2024 WPT Cambodia Passport to the World Championship: China’s Sha Chengchun Conquers $500K GTD WPT Championship ($175,542); Nalin Rastogi Adds to India`s Trophy Count

The World Poker Tour (WPT) is wrapping up another exciting series at the legendary NagaWorld Integrated Resorts in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and it’s been one for the books. This year’s “WPT Cambodia—Passport to the World Championship” series has been packed with incredible global talent and high-stakes action, offering players a chance to win a coveted package to the season-ending WPT Championship in Las Vegas and seats to the Prime Championship.

The highlight of the series was the $500K GTD WPT Championship, which concluded on Monday with China’s Sha Chengchun (cover image) taking home the title. Facing a massive field of 913 players over three gruelling days of poker, Chengchun secured his first-ever WPT title and a career-high payout of $175,542. That’s not all – he also secured a package to the WPT World Championship worth $12,230.

The climax of the event was a masterclass in poker drama. The last three players went head-to-head for almost two and a half hours, and things really heated up when Sha turned his pocket jacks into a set, cracking the pocket aces of the then-chip leader, Xiaosheng Zheng, and eliminating Zhang Cheng in one fell swoop. This gave Sha an overwhelming 95% of the chips, and he quickly rode that wave to victory.

Xiaosheng Zheng and Zhang Cheng didn’t go home empty-handed, though. Zheng took home $117,030 for his second-place finish, while Zhang Cheng earned $86,360 for coming in third. Both players also received seats to the WPT World Prime Championship worth $1,100 each, which is no small consolation prize.

After his big win, Sha was all smiles, saying, “I feel so good. It’s a pity there was no live stream for my friends and family to watch. I was very lucky. I also didn’t think I could keep up with the players because they were much younger with plenty of energy. I was getting very tired and sleepy. I feel good I won.” It’s safe to say that this victory was a dream come true for him.

And here’s the kicker: before this event, Sha’s total poker earnings were only a modest $21,828. This win has skyrocketed his career winnings to an impressive $197,370.

The Indian poker contingent, fresh off their record-breaking performance at the 2024 WSOP, has been making its presence felt at the WPT Cambodia, proving its dominance on the Asian poker scene. With an impressive 81 cashes so far, including 32 final table appearances, four titles, and five runner-up finishes, Team India is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

In the WPT Cambodia Championship event, 15 Indian players made it past the money line. While 13 were eliminated during the intense battles of Day 2, it was a testament to the depth and talent of the Indian poker community. Notable exits included Nikesh Chawla (19th for $7,600; ~₹6.36 Lakhs), Amit Kaushik (28th for $5,380; ~₹4.50 Lakhs), Dhaval Mudgal (34th for $4,620; ~₹3.87 Lakhs), Pradeep Nudurumati (39th for $4,620; ~₹3.87 Lakhs), Young Gun Siddharth Karia (43rd for $4,010; ~₹3.36 Lakhs), Akshat Verma (44th for $4,010; ~₹3.36 Lakhs), Somashekar Kurkhepally Nahadeva (59th for $3,140; ~₹2.63 Lakhs), Somasekhar Sanampuri (76th for $2,590; ~₹2.17 Lakhs), Raju Jaruplavath (82nd for $2,410; ~₹2.02 Lakhs), Jatin Sablani (94th for $2,230; ~₹1.87 Lakhs), Sumit Sapra (103rd for $2,130; ~₹1.78 Lakhs), Faiz Alam (106th for $2,130; ~₹1.78 Lakhs), and Raj Vardhan Bagaria (113th for $2,130; ~₹1.78 Lakhs).

Day 3 saw two Indian players still in the running among the 17 finalists: Gagandeep Singh Malik, who finished runner-up in Event #7: $350 Bounty, came in as the third-largest stack with 3.785 Million chips (76 BBs), and Vishal Ojha, who started as the shortest with 415,000 chips (8 BBs).

Malik led the charge for India, securing a 12th-place finish for $13,960 (~₹11.68 Lakhs). This impressive run marked his fourth cash of the series, pushing his total earnings to over $26,000 (~₹22.32 Lakhs). However, his dream run all but ended in a dramatic showdown. Holding , Malik went all-in, only to be outmatched by eventual champion Sha Chengchun’s . A disappointing board left him with a scant 3 BBs. He was eliminated shortly after when his fell to Ho Tuan’s on a board of .

Vishal Ojha, the 2023 USOP Main Event champion and nominee for the 2023 People’s Poker Championship, had an uphill battle with his short stack. Despite doubling up once, couldn’t hold on and was eliminated in 16th place, earning $9,200 (~₹7.70 Lakhs). His final hand saw his also fall to pocket Queens of Ho Tuan. This marked Ojha’s fourth cash of the series, bringing his total earnings to $21,039 (~₹17.60 Lakhs).

But India’s success at the WPT Cambodia didn’t end there. Just before the start of Day 2 of the WPT Championship, Nalin Rastogi joined the ranks of recent Indian champions like Karan Sitlani, Somashekar Kurkhepally Nahadeva, and Peter Hubert Fanthome by emerging victorious in Event #30: $300 20/15/10 15 Sec, securing his first live title and a career-best payout of $3,696 (~₹3.09 Lakhs) after a six-way deal. The deal also benefited other players, including France`s Eric Alexandre Ceret (2nd for $3,575), Korea`s Jongkook Kim (3rd for $4,238), China`s Neng Zhao (4th for $2,965) and Jinlong Hu (6th for $3,245), and India`s own Rising Star Pratibh Saluja (5th for $2,935).

The WPT Championship event, with its enticing $1,300 buy-in, generated a massive prize pool of $1,040,592—more than double the advertised $500K. A total of 115 lucky players made it past the money line, each of them guaranteed at least $2,130.

Day 2 started with 136 players, and it was a wild ride. Several players were eliminated without any winnings. The competition was fierce, and only the best survived to see another day.

Day 3 started with 17 players and saw some dramatic exits, with Van Dan Nguyen (11th for $13,960), Xin Yuan (13th for $11,260), Junpeng Pan (14th for $11,260), Zhihao Chen (15th for $9,200), and Travis Endersby (17th for $7,600) all putting up a good fight but ultimately falling short of the final table.

The tension reached its peak when Joshua Tan was knocked out in 10th place, taking home $17,510 for his efforts and setting up the nine-handed final table.

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Xiaosheng Zheng – 9,485,000
2. Pham Bao – 6,165,000
3. Sha Chengchun – 5,410,000
4. Zhang Cheng – 5,005,000
5. Adrien Berger – 3,075,000
6. Yamamoto Kazuo – 2,385,000
7. Trung Ha Nguyen – 2,150,000
8. Ho Tuan – 1,690,000
9. Thi Bao Nguyen – 1,160,000

Final Table Recap

The final table kicked off with the swift elimination of Vietnam’s Trung Ha Nguyen in ninth place. Crippled to just three big blinds, Nguyen made a bold move, raising to 500K with only 25K behind. China’s Sha Chengchun called from the big blind, and the showdown was on. The flop came down , and Nguyen shoved his remaining chips with . Sha, holding , made a calm check call. The turn and river sealed Nguyen’s fate, sending him to the rail.

The action didn’t slow down as Vietnam’s Thi Bao An Nguyen was the next to fall in eighth place. In a heart-stopping flip, Nguyen moved all-in with , and China’s Xiaosheng Zheng called with . The board rolled out , giving Zheng a pair of threes and eliminating Nguyen.

Japan’s Yamamoto Kazuo was next to go in seventh place when his couldn’t hold up against Zhang Cheng’s mighty on a board of .

Thirty minutes later, Vietnam’s Pham Bao was eliminated in sixth place. With just one big blind left, Bao moved all in from the hijack with . Sha Chengchun, holding , made the call. The board ran out , giving Bao a pair of tens but not enough to beat Chengchun’s overpair.

The tension reached its peak in level 31 when France’s Adrien Berger was knocked out in fifth place. In a blind vs. blind battle, Berger shoved from the small blind with . China’s Zhang Cheng called from the big blind with . The board ran out , sealing Berger’s fate.

Vietnam’s Ho Tuan was the next to fall in fourth place. Tuan four-bet shoved with , and Zhang Cheng, holding , made the call. The board came down , giving Cheng a pair of queens and sending Tuan to the rail.

With three players remaining, the action intensified even further. After two and a half hours of intense play, the defining moment came when Zhang Cheng open-shoved from the button with . Sha Chengchun re-shoved from the small blind with , and Xiaosheng Zheng, the chip leader, called from the big blind with the formidable . The board dramatically ran out , giving Chengchun a set of jacks and crippling Zheng to just four big blinds, while Cheng crashed out in third place.

The stage was then set for the heads-up clash, with Sha Chengchun holding a staggering 87 big blinds against Xiaosheng Zheng’s slim stack of 4 big blinds. Despite the odds, Zheng showcased his resilience by doubling up twice, keeping the suspense alive. However, the final showdown was imminent.

In the final hand, Chengchun moved all-in with , and Zheng called with , putting his tournament life at risk. The board came down [s11, giving Chengchun a full house and crowning him the WPT Cambodia champion.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Sha Chengchun – $175,542*
2. Xiaosheng Zheng – $117,030*
3. Zhang Cheng – $86,360*
4. Ho Tuan – $64,410
5. Adrien Berger – $48,560
6. Pham Bao – $37,010
7. Kazuo Yamamoto – $28,520
8. Thi Bao An Nguyen – $22,220
9. Trung Ha Nguyen – $17,510

*includes a seat to the WPT World Prime Championship worth $1,100

Content & Images Courtesy: World Poker Tour and SoMuchPoker