnam from February 19 to 28.
Read the complete report here
WSOP Finalizes Twenty-Five $1.5K Buy-in Events For Upcoming Series
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has confirmed that its annual 2020 run will have 25 tournaments featuring a $1,500 buy-in across 18 different game variants. Six of these events were already announced earlier. Nine of the remaining 19 events will be freezeouts, while 10 of these events will permit a single re-entry.
Read the complete report here
Jordan Drummond Joins partypoker`s Team Online
Popular Canadian twitch streamer and the founder of BBZ Staking, Jordan Drummond has joined partypoker`s Team Online. On February 11, the site officially announced that Drummond would be joining as the site`s 14th Team Online Ambassador.
Read the complete report here
Kevin Rabichow Becomes the First Run It Once Poker Team Pro
High stakes cash game pro and Run It Once (RIO) Poker coach Kevin Rabichow has become the first Team Pro for RIO Poker.
Read the complete report here
UK`s Competition & Markets Authority Starts Investigating the Flutter Entertainment & TSG Merger
UK’s regulatory watchdog, UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has initiated an investigation into the proposed merger of The Stars Group (TSG) with Flutter Entertainment.
Read the complete report here
Fatima Moreira de Melo Parts Ways With PokerStars
Former Dutch field hockey player and Olympic gold medallist, Fatima Moreira de Melo is no more a PokerStars brand ambassador.
Read the complete report here
The Indian Poker Series (TIPS) Season 3
The Indian Poker Series (TIPS) Season 3, in collaboration with the Spanish Poker Festival (SPF), commenced on February 3 at one of Europe’s largest casinos – Kings Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. Comprising of eight events, the series ran till February 10.
A small group of Indian challengers was present at the series and did considerably well, posting nine cashes in total. Leading the list of scores was Nitin Jain, who claimed his career-first live title in the TIPS Super High Roller for an impressive €18,165 (~₹14.22 Lakhs).
Read the complete report here
Indian Cashes at the TIPS 2020
Player | Position Finished | Event | Prize Amount |
---|---|---|---|
Nitin Jain | 1st | TIPS Super High Roller | €18,165 - ₹14.22 Lakhs |
Kanishka Samant | 10th | TIPS Super High Roller | €1,945 - ₹1.52 Lakhs |
Avneesh Munjal | 40th | SPF Main Event | €1,010 - ₹78,925 |
Jaydeep Dawer | 47th | SPF Main Event | €1,010 - ₹78,925 |
Himanshu Dewan | 15th | Spanish Cup | €796 – ₹62,374 |
Kanishka Samant | 106th | SPF Main Event | €633 - ₹49,465 |
Himanshu Dewan | 119th | SPF Main Event | €633 - ₹49,465 |
Manish Goenka | 71st | Spanish Cup | €278 – ₹21,784 |
Kanishka Samant | 94th | Spanish Cup | €245 – ₹19,198 |
The showstopper event at the series, the Main Event logged in 1,718 entries, generating a prize pool of €359,062. Israeli player Alexey Mishuk ran past the massive field and took down the event for €58,765, following a three-way deal with Antonino Karman (runner-up for €34,605) and Alexander Sazhinov (3rd for €24,338). All three finalists received tickets to the WSOPE Main Event.
Read the complete report here
TIPS 2020 Season 3 List of Winners
Event | Winner | Prize Money |
---|---|---|
Spanish Cup | Miki Vea Garcia | €11,800 |
SPF High Roller | Ignacio Molina aka 'CUACK' | €16,347 |
TIPS Big Friday | Jose Luis Lopez Acebes | €4,581 |
TIPS Super High Roller | Nitin Jain | €18,165 |
TIPS Deepstack | Sergei Rozanov | €7,555 |
TIPS High Roller | David Martin Carmona | €9,788 |
King Kong Event | Stone Wall Jackson | €3,451 |
SPF Main Event | Alexey Mishuk | €58,765 |
2020 World Poker Tour (WPT) Philippines
The World Poker Tour (WPT) Philippines began proceedings on February 6, despite the increasing unrest in the region because of the Coronavirus epidemic. The action will continue non-stop at the host venue Okada Manila till February 17. The 21-event series featured a combined prize pool guarantee of PHP 17 Million.
The Indian presence is glaringly missing from the stop, with Chirag Tarunkumar Shah being the only Indian who has been reported in the series so far. Shah came to prominence for his 10th place finish in the MegaStack NLH for PHP 31,000 (~₹43,559).
A total of five events have already played down to a winner with Xin Lin (Deepstack NLH for PHP 260,000) and Nicholas Lim (Pot Limit Omaha for PHP 293,000), becoming the latest players to win side event titles at the stop.
Read the complete report here
2020 WPT Philippines List of Winners (February 6-11)
Player | Event | Prize Amount (PHP) |
---|---|---|
Sandro Bruni | Main Event | PHP 922,000 |
Edilberto Gopez | All Bankrolls Kickoff | PHP 596,200 |
Nicholas Lim | Pot Limit Omaha | PHP 293,000 |
Xin Lin | Deepstack NLH | PHP 260,000 |
Paul McCabe | Megastack NLH | PHP 259,000 |
Indian-Origin Vishal Patel Wins 2 WSOPC Titles
Thirty-three-year old Indian-origin pro Vishal Patel won an incredible two titles at the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Potawatomi. Patel took down Event #12 $400 NLHE Turbo for $15,272 after topping a field of 190 entries. He then clinched his second WSOP gold ring in Event #13 $400 Double Stack Turbo that he won for $18,873.
Read the complete report here
Al-Keliddar Wins 2020 Potomac Winter Poker Open $400 Opening Event
Topping a field of 1,812 entries, bracelet winner Yaser Al-Keliddar won the 2020 Potomac Winter Poker Open $400 Opening Event for a $96,567 up top. Indian-origin player Rahul Jain final-tabled the event and scored a ninth-place finish for $9,764 (~₹6.96 Lakhs).
Read the complete report here
Martin Piik Wins the MPN Poker Tour €550 Main Event
Estonia’s Martin Piik championed a field of 575 entries to win the MPN Poker Tour (MPNPT) €550 Main Event for €52,000. Piik defeated China’s Yu Cheng ‘Richard’ Liu heads-up.
Read the complete report here
David Hengen Wins RGPS Horseshoe Council Bluffs Main Event
The RunGood Poker Series (RGPS) Horseshoe Council Bluffs $575 Main Event of the RGPS All-Stars Season attracted 368 entries. Outrunning the competition, David Hengen took the event down for $41,287 and a signature Championship ring.
Read the complete report here
Philip Shing Wins WSOPC Potawatomi Main Event
Outrunning a field of 524 players, Philip Shing took down the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Potawatomi $1,700 Main Event for $151,284.
Read the complete report here
Marco Biavaschi Wins the 888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event €800K GTD
Italy’s Marco Biavaschi, who had entered the 888poker Main Event €800K GTD after winning a €110 live satellite, went ahead to convert that small investment into a €150,000 ($166,353) windfall. Along with the title win, Biavaschi also snagged a $12,500 package to the 2020 WSOP Main Event.
Read the complete report here
And with this, we conclude this week’s roundup of the latest news updates and developments from the world of poker. We will return again next week with our weekly report, stay tuned.
TIPS 2020: Miki Vea Wins the Spanish Cup; Himanshu Dewan, Manish Goenka & Kanishka Samant Finish ITM
The first event of The Indian Poker Series (TIPS) Season 3 that is being hosted in collaboration with the Spanish Poker Festival (SPF), the Spanish Cup, has come to an end. After three days of rigorous play, Miki Vea triumphed over an 874-strong entry field (Day 1A – 251, Day 1B – 401 and Day 1C – 222) and netted a handsome payday of €11,800, following a three-way chop with José Carlos (runner-up for €11,764) and Martin Petrov (€9,060).
Five Indians had made it through to Day 2; however, only three among them managed to finish in the money. While Avneesh Munjal and Jaydeep Dawer fell out empty-handed, Himanshu Dewan (15th place for €796 – ₹62,374), Manish Goenka (71st for €278 – ₹21,784) and Kanishka Samant (94th place for €245 – ₹19,198) did relatively better.
Most of the Indian contenders who busted out of the Spanish Cup jumped into the SPF High Roller. Four Indians, namely, Kanishka Samant (162,500), Avneesh Munjal (151,000), Jaydeep Dawer (101,000), and Himanshu Dewan (72,000) were able to make it through to Day 2.
The star attraction SPF Main Event also kicked off with its opening flight Day 1A. Joan Perez Hereu bagged the biggest stack of 551,000 among 29 survivors. With five more starting flights left to play out, there is a lot more exciting action to look forward to.
Spanish Cup – Day 1C Recap
A total of 222 players registered for Day 1C, taking the overall number of entries to 874. Only 68 players made it through to Day 2 from the third and final starting flight, which included Team India’s Avneesh Munjal, who bagged 130,000 in chips.
Birthday boy Mani Singh Guruditta had come close to progressing to Day 2 but hit the rail towards the end of the day after losing a three-way all-in hand.
Final Day Recap
Day 2 kicked off at 3 PM on February 5 and saw 198 runners (Day 1A – 53, Day 1B – 77 and Day 1C – 68) returning to the felts. With only the top 95 places assured payouts, the race to cross the money line was intense.
Avneesh Munjal was one of the first players from the Indian contingent to be eliminated. He jammed from the button holding , and the player in the small blind called with . A four on the board brought an end to Munjal’s run in the Spanish Cup.
The next Indian challenger to hit the rail was TIPS co-founder Jaydeep Dawer. He had chopped a 700K pot mid-way through Day 2. However, Dawer failed to hold on to his momentum and was eliminated just three places short of the money when his pocket treys were busted by an opponent’s pocket sevens.
Dani Keys bubbled the Spanish Cup, and Patrick Daniel Lelpo was the first player to cash the event, placing 95th for €245.
Kanishka Samant was the first Indian pro to finish in the money. His pocket sevens were bested by his opponent’s king-jack, eliminating him in 94th place for a min-cash of €245 (~₹19,198).
Sometime later, Dawer’s TIPS partner Manish Goenka joined the Indian rail when his ace-king was cracked by his rival’s ace-queen. Goenka finished 71st for €278 (~₹21,784).
The lone Indian still fighting to claim the top prize was Himanshu Dewan. He had qualified for Day 2 from Day 1 with a stack of 125,000. With 40 players remaining in the fray, Dewan had worked himself a 950,000 stack. Dewan kept going strong, and with just the final two tables in play, his stack peaked at 1.8 Million.
Sadly, Dewan’s stellar run came to an end in 15th place. His had hit a flush on the board , but lost out to his rival’s that turned a boat. Dewan banked €796 (~₹62,374) for his spectacular performance.
Following the elimination of Juan Salvador in 10th place for €1,063, the nine-handed final table was formed.
Final Table Recap
Miki Vea entered the final table in the pole position with a stack of 10,645,000.
‘Villeguitas’ was the first player to be dismissed from the final table in ninth place. He was quickly followed to the rail by Carles Gil, who was ousted in eighth place.
Play continued for three more hours before Day 1B chip leader Zhong Chen was eliminated in seventh place. Eliecer Pérez claimed the sixth spot, while Jorge Galiani hit the rail in fifth place. Manuel Castillo‘s fourth-place elimination followed soon after that.
With three finalists remaining in contention, a deal was struck. Vea who held the chip lead at the time, locked in €11,300, while José Carlos pocketed €11,264 and Martin Petrov received €9,060. The three players decided to play for the remaining €1,000 and trophy.
Martin Petrov became the next player to be eliminated when his were bested by Carlos’ , with the board running .
Petrov’s exit set up the heads-up match between José Carlos and Miki Vea. Both players had nearly matching stacks and decided to chop the remaining €1,000, with Vea and Carlos receiving €500 each. The duo decided to move all-in on the very next hand, and whoever won the hand would win the trophy. As luck would have it, Vea took down the pot and clinched the trophy along with €11,800 in prize money.
Final Table Results (EURO)
1. Miki Vea – €11,800*
2. José Carlos – €11,764*
3. Martin Petrov – €9,060*
4. Manuel Castillo – €5,355
5. Jorge Galiani – €4,243
6. Eliecer Pérez – €3,305
7. Zhong Chen – €2,408
8. Carles Gil – €1,646
9. Villeguitas – €1,304
*denotes three-way deal
SPF High Roller – Day 1 Recap
The other marquee event running alongside the Spanish Cup was Day 1 of the SPF High Roller. The event attracted 116 entries (106 unique and 10 re-entries), and after a full day’s play, 72 runners made it through to Day 2.
Among the survivors were a group of four Indians – Kanishka Samant (162,500), Avneesh Munjal (151,000), Jaydeep Dawer (101,000), and Himanshu Dewan (72,000).
Spain’s ‘CUACK’ bagged the overnight chip lead with 570,500 under their belt.
Top 10 Chip Counts at the End of Day 1
1. CUACK – 570,500
2. Jorge Ruiz San Martin – 410,000
3. Mephisto – 399,500
4. Jose Maria Escudero Izquierdo – 385,500
5. MechasKiller – 376,000
6. Neuville Pierre – 370,000
7. Jairo Arias Menendez – 309,000
8. Maksim Skovorodnik – 302,500
9. Markus Lehner – 285,500
10. Raul Patron Majuelo – 285,000
SPF Main Event – Day 1A Recap
The showstopper of the series, the €250 (~₹19,590) buy-in SPF Main Event began on February 5 with the first of six starting flights. Boasting of €300,000 (~₹2.35 Crores) guarantee, the tournament pulled in 123 entries (107 unique and 16 re-entries).
At the end of the play, Joan Perez Hereu bagged the most massive stack of 551,000 among 29 survivors.
While there was a noticeable lack of Indian participants in the Main Event who instead played the High Roller, with five more starting fights still left play out, there is ample time for the Indian challengers to take their shot at advancing to Day 2.
Top 10 Chip Counts at the End of Day 1A
1. Joan Perez Hereu – 551,000
2. Dominik Martan – 432,000
3. Martin Greiz Inger – 408,000
4. Sergio Espinosa Rodriguez – 386,000
5. Alejandro Ancos Garcia – 334,000
6. chuni – 308,000
7. Jose Luis Garcia Hernandez – 308,000
8. Ron Roadrunner – 304,000
9. Daniel Lopez Ruiz – 297,000
10. Ricky – 268,000
Content & Images Courtesy: King’s Casino
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TIPS 2020: Kanishka Samant, Manish Goenka, Jaydeep Dawer & Himanshu Dewan Make Day 2 of the Spanish Cup
The high-octane action at the The Indian Poker Series (TIPS) Season 3, in collaboration with Spanish Poker Festival (SPF), continued as Day 1B of the Spanish Cup played out on February 4. The second starting flight of the event logged in 401 entries (273 unique and 128 re-entries) and following 16 levels of play, only 77 runners advanced to Day 2.
Representing Team India were a total of seven contenders, out of whom only four managed to bag up for Day 2. Leading the charge for the Indian contingent were Kanishka Samant and Manish Goenka with identical stacks of 349,000. They will be joined on Day 2 by Jaydeep Dawer (202,000) and Himanshu Dewan (125,000).
Netherland’s Zhong Chen grabbed the pole position at the end of Day 1B with a massive stack of 788,000.
Day 1C, which is a turbo flight, is slated to play out at 10 AM (Local Time) on February 5 at the King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. Day 2 will commence at 3 PM on the same day.
Day 1B Recap
The second starting flight of the Spanish Cup saw a larger crowd in attendance. After late registration was closed at the end of Level 12, the total number of entries for Day 1B stood tall at 401 (273 unique and 128 re-entries). With the overall entries at present clocked at 652, the advertised guarantee of €50,000 has been easily breached. With Day 1C yet to commence, the field is expected to grow exponentially.
Team India had a far better showing on Day 1B in comparison to the first starting flight. Co-founders Manish Goenka (349,000) and Jaydeep Dawer (202,000), both accrued above-average stacks, while the latest addition of the TIPS team, Kanishka Samant (349,000), also managed to bag up for Day 2.
Himanshu Dewan who had failed to progress from Day 1A, had better luck on Day 1B and was left with 125,000 chips by the time the bags were brought out.
Avneesh Munjal, though, had a tough time yet again. After failing to qualify from Day 1A, he tried his luck in Day 1B. Sadly, he busted out during Level 13, however, he has already registered for Day 1C.
Mani Singh Guruditta and Allen Arun were also seen in action, but did not make the cut for Day 2.
Zhong Chen emerged as the end-of-day chip leader with a huge stack of 788,000 and will lead the remaining 77 Day 1B survivors to Day 2. Mario Munoz Martin was a distant second with 648,000, while Steve Berdoyes rounded out the top three stacks with 423,000.
Top 10 Chip Counts at the End of Day 1B
1. Zhong Chen – 788,000
2. Mario Munoz Martin – 648,000
3. Steve Berdoyes – 423,000
4. Jorge Garcia Marcos – 388,000
5. Andreas Kraus – 385,000
6. Iker San Vicente Artolachipi – 380,000
7. Zakaria Qablaoui Fath – 380,000
8. Ruben Celeste Martin Comin – 373,000
9. Carlos Avila Ortega – 362,000
10. Nikolaos Michalopoulos – 352,000
Content & Images Courtesy: King’s Casino
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Get Ready to Pack Your Bags For King’s Casino, Rozvadov! TIPS is Coming Back For Season 3 in February
If 2019 will be remembered as a year of the revival of the “golden era” of poker tournaments in India, 2020 promises to bring with it even more action. The January calendar is already busy with two back-to-back stops. First, there is the BPT (Jan 2 – 14), followed by the IPC (Jan 15 – 19) that is lined up immediately afterward. Both the series will be hosted in Goa and feature jaw-dropping prize pool guarantees and an exciting line-up of events.
Just as the BPT and the IPC buzz will begin to die down, we will see the third season of The Indian Poker Series (TIPS) take center stage at Kings Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic. The Indian Poker Series-Season 3 will be held in collaboration with the Spanish Poker Festival (SPF). This will be a seven-day festival slated from February 3 to 10 and features a massive ₹5.50 Crores in prize pool guarantees.
Founded by Manish Goenka and Jaydeep Dawer, The Indian Poker Series (TIPS), has become a significant draw amongst the regular tournament crowd. The co-founders have roped in another prominent poker pro Kanishka Samant as a partner in the venture before the third edition.
Talking about the same, Samant said, “TIPS is a great opportunity for Indian players to have experience of an International event with great payout structure spread across multiple events in a 7 day festival.”
Even with domestic tours blowing out to massive proportions, TIPS continues to hold its appeal. Catering towards an ignored need, the desire of Indian players to experience quality tournament action at a prestigious international venue, and that too at the same cost as a domestic tour, the success of the concept lies in the results.
With a strong collaboration in place with one of Europe`s biggest poker rooms, King’s Resort, located in the idyllic village of Rozvadov, TIPS has held two editions at the venue – both turning out to be smashing hits. In fact, there was a substantial increase in turnouts at the last season in March over the stop’s inaugural run in 2018.
Goenka & Dawer in a joint official statement said –“TIPS is a gateway for Indian Poker players to play amongst European field. We will keep striving hard to create this platform as large and big we can, to benefit all our Poker player across India. Huge guarantees with tax free payouts within Czech Republic and an experience to play with the European Poker field, is surely something we look forward to. Season 3 has some great tournaments apart from ME. We are headed for some very exciting poker at Kings. Not to forget we also have on board an elaborate and delicious Indian cuisine along with the Spanish and multicuisine kitchen.”
For players looking to join this poker extravaganza, regular online satellites are running on PokerBaazi – the exclusive satellite partner for season 3 of TIPS. Daily step satellites are running on PokerBaazi will buy-ins starting as low as ₹275 and ₹130+13 (R+A).
TIPS – The Past Runs
The India-centric international poker tournament made heads turn when it announced its mission statement along with the schedule of events last year. While some were amused by the idea, others wrote the series off as a one-time thing. Who would have predicted that the concept would turn out to be such a hit!
After a smashing debut in August last year, TIPS came back in March 2019 for a second running and a massive ₹5 Crores in prize pool guarantees! This was a substantial improvement over the ₹1.5 Crores that was on offer at the inaugural stop. Among the many attractions was a free entry worth €10,350 to the WSOPE Main Event for the top two finishers in the TIPS Main Event. Later, this offer was extended to the top five finishers.
Israel’s Lior Moshe Padoba eventually snagged the Main Event title and one of those free entries. India’s Pulkit Goyal finished in fifth place and was able to win a free entry into the WSOPE Main Event as well.
TIPS Season 3 – What to Expect
3 Free Tickets to WSOPE Main Event 2020
Part of the lure of the upcoming edition is that the top three finishers of the Main Event will each win a free €10,350 ticket to the WSOPE Main Event in addition to the prize pool winnings at the event. The Main Event guarantee is €300,000 for buy-ins as low as €225+25
More Events
TIPS Season 3 has upped the ante by offering a higher combined prize pool guarantee of ₹5.5 Crores. While a detailed schedule of the upcoming series is yet to be released, regular fixtures like the Welcome Event, TIPS High Roller, TIPS Deepstack, Bounty, Omaha, and Main Event will all form part of the schedule.
New additions like a TIPS Super High Roller, TIPS Big Friday, SPF High Roller, Sanchez Memorial, King Kong Event and OFC Ultimate promise to add to the excitement quotient this time.
Daily Online Satellites on PokerBaazi
PokerBaazi is the exclusive satellite partner of King’s Casino and TIPS in India and will be running two types of satellites.
The Daily satellites will run at 8.15 PM and 9.15 PM every day for a buy-in of ₹275 and ₹130+13 (R+A).
The Main Satellites will run every Monday at 9 PM, offering the top two finalists free packages worth ₹1.25 Lakhs to Rozvadov for attending the series.
The package includes a 7-nights’ stay at King’s Resort on twin sharing basis, buy-in to the Main Event, and all meals. The package is also inclusive of return economy airfare, visa fee, travel insurance, and airport group transfers within the Czech Republic.
High Octane Cash Game Action
The seven-day long tournament series will also feature attractive cash game action running non-stop during the festival with special benefits for players playing NLH / PLO 10/10 and above.