APPT Cambodia 2024: Deep Raina Chakshu & Arun Kishore Godiyal Lead the Indian Charge!

The PokerStars APPT Cambodia 2024 is in full swing at the luxurious NagaWorld Integrated Resort in Phnom Penh! This action-packed series, featuring 42 tournaments, kicked off on November 15 and runs until November 25. With 18 champions already crowned, the competition is a raging inferno, and Team India is right in the heart of the blaze.

Fresh off their domination at the APT Phu Quoc 2024 and a scorching hot streak in Malaysia (which is still going strong, by the way!), the Indian contingent stormed into Cambodia with conquest on their minds. While Nishant Sharma is busy tearing it up at Poker Dream 13 Malaysia, Arun Kishore Godiyal and Deep Raina Chakshu are spearheading the Indian charge in Cambodia. In just six days, this duo, along with a few other Indians, have racked up nine cash finishes, including five final table appearances and a glorious title victory!

Deep Raina Chakshu, a long-time grinder who now calls Singapore home, has been busy. He almost snagged India’s second win of the series in Event 15: $400 Win The Button, finishing runner-up for a respectable $2,342 (~₹1.98 Lakhs).

France’s Dorian Paul Debals proved a formidable opponent, outlasting the 28-entry field to claim the title and the $3,633 top prize.

But Chakshu wasn’t about to let that stop him. He came storming back on Tuesday, making it all the way to the final table of Event 16: $300 Deepstack Freezeout. This time, he locked up a fourth-place finish, adding another $1,867 (~₹1.58 Lakhs) to his winnings and bringing his total for the series to a sweet $4,209 (~₹3.56 Lakhs).

The Deepstack Freezeout saw South Korea’s Wooseok Kim rise to the top, taking down the 73-entry field and the $5,266 first-place prize. New Zealand’s Jonathan Henderson put up a good fight, finishing second for $3,397.

Arun Kishore Godiyal is another Indian player making some serious noise in Cambodia. He already has a title under his belt from Event #7: $250 Bubble Rush and he’s kept his scorecard ticking throughout the series. His latest success came in Event #11: $300 APPT Hyper Turbo, where he finished fourth for $2,778 (~₹2.34 Lakhs). This was his third cash of the series, bringing his total for the trip to $7,083 (~₹5.98 Lakhs).

The APPT Hyper Turbo ended with an epic heads-up battle between the UK’s Oliver Jaime Biles and Finland’s Ari Marlon Kumpumaki. Biles ultimately emerged as the champion, taking home the title and $6,945, while Kumpumaki had to settle for second place and $5,945.

Event #13: $600 Mystery Bounty was a massive draw, with a whopping 341 entries smashing the guarantee and creating a prize pool of $178,616. India’s Madhankumar Vijayan and Somasekhar Sanampuri made deep runs in this event, adding to the team`s impressive performance.

Sanampuri, coming off a deep run in the APPT Manila Championship High Roller Turbo last month, made his first appearance on the series’ money list in the $600 Mystery Bounty. He min-cashed for $600 (~₹51,000) in 52nd place.

Vijayan, who had previously placed on the podium in Event #4: $300 Superstack, finished 44th for $600 (~₹51,000), bringing his total series winnings to $4,772 (~₹4.03 Lakhs).

Russia’s Anton Poliakov emerged as the $600 Mystery Bounty champion, taking home a handsome $18,518 payday. However, the biggest payout went to China’s Xiaosheng Zheng, who earned a grand $19,482 for his second-place finish.

Among the other standout winners, South Korea’s Hyeonsik Yun dominated the $150K GTD Event #5: $900 APPT National. Yun outlasted a field of 278 entries to claim the lion’s share of the $218,425 prize pool worth an incredible $44,350. Denmark’s Michael Kim Falcon finished as runner-up, netting a still-impressive $27,720.

Content & Images Courtesy: So Much Poker

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