Manish Goenka

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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!!”

Anurag Srivastava
Anurag Srivastava

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 –

PlayerPrize MoneyEventPoker Site
Anurag ‘Norman Bates’ Srivastava₹59.33 LakhsIOPC #98 The Millionaire Main Event ₹3 Crores GTDSpartan Poker
Dhruvin ‘thepokerplayer’ Kothari₹25.18 Lakhs IOPC #79 Super HighRoller ₹1 Crore GTDSpartan Poker
Devang ‘spark123’ Yadav₹12.00 LakhsAOPS Mega Suits Finale ₹50 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Gaurav ’mozzie17’ Sood₹11.03 LakhsIOPC #91 PLO HighRoller ₹30 Lakhs GTD

Spartan Poker
Anurag ‘NormanBates’ Srivastava₹8.92 LakhsAOPS Millions ₹30 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Yennefer₹8.22 LakhsIOPC #85 The Elite ₹30 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Anant ‘Pro’ Purohit₹6.64 LakhsIOPC #73 Destiny ₹30 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
GGGenius₹6.47 LakhsSunday SuperStack ₹40 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Vaibhav ‘alienrobot’ Sharma₹6.21 Lakhs Godfather ₹25 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Srihari ‘zombieballs’ Bang₹5.25 LakhsAOPS Whale ₹20 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Vaibhav ‘KingJazz’ Ghadge ₹4.93 LakhsIOPC #78 Ultron ₹25 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Vaibhav ‘alienrobot’ Sharma₹4.65 LakhsAOPS Big Slick ₹20 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Niraj ‘ooltus’ Yadav₹4.55 LakhsPMVS #6 The Summit ₹15 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
sharptooth₹3.25 LakhsAOPS Inception ₹12 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Sanchit ‘sanchit1990’ Adukia₹3.15 LakhsThe Endeavour ₹15 Lakhs GTD (RE)PokerBaazi
Anmol ‘anzzzzz’ Mehta₹3.11 LakhsAOPS Hitman ₹10 Lakhs GTDAdda52
piscean₹3.5 LakhsMega Stack ₹20 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Akshay ‘youcantcallme’ Nasa₹3.03 LakhsHighroller ₹15 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
space ace₹3.03 LakhsIOPC #74 Daily Hi-Fi ₹12.5 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Dhaval ‘BithBecool’ Mudgal₹2.88 LakhsSunday Special Progressive KO ₹15 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
Ameya ‘Volcy’ Gokhale₹2.88 LakhsAOPS Holdem High ₹10 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Raman ‘ifryu’ Gujral₹2.52 LakhsPMVS #2 The Pride ₹10 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Siddharth ‘CallMeMaybe’ Mundada₹2.45 LakhsThe Joker ₹10 Lakhs GTD9stacks
Srihari ‘bangbang99’ Bang₹2.41 LakhsReCharge ₹12 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Pranav ‘I’mThePlayboi’ Bang₹2.34 LakhsIOPC #84 TGIF ₹12 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
amrut851₹2.26 LakhsIOPC #92 Daily Hi-Fi ₹10 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Rajat ‘BloatedBelly’ Mahajan₹2.23 LakhsIOPC #90 Mega Freeze ₹10 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Srihari ‘bangbang999’ Bang₹2.20 LakhsPMVS #7 MegaStack ₹10 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Alok ‘TheProfessional’ Birewar₹2.14 LakhsThe Bout ₹10 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Anuj ‘Anuj16101’ Laddhad₹2.07 LakhsIOPC #80 Daily Hi-Fi ₹10 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Kartik ‘TheInternetKid’ Ved₹1.96 LakhsUppercut 6-Max Magic Edition ₹10 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
Pranay ‘setmeup’ Chawla₹1.89 LakhsMaverick ₹10 Lakhs GTDAdda52
bootsicles₹1.88 LakhsPMVS #14 Value Town ₹10 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
supernuts₹1.71 LakhsIOPC #99 Big Daddy ₹10 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
hope123₹1.70 LakhsAOPS PLO ₹5 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Sandeep ‘PoKcey’ Singh₹1.69 LakhsPMVS #15 ₹7 Lakhs GTD (8-Max)PokerBaazi
Prakhar ‘Prak27’ Kapoor₹1.67 LakhsIOPC #86 Daily Hi-Fi ₹8 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Kanav ‘sokopa’ Parwal₹1.60 LakhsPMVS #3 ₹7 Lakhs GTD (7-Max)PokerBaazi
Siddharth ‘Siddonuts’ Pandey₹1.50 LakhsPMVS #10 Fri-Yay ₹6 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Dichin₹1.48 LakhsPMVS #17 The Monster ₹7 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Mrinal ‘booyah’ Manna₹1.46 LakhsPMVS #11 8 Max ₹6 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Akash ‘K9_A’ Shekhar₹1.41 LakhsThunder @8 PM ₹5 Lakhs GTD9stacks
Raman ‘zazen0’ Gujral₹1.29 LakhsSixth Sense ₹7 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
Rajat ‘Garammasala’ Sharma₹1.15 LakhsHi-Fi ₹5 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
$00th$ayer₹1.03 LakhsMonday Hustle ₹5 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
Sandeep ‘effuno007’ Varma RS₹1.00 LakhsNight On Stars ₹5 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
illuminati.AM₹93,906IOPC #82 Afternoon Hi-Fi ₹4 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
PokerBadger₹91,580IOPC #76 Afternoon Hi-Fi ₹4 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
wormhole₹91,280Hexagram ₹3 Lakhs GTDAdda52
The AnnihiIator₹87,456Sunday Special (L) ₹5 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
Shashank 'indianrat' Desai₹84,558Tuesday MonsterStack ₹3 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Godzilllaa66₹76,237PMVS #5 ₹3 Lakhs GTD (8-Max)PokerBaazi
Meverick₹74,610PMVS #20 BSS MegaStack ₹3 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Ayush ‘lazyman’ Garg₹74,472Hexagram ₹3 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Namannnn₹73,103Afternoon Hi-Fi ₹2.5 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Amit ‘Immortal Killer’ Sur₹67,548IOPC #95 Afternoon Hi-Fi ₹4 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Sands Myth₹67,042Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Rajat ‘Oshoswami’ Sharma₹64,828AOPS Knockout ₹2 Lakhs GTDAdda52
the Snowman₹64,130Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Ram ‘TheLagLawyer’ Kakkar₹62,964Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Chinmoku₹62,356IOPC #93 NLHE ₹2.5 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
jalanchetan₹61,376AOPS Knockout ₹2 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Sreeharsha ‘yUDdam’ Boneni₹59,347IOPC #70 ₹3 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Rabkabanda₹58,300Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker

Sandy ‘Ziigmund’ Lamba ₹57,426PMVS #18 BSS PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Amresh ‘Termi’ Kumar₹56,600Hercules @8 PM ₹2 Lakhs GTD9stacks
Pokerguru01₹56,274Afternoon Hi-Fi ₹2.5 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Ravi ‘Rvjn91’ Jain₹54,356IOPC #75 NLHE ₹2 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Sandy Ziigmund’ Lamba₹54,354PMVS #1 ₹2 Lakhs GTD (8-Max)PokerBaazi
Siddharth ‘Siddonuts’ Pandey₹54,270Monday MegaStack ₹2 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
balaji333₹51,560Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Newsolidcash₹51,500PMVS #13 ₹2 Lakhs GTD PKOPokerBaazi
Ashish ‘Krazy8’ Mudgil₹51,449IOPC #81 NLHE ₹2 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
KenstraGol₹51,345The Classic ₹2 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
mohitbhatia₹50,016Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Navdeep ‘Psychonaut’ Sahi₹49,740PMVS #8 ₹2 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
rdx1111₹48,077Sunday Stars ₹2 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
Mrstarx₹47,436PMVS #16 ₹2 Lakhs GTD (6-Max)PokerBaazi
Ragesh ‘ragesh91’ Mishra₹44,5406-Max ₹2 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
vakeeel_sahab₹43,676Progressive KO 4-Max ₹2 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
Rabdasuar₹43,599Ultimate PLO ₹2 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
OnePlus6T₹35,600Battlefield Tuesday ₹1.5 Lakhs GTDPoker Dangal
Charles ‘jhonnymaddog30’ Donnadieu₹34,200Warrior Arena ₹1.5 Lakhs GTDPoker Dangal
Prakarsh.gupta₹24,000Monday Texas ₹1 Lakh GTDPoker Dangal
Dheeraj ‘Dangerplayer’ Grover₹24,000Dangal Friday ₹1 Lakhs GTDPoker Dangal
ziggyluck₹22,344Sunday Bonanza ₹1 Lakh GTDPoker Dangal
Vikas ‘NIBIRUX42’ Jethnani₹16,500Wow Wednesday ₹75K GTDPoker Dangal
greenboy₹15,946Saturday Hustle ₹50K GTDPoker 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Fatima Moreira de Melo
Fatima Moreira de Melo

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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).

Nitin Jain
Nitin Jain

Read the complete report here

Indian Cashes at the TIPS 2020

PlayerPosition FinishedEventPrize Amount
Nitin Jain1stTIPS Super High Roller€18,165 - ₹14.22 Lakhs
Kanishka Samant10thTIPS Super High Roller€1,945 - ₹1.52 Lakhs
Avneesh Munjal40thSPF Main Event€1,010 - ₹78,925
Jaydeep Dawer47thSPF Main Event€1,010 - ₹78,925
Himanshu Dewan15thSpanish Cup€796 – ₹62,374
Kanishka Samant106thSPF Main Event€633 - ₹49,465
Himanshu Dewan119thSPF Main Event€633 - ₹49,465
Manish Goenka71stSpanish Cup€278 – ₹21,784
Kanishka Samant94thSpanish 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.

Alexey Mishuk
Alexey Mishuk

Read the complete report here

TIPS 2020 Season 3 List of Winners

EventWinnerPrize Money
Spanish CupMiki Vea Garcia€11,800
SPF High RollerIgnacio Molina aka 'CUACK'€16,347
TIPS Big FridayJose Luis Lopez Acebes€4,581
TIPS Super High RollerNitin Jain€18,165
TIPS DeepstackSergei Rozanov€7,555
TIPS High RollerDavid Martin Carmona€9,788
King Kong EventStone Wall Jackson€3,451
SPF Main EventAlexey 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.

Xin Lin
Xin Lin

Read the complete report here

2020 WPT Philippines List of Winners (February 6-11)

PlayerEventPrize Amount (PHP)
Sandro Bruni Main EventPHP 922,000
Edilberto GopezAll Bankrolls KickoffPHP 596,200
Nicholas LimPot Limit OmahaPHP 293,000
Xin LinDeepstack NLHPHP 260,000
Paul McCabeMegastack NLHPHP 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.

Vishal Patel
Vishal Patel

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).

Yaser Al-Keliddar
Yaser Al-Keliddar

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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.

Martin Piik
Martin Piik

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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.

David Hengen
David Hengen

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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.

Philip Shing
Philip Shing

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.

Marco Biavaschi
Marco Biavaschi

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.

Mani Singh Guruditta
Mani Singh Guruditta

 

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.

Jaydeep Dawer
Jaydeep Dawer

 

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).

Kanishka Samant
Kanishka Samant

 

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).

Manish Goenka
Manish Goenka

 

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.

Himanshu Dewan
Himanshu Dewan

 

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.

Miki Vea
Miki Vea

 

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

Keep following PokerGuru for more updates from the TIPS Season 3!

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.

Kanishka Samant, Manish Goenka & Jaydeep Dawer
Kanishka Samant, Manish Goenka & Jaydeep Dawer

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.

Himanshu Dewan
Himanshu Dewan

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.

Avneesh Munjal
Avneesh Munjal

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

Keep following PokerGuru for more updates from the TIPS Season 3!

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.”

Kanishka Samant
Kanishka Samant

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.”

Manish Goenka & Jaydeep Dawer
Manish Goenka & Jaydeep Dawer

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.

Lior Moshe Padoba & Pulkit Goyal
Lior Moshe Padoba & Pulkit Goyal

 

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.

TIPS Winter Edition
TIPS Winter Edition

 

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.

TIPS Satellite Schedule

 

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.

Online Rankings

i Top Ranked Poker Players in India
Member Won
Member Won
Member Won
₹1,29,29,197
₹1,25,88,313
₹1,21,00,140
₹1,20,22,333
5.Vinay B Vinay B
₹1,15,16,843
6.M L M L
₹1,14,45,592
₹1,09,13,473
₹1,05,83,948
₹99,75,577
₹99,60,672
Member Profit
Member Profit
Member Profit
₹55,77,649
₹50,59,154
₹47,48,174
₹46,35,740
₹44,93,503
₹43,56,316
₹43,24,686
₹42,41,254
₹41,92,614
₹41,05,805
Member Points
Member Points
Member Points
43,040
36,048
28,827
4.N K N K
28,769
26,548
25,649
24,726
24,446
9.M L M L
23,604
23,352

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