2024 WSOP: Nipun Java, Kartik Ved, Ashish Ahuja, Rahul Melwani & Abhinav Iyer Lead Team India`s Charge in Online Bracelet Events

While the excitement of the 55th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) may have died down in Las Vegas, Team India’s incredible performance is still a hot topic. They absolutely crushed it this year, with an unbelievable 219 cashes, eight final table appearances, and two shiny bracelets brought home by Santhosh Suvarna and Aditya Agarwal. This is the best India has ever done at the WSOP by a significant margin.

But it wasn’t just the live events where Team India shone; they absolutely dominated the online arena, too! They raked in a staggering 61 cashes across the 30 online bracelet events on WSOP.com – that’s more than a quarter of their total cashes! Kartik Ved kicked off the online success, but Nipun Java stole the spotlight with an amazing 15 cashes in online bracelet events.

Ashish Ahuja, Rahul Melwani, and Abhinav Iyer also made impactful contributions to India’s dominance in the online bracelet events.

Nipun Java, a three-time WSOP bracelet winner, was the undisputed king of consistency online. He racked up an incredible 15 cashes in online bracelet events, proving his poker prowess time and time again. He was an early arrival this year, and while he didn’t hit any massive scores, his online earnings totalled $23,297 (~₹19.51 lakhs), which, combined with his four live cashes, brought his total series earnings to a respectable $33,148 (~₹27.76 Lakhs).

• 50th in WSOP Online Event #30: $888 NL Hold’em Crazy 8’s Encore for $2,085
• 230th in WSOP Online Event #28: $500 NL Hold’em Summer Saver for $994
• 50th in WSOP Online Event #25: $1,000 PLO 6-Max Championship for $2,591
• 57th in WSOP Online Event #18: $600 NL Hold’em Online Deepstack Championship for $1,877
• 360th in WSOP Online Event #20: $400 NL Hold’em COLOSSUS for $1,216
• 71st in WSOP Online Event #16: $777 NL Hold’em Lucky 7’s for $2,846
• 152nd in WSOP Online Event #15: $500 NL Hold’em Deepstack for $1,424
• 470th in WSOP Online Event #11: $500 NL Hold’em Mystery Bounty for $741
• 269th in WSOP Online Event #10: $600 NL Hold’em Monsterstack for $1,154
• 69th in WSOP Online Event #3: $1,000 NL Hold’em for $2,258
• 123rd in WSOP Online Event #8: $1,000 NL Hold’em 6-Max for $1,886

Kartik Ved, another Indian poker heavyweight and former bracelet winner, showed off his versatility by making final table appearances in both a live and online event this year, making him the only Indian to do so this year (Santhosh Suvarna had two final table finishes in live tournaments). His seventh-place finish in WSOP Online Event #4: NL Hold’em Deepstack for $19,998 (~₹16.69 Lakhs) was the deepest run by any Indian in an online event this year, adding to his impressive 11 cashes and $275,094 (~₹2.30 Crores) in total earnings throughout the series.

With additional scores in WSOP Online Event #5: $333 NL Hold’em Triple Treys (322nd for $814; ~₹68,000) and WSOP Online Event #30: $888 NL Hold’em Crazy 8’s Encore (38th for $2,234; ~₹1.87 Lakhs), Ved’s online winnings soared to $22,232 (~₹18.62 Lakhs).

Ashish Ahuja, the WSOP Circuit ring winner and 2022 POY #2, wasn’t far behind, racking up nine cashes (eight online) for a total of $19,470 (~₹16.30 Lakhs). His online winnings alone earned him $18,240 (~₹15.27 Lakhs).

• 204th in WSOP Online Event #10: $600 NL Hold’em Monsterstack for $1,250
• 193rd in WSOP Online Event #15: $500 NL Hold’em Deepstack for $1,315
• 51st in WSOP Online Event #16: $777 NL Hold’em Lucky 7’s for $3,083
• 143rd in WSOP Online Event #20: $400 NL Hold’em COLOSSUS for $1,703
• 112th in WSOP Online Event #25: $1,000 PLO 6-Max Championship for $2,035
• 45th in WSOP Online Event #27: $400 NL Hold’em Mystery Bounty 6-Max for $1,650
• 14th in WSOP Online Event #28: $500 NL Hold’em Summer Saver for $4,970
• 44th in WSOP Online Event #30: $888 NL Hold’em Crazy 8’s Encore for $2,234

Rahul Melwani got a taste of the high-roller life, placing 22nd in Online Event #26: $3,200 NL Hold’em High Roller for a hefty $11,058 (~₹9.25 Lakhs) and another small score in Online Event #27: $400 NL Hold’em Mystery Bounty 6-Max (196th for $900), contributing to his total online winnings of $11,958 (~₹10.01 Lakhs). With a live score in Event #99: $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold’em (69th for $3,235), Melwani ended the series with $15,193 (~₹12.72 Lakhs) in winnings.

Abhinav Iyer, another WSOP bracelet winner, started strong with a deep run in the opening online event, WSOP Online Event #1: $555 NL Hold’em 55th Annual Kick Off. He didn’t let up, racking up seven cashes and accumulating $11,555 (~₹9.67 Lakhs) in online winnings. Another seven live finishes boosted his series tally to $61,680 (~₹51.64 Lakhs).

• 238th in WSOP Online Event #1: $555 NL Hold’em 55th Annual Kick Off for $1,158
• 351st in WSOP Online Event #6: $400 NL Hold’em Ultra Deepstack for $806
• 72nd in WSOP Online Event #11: $500 NL Hold’em Mystery Bounty for $1,798
• 64th in WSOP Online Event #12: $888 NL Hold’em Crazy 8’s for $2,513
• 334th in WSOP Online Event #15: $500 NL Hold’em Deepstack for $1,096
• 66th in WSOP Online Event #16: $777 NL Hold’em Lucky 7’s for $2,846
• 307th in WSOP Online Event #20: $400 NL Hold’em COLOSSUS for $1,338

Young Gun Sanat Mehrotra made his mark with four impressive finishes in online bracelet events, earning $6,434 (~₹5.39 Lakhs) and a total of $33,987 (~₹28.45 Lakhs) across eight events.

• 543rd in WSOP Online Event #11: $1,000 NL Hold’em Mystery Bounty for $741
• 39th in WSOP Online Event #12: $500 NL Hold’em Crazy 8’s for $2,841
• 294th in WSOP Online Event #15: $888 NL Hold’em Deepstack for $1,205
• 209th in WSOP Online Event #19: $500 NL Hold’em Mystery Bounty Championship for $1,647

Tarun Goyal celebrated his maiden WSOP Main Event score this year, finishing 347th for $45,000 (~₹37.59 Lakhs). While this was his only live cash at the series, he also made his mark in four online bracelet events, amassing $5,065 (~₹4.24 Lakhs).

• 131st in WSOP Online Event #25: $1,000 PLO 6-Max Championship for $1,943
• 166th in WSOP Online Event #27: $400 NL Hold’em Mystery Bounty 6-Max for $975
• 128th in WSOP Online Event #28: $500 NL Hold’em Summer Saver for $1,147
• 82nd in WSOP Online Event #29: $1,000 NL Hold’em PKO Fight Night for $1,000

Abhishek Goindi had a great run, cashing in seven WSOP events and netting $22,076 (~₹18.49 Lakhs), with $8,622 (~₹7.22 Lakhs) coming from three deep runs in online bracelet events.

• 251st in WSOP Online Event #17: $555 PLO Mystery Bounty 6-Max for $882
• 21st in WSOP Online Event #19: $1,000 NL Hold’em Mystery Bounty Championship for $4,687
• 31st in WSOP Online Event #25: $1,000 PLO 6-Max Championship for $3,053

And the list goes on! Ashish Munot, Avneesh Munjal, Muskan Sethi, Rahul Melwani, Sriharsha Doddapaneni, Vinod Megalmani, Yudhishter Jaswal, Aditya Sushant, Young Gun Gaurav Sood, Jagdeep Singh all contributed to India’s impressive performance in the virtual WSOP arena.

Team India’s Online Scores at the 2024 WSOP

2024 WSOP’s Digital Dance Floor: Millions Awarded in Prizes, a Triple Crown, and Maor’s Majestic Main Event Victory!

The 2024 WSOP online bracelet events were nothing short of a digital inferno! With over 42,700 entries across 30 events and a jaw-dropping $29.90 Million in prize money awarded, it’s safe to say the virtual felt was on fire. Let’s dive into some of the highlights and standout players who made this series one for the books.

Mike Watson, a seasoned poker pro with over $29 million in live tournament winnings, finally achieved his lifelong dream. After 17 years at the WSOP, he snagged his first-ever bracelet by winning WSOP Online Event #21: $1,000 NL Hold’em 6-Max Online Championship for a sweet $138,327. This victory launched him into the poker stratosphere, making him only the tenth player in history to achieve the elusive Triple Crown, having already won major titles on the World Poker Tour and the European Poker Tour.

Another highlight was Christopher Moon’s fantastic performance in WSOP Online Event #22: $1,000 NL Hold ’em Championship. This Michigan native outlasted a massive field of 1,059 entrants to claim the title and a hefty $139,248 payday – his third-largest career score.

But the series finale was the real showstopper: WSOP Online Event #24: WSOP Online Championship Event, a high-roller showdown that attracted a star-studded field of 134 entries. After a gruelling battle, Daniel Maor emerged victorious, adding a shiny WSOP bracelet and a whopping $330,263 to his already impressive poker resume. This win brought Maor’s total summer earnings to almost $1.60 Million, thanks in part to his recent victory in the BetMGM Poker Championship.

2024 WSOP Online Bracelet Winners

Content & Images Courtesy: World Series of Poker