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It’s never been a more exciting time to be an Indian poker player! While the winter chill descends, Indian players are heating up the live poker scene both in Asia and beyond. At the USOP Grand Finale Hai Phong, which wraps up today, Team India has already put on a clinic with a jaw-dropping 53 cashes (and counting!) and a title victory! Leading the charge is none other than Nishant Sharma, the legendary three-time Poker Dream Main Event, who delivered another masterclass in the High Roller Sunday Special Mega Boost, finishing third and taking home a staggering VN₫ 1.98 Billion (~₹66.24 Lakhs)!
And if that wasn’t enough, we have poker giants like Santhosh Suvarna and Sriharsha Doddapaneni chasing bracelets at the 2024 WSOP Paradise, while the formidable trio of PokerStars India ambassadors – POY #2 Neel Joshi, Pawaan Bansal, and Goonjan Mall – are looking to conquer EPT Prague.
Back in the online arena, Tuesday was another day of non-stop action, with PokerBaazi’s ₹35 Crores GTD WPT India Online at the forefront. Day 3 of this epic series featured five events with a scorching ₹1.70 Crores in guaranteed prizes, and the turnout was incredible, shattering those guarantees. And let’s not forget the intense battles happening on Natural8 India, Adda52, and Pocket52. It was a 24/7 poker fest, and everyone was invited!
Amidst the fierce competition, one player rose above the rest: Adwait Pol. Known for his victories in PokerBaazi’s 1000X#24 Mini Main Event last year and the IPM#77 (6-Max) Turbo in August, Pol roared back to form in a big way, capturing his first WPT Online title in the WPT#14 Mini Championship. This victory, coming on the heels of a final table appearance in the WPT#4 Milestone on Sunday, was a career-defining breakthrough, with Pol banking a whopping ₹11.93 Lakhs. He also climbed to #10 on the WPT India Online Leaderboard.
Poker streamer extraordinaire Naveen Kumar S, who’s been on a tear with four flagship victories in November and a recent win in last week’s The Summit, took second place in the WPT#14 Mini Championship. His runner-up finish earned him ₹7.95 Lakhs, part of nearly ₹8 Lakhs in winnings with another min-cash. And the best part? He streamed the whole thing, giving his fans a front-row seat to the action! Kashish Gupta finished third in the WPT#14 Mini Championship for ₹5.57 Lakhs. Gupta also made a final table finish in Pocket52’s Pocket Bullets and snuck in another deep run, boosting his winnings to at least ₹5.99 Lakhs.
Over on Natural8 India, ‘Sanchu5527‘ made a surprise return after a five-month hiatus. Last seen taking down the Daily Hyper 50 in June, ‘Sanchu5527’ snagged the runner-up spot in the Zodiac Goat High Roller, banking a platform-best ₹6.15 Lakhs!
Back on PokerBaazi, Nikhil Ramesh took down WPT#13 (PLO-5), adding ₹4.04 Lakhs to his bankroll. This win comes after his recent comeback victory in Junglee Poker’s Thursday PLO 4 Mini Highroller last month, after a year-long break from online poker. Last night’s win was his biggest score on PokerBaazi this year and his second-biggest overall. The in-form ‘Frankie08‘ showed incredible consistency by finishing as the runner-up and banking nearly ₹2.92 Lakhs (including ₹2.70 Lakhs from the WPT#13).
Natural8 India’s ‘SpewSolver,’ fresh off a seventh-place finish in the Crazy Eights 88 last week, roared back with a victory in the Forty Stack 44, adding ₹3.97 Lakhs to their winnings. This latest triumph pushed their total earnings on Natural8 India to over ₹68 Lakhs!
India’s poker royalty, Young Gun Gaurav Sood, the three-time POY, also joined the winner’s circle. He took down PokerBaazi’s WPT#11 Megastack for ₹3.86 Lakhs, adding a WPT Online title to his already illustrious poker resume. This victory, along with two other deep runs, brought his total winnings for the day to over ₹4 Lakhs. Meanwhile, the enigmatic ‘paise,’ who was looking to break a 5.5-month title drought, finished as runner-up, banking a platform-best ₹2.37 Lakhs and making a sharp recovery from past losses.
Ashish Nailwal, a former The MoneyMaker runner-up, added another victory to his long list of accomplishments by taking down PokerBaazi’s WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo. This follows his recent final table appearances in the Daily Last Chance and The Summit. This win, his fourth WPT India Online title (and his first in this series), earned him ₹3.47 Lakhs after a four-way deal, part of over ₹3.62 Lakhs in total winnings from two deep runs.
The four-way deal also benefited Ankur Sehgal, who claimed the lion’s share with ₹3.69 Lakhs for his second-place finish; Lavesh Meena, last month’s Junglee Poker Thursday PLO-4 Mini Highroller winner, who finished third for ₹3.66 Lakhs and racked up over ₹4.02 Lakhs from four deep runs; and 2023 POY #5 Ankit Wadhawan, who grabbed fourth place for ₹3.61 Lakhs, bringing his total winnings to almost ₹3.86 Lakhs across three deep runs. Wadhawan currently sits at #2 on the WPT India Online leaderboard.
PokerBaazi regular ‘Gajab‘ finally broke through with their first-ever title in the WPT#12 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo, earning ₹3 Lakhs – a career-best score that shattered their previous personal record and propelled them back into profitability. Young Gun Shardul Parthasarathi continued his hot streak with a phenomenal performance, claiming two runner-up finishes: ₹2 Lakhs in the Hyper Turbo and ₹1.24 Lakhs in Pocket52’s Pocket Bullets. With four additional deep runs, including final table appearances in the WPT#13 (PLO-5) and Pocket52’s (7-Max) Deepstack Turbo, this Junglee Poker’s all-time top dog amassed over ₹4.88 Lakhs in winnings. This impressive performance vaulted him to the top of the WPT India Online Leaderboard, dethroning Ankit Wadhawan.
On Adda52, Dirgesh Dedhiya ended a nearly three-month title drought by taking down The Mint for ₹2.56 Lakhs (his second-best online score). Platform regular ‘97092139089x0x2x3x0x‘ finished as the runner-up, taking home ₹1.87 Lakhs.
Natural8 India saw ‘r@ndomizer’ put on a show, finishing as runner-up in the Daily Hypersonic 20 for ₹2.05 Lakhs.
Over on Pocket52, Ashish Kumar, the NPS India 2024 Main Event runner-up, emerged victorious in the Pocket Bullets, earning ₹1.77 Lakhs and bringing his total winnings to ₹1.93 Lakhs from three deep runs.
Over at Junglee Poker, Jayant Alagawadi triumphed in the Tuesday Phoenix for the second time, earning ₹1.39 Lakhs – and he streamed his victory run for all his fans to enjoy! Sreeharsha Boneni finished as the runner-up, pocketing ₹82,791.
Finally, at Junglee Poker, Jayant Alagawadi triumphed in the Tuesday Phoenix for the second time, adding ₹1.39 Lakhs to his bankroll – and he streamed his victory run for all his fans to enjoy! Sreeharsha Boneni finished as the runner-up, pocketing ₹82,791.
Tuesday also saw standout performances from Unmesh Nair, annual TLB leaderboard kingpin Mohak Kapoor, Rahul Kumar, Jatin Sablani, Vivek Pal, Mubashir Ahmed, and Penjo Wangchuk, each conquering their respective marquee events!
Here are the Tuesday highlights!
PokerBaazi
WPT#14 Mini Championship – ₹70 Lakhs GTD
Buy-in – ₹9,000
Entries – 544
Re-entries – 472
Prize Pool – ₹79,51,000
Places Paid – 152
Day 3 of PokerBaazi’s ₹35 Crores GTD WPT India Online felt like the kind of evening where everyone at the tables had something to prove. Five big tournaments lit up the schedule with ₹1.70 Crores in guaranteed prize money on the line, and the headline act this time was the ₹70 Lakhs GTD WPT#14 Mini Championship, kicking off at 7:30 PM.
In the thick of it was Adwait ‘SSHOTT’ Pol, a name many remembered for conquering PokerBaazi’s 1000X#24 Mini Main Event in March last year. He’d tasted victory before, snatching the IPM#77 (6-Max) Turbo title in August, but that hunger for the top spot had been gnawing at him. He’d come close, so close, especially on Sunday when a seventh-place finish in the WPT#4 Milestone almost broke his losing streak. Four times he’d been on the cusp, four times he’d fallen short. Was this the night he’d rewrite his story?
The Mini Championship was a marathon, not a sprint – lasting a gruelling nine hours and 12 minutes. Pol, laser-focused, fought his way through a staggering field of 1,016 entries (544 unique) with two bullets fired. Every hand was a battle, every pot a potential turning point. And when the dust settled, Pol emerged triumphant, capturing his first WPT Online title and a staggering ₹11.93 Lakhs! This wasn’t just a win; it was a statement – a career-defining payday that almost doubled his previous best. He was the day’s top earner, rocketing into the top 10 of the ₹50 Lakhs WPT India Online Leaderboard. After months of striving, he’d finally reached the summit.
Adwait Pol’s online stats (excluding Natural8 India, Junglee Poker and Pocket52): Lifetime Winnings: ₹1.60 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹39.52 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2024: #5 | Annual Winnings: ₹54.88 Lakhs | Annual Profits: ₹15.12 Lakhs | Moves to #10 on the ₹50 Lakhs WPT India Online Leaderboard
But Pol wasn’t the only one with a story to tell. Across the table sat Naveen ‘HappyHuner’ Kumar S (opted out of our tracking), fresh off a victory in The Summit just last week. This man was on a mission to add another trophy to his cabinet. He fought tooth and nail but had to settle for second place in the WPT#14 Mini Championship.
The Bengaluru poker star, who’s become a legend in his own right, has been on a wild ride lately. November was a dream, with four flagship victories, including a memorable win in PokerBaazi’s The Quest. Then, a frustrating four-week drought. Even his epic streaming marathons couldn’t conjure a win. But that all changed last Thursday when he staged an epic comeback to take down The Summit. Technical glitches may have prevented him from streaming his victory, but he was determined to make it up to his fans.
With renewed vigour, Kumar jumped into Adda52’s The Ballers the next day, battling his way to a third-place finish and adding ₹2.14 Lakhs to his bankroll. The cameras were rolling this time, capturing every moment of his deep run on his YouTube channel.
True to form, Naveen Kumar live-streamed his Tuesday grind, including his impressive performance in the WPT#14 Mini Championship. Down to the final three, he was the shortest stack. Kashish Gupta, holding pocket fours, moved all in. Pol, with pocket eights, made the call. The board ran out clean for Pol, eliminating Gupta and setting up a heads-up clash with Kumar.
Pol held a commanding lead with 95 BBs to Kumar’s 12.13 BBs. But Kumar wasn’t backing down. He came out swinging, stealing a few pots and even chopping a 31 BB pot when both players tabled pocket nines. But it wasn’t meant to be. In the final hand, Kumar’s faced off against Pol’s . The board delivered a dramatic , giving Pol a full house and the victory.
Still, Kumar’s two entries earned him a hefty ₹7.95 Lakhs. Add to that a min-cash of ₹5,000 for his 84th place finish in the WPT#12 [6-Max] Hyper Turbo, and his Tuesday winnings soared to around ₹8 Lakhs. This impressive performance catapulted him to #17 on the WPT India Online Leaderboard, a respectable spot that keeps him firmly in the conversation.
Missed the action? Don’t worry; you can catch his incredible run below.
Another familiar face on the final table was Kashish ‘BeeTa03’ Gupta (opted out of our tracking), who finished third in the WPT#14 Mini Championship for ₹5.57 Lakhs. Gupta also made a final table finish in Pocket52`s Pocket Bullets (6th for ₹35,472) and squeezed in another deep run in WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo (120th for ₹6,560), bringing his total winnings for the day to about ₹5.99 Lakhs.
Avishek ‘Ronywalker’ Mistry, a finalist in last week’s The Pride, also stormed the WPT#14 Mini Championship final table, finishing in a respectable seventh place for ₹2.15 Lakhs.
The WPT#14 Mini Championship was a spectacle, a testament to the growing popularity of online poker in India. The ₹70 Lakhs guarantee was shattered by the overwhelming turnout, swelling the prize pool to a remarkable ₹79.51 Lakhs. Those who made it to the top 152 positions went away at least ₹14,312 richer, giving them a payout 1.6 times the initial ₹9,000 buy-in. And if this is any indication, the WPT India Online is set to be an unforgettable series, a fitting climax to a year of high-stakes action and incredible rewards on PokerBaazi.
Final Table Results
WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo – ₹30 Lakhs GTD
Buy-in – ₹4,000
Entries – 609
Re-entries – 500
Prize Pool – ₹38,57,102
Places Paid – 161
The Indian online poker scene is on fire, and as we race towards the end of the year, PokerBaazi’s ₹35 Crores GTD WPT India Online is turning up the heat! Day 3 of this action-packed series was a whirlwind of excitement, with five thrilling events offering a combined ₹1.40 Crores in guaranteed prizes.
Among the many winners, one name stood out: Ashish ‘Notoriouskonvict’ Nailwal, the former The MoneyMaker runner-up. This guy is a legend in the making, with a resume that includes a stunning double victory at the Indian Poker Masters this August, two The Summit titles, and an incredible four Daily Last Chance wins. Last night, he added another trophy to his collection, dominating PokerBaazi’s ₹30 Lakhs GTD WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo, the second-largest guaranteed WPT Online tournament of the day.
Despite its relatively fast structure, the 9 PM flagship event was a true test of endurance, stretching for a gruelling 7 hours and 50 minutes. But Nailwal, fresh off final table appearances in the Daily Last Chance and The Summit the week before, was unstoppable. He fired three bullets, navigating through a daunting crowd of 1,109 entries (609 unique) to capture his fourth WPT India Online title (and his first of this series). He walked away with a cool ₹3.47 Lakhs after a four-way deal – his 11th title and fifth-best score this year!
Nailwal also found success in PokerBaazi’s WPT#13 (PLO-5), finishing 26th for ₹15,368. This boosted his total winnings for the day to over ₹3.62 Lakhs, propelling him to #17 on the ₹50 Lakhs GTD WPT India Online leaderboard with 2,293 points from five cashes.
> 1st in PokerBaazi’s WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo for ₹3,46,837* (four-way deal)
> 26th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#13 (PLO-5) for ₹15,368
Ashish Nailwal’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52 and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹3.86 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹1.17 Crores | Titles Won in 2024: #11 | Annual Winnings: ₹89.51 Lakhs | Annual Profits: ₹24.29 Lakhs | Moves to #17 on the ₹50 Lakhs WPT India Online Leaderboard
Ankur ‘Stonecold’ Sehgal may have finished as the runner-up in WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo, but he walked away with the biggest slice of the pie, banking ₹3.69 Lakhs from the four-way deal – his fifth-best score of the year.
Lavesh ‘upay4myweed98’ Meena, who conquered Junglee Poker’s Thursday PLO-4 Mini Highroller last month, made an impressive run to third place, adding a sweet ₹3.66 Lakhs to his bankroll (his third-best score this year). Meena also went deep in three more flagship events, racking up over ₹4.02 Lakh in total winnings.
> 3rd in PokerBaazi’s WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo for ₹3,65,633* (four-way deal)
> 66th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#14 Mini Championship for ₹22,263
> 54th in Adda52’s The Mint for ₹7,549
> 107th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#13 (PLO-5) for ₹6,740
Lavesh Meena’s online stats (excluding Natural8 India, Junglee Poker and Pocket52): Lifetime Winnings: ₹3.94 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹1.09 Crores | Titles Won in 2024: #12 | Annual Winnings: ₹1.32 Crores | Annual Profits: ₹33.72 Lakhs | Moves to #28 on the ₹50 Lakhs WPT India Online Leaderboard
Ankit ‘d00mtr00p3r’ Wadhawan, the 2023 Player of the Year #5, is making a serious statement in the WPT India Online series! After back-to-back runner-up finishes in the WPT#9 Warm-Up and WPT#3 Megastack, he continued his hot streak with a fourth-place finish in the WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo, adding ₹3.61 Lakhs to his exploding bankroll after the four-way deal.
Wadhawan also notched deep runs in two other WPT Online events on Tuesday, bringing his total winnings for the day to almost ₹3.86 Lakhs. Despite his consistent performance, he slipped to second place on the ₹50 Lakhs GTD WPT India Online leaderboard, now boasting 4,305 points from ten scores in the series. This shift in the top order is thanks to Young Gun Shardul Parthasarathi, who had made four final table finishes in the series, including two last night.
> 4th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo for ₹3,60,752* (four-way deal)
> 89th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#14 Mini Championship for ₹18,288
> 102nd in PokerBaazi’s WPT#13 (PLO-5) for ₹6,740
Ankit Wadhawan’s online stats (excluding Natural8 India, Junglee Poker and Pocket52): Lifetime Winnings: ₹16.89 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹5.62 Crores | Titles Won in 2024: #11 | Annual Winnings: ₹2.09 Crores | Annual Profits: ₹65.27 Lakhs | Moves to #2 on the ₹50 Lakhs WPT India Online Leaderboard
The final table of WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo was packed with hungry contenders like ‘GarraCharrua’ (5th for ₹1.71 Lakhs), ‘aniket030’ (6th for ₹1.34 Lakhs), ‘Ksc7′ (7th for ₹1 Lakhs), and Abhineet ‘abbubro’ Singla (8th for ₹72,128).
With a ₹4,000 buy-in and a whopping ₹30 Lakhs guarantee, the WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo delivered in spades, generating a prize pool of over ₹38.57 Lakhs. The top 161 finishers cashed for at least ₹6,557, making it a night of big wins and even bigger excitement. And this is just the beginning – the WPT India Online series is already shaping up to be one for the history books!
Final Table Results
*denotes a four-way deal
WPT#11 Megastack – ₹25 Lakhs GTD
Buy-in – ₹2,500
Entries – 641
Re-entries – 544
Prize Pool – ₹25,76,190
Places Paid – 169
Day 3 of PokerBaazi’s ₹35 Crores GTD WPT India Online was nothing short of explosive, with five events and a scorching ₹1.70 Crores in guaranteed prize money up for grabs. The day began with the ₹15 Lakhs GTD WPT#11 Megastack, a 4 PM showdown that drew a formidable field of 641 players (1,185 total entries). And with an accessible ₹2,500 buy-in, this wasn’t just another tournament; it was a battle royale where seasoned sharks, ambitious underdogs, and everyone in between clashed for poker supremacy.
As the hours ticked by and the field thinned, a familiar figure began to emerge from the chaos. India’s poker royalty, Young Gun Gaurav ‘gaug17’ Sood, was on the warpath. This legendary three-time POY and the most decorated player in our records was back in the hunt, his eyes fixed on the WPT#11 Megastack title. Could he do it? Could he add another trophy to his already overflowing cabinet?
Sood’s path to the final table was a rollercoaster. Fueled by a runner-up finish in Spartan Poker’s Tuesday Twister just two weeks prior, he was a man on a mission. He expertly navigated the deep structure of the 8-hour and 40-minute marathon, his poker brain working overtime as he outmanoeuvred and outplayed his opponents one by one.
And then, there it was. Victory. Sood had done it again, claiming his 20th title of the year and his ninth on PokerBaazi. This latest triumph adds to his already legendary collection, which includes an NPS#92 HighRoller gold medal and a 1000X#30 (7-Max) Friday Prime title, earning him a cool ₹3.86 Lakhs. But that wasn`t all. Sood continued his onslaught with another two cash finishes, boosting his total Tuesday winnings to over ₹4 Lakhs!
> 1st in PokerBaazi’s WPT#11 Megastack for ₹3,86,429
> 55th in Adda52’s The Mint for ₹7,549
> 130th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#15 (7-Max) Turbo for ₹6,557
Gaurav Sood’s online stats (excluding Junglee Poker and Pocket52): Lifetime Winnings: ₹22.29 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹11.45 Crores | Titles Won in 2024: #20 | Annual Winnings: ₹2.62 Crores | Annual Profits: ₹1.08 Crores | Ranked #20 in the 2024 Leaderboard Standings (Total Cashes)
But the Megastack wasn’t just the Gaurav Sood show. The enigmatic ‘paise,’ who hadn’t seen a victory since July’s Daily Micro HighRoller, was making a run of their own. They fought tooth and nail, clawing their way to the heads-up showdown. Could they break their 5.5-month drought and capture their first WPT Online title? In the end, it wasn’t to be. ‘Paise’ fell just short, finishing as the runner-up for a still impressive ₹2.37 Lakhs (a new personal best). This score helped them recover over 40% of their past losses on the platform – a sweet consolation even in the face of a near-miss.
paise’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹14.33 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2024: #2
Accomplished regulars like Dinesh ‘Daddu26’ Singh (3rd for ₹1.80 Lakhs), Siddhant ‘aajnahiaana’ Singh (4th for ₹1.35 Lakhs), last month`s The Endeavour champion and recent The Mint podium finisher Abilash ‘Steelbala’ Bala (5th for ₹1.07 Lakhs), and recent (7-Max) Afternoon Boost champion Dhaval ‘TheMaHaKaL’ Solanki (8th for ₹48,948) also graced the WPT#11 Megastack final table.
With a buy-in of ₹2,500, the WPT#11 Megastack easily surpassed its advertised guarantee, generating a healthy ₹25.76 Lakh prize pool. The top 169 players finished in the money, with even a min-cash worth ₹4,380, contributing to the ongoing success story of the WPT India Online series.
Final Table Results
WPT#13 (PLO-5) – ₹25 Lakhs GTD
Buy-in – ₹3,500
Entries – 369
Re-entries – 517
Prize Pool – ₹26,96,098
Places Paid – 138
Day 3 of PokerBaazi’s ₹35 Crore GTD WPT India Online saw the poker action heat up even further, but amidst the chaos of cards and chips, a familiar face emerged from the fray to seize victory: Nikhil ‘rn275’ Ramesh.
Ramesh, who first dipped his toes into the MTT waters on PokerBaazi in September 2019, had been a ghost on the online felt for over a year. But like a warrior returning from a long exile, he stormed back onto the scene in November with a vengeance. He sharpened his skills by conquering Junglee Poker’s Thursday PLO 4 Mini Highroller and rode that wave of success straight into the WPT India Online series. With a combination of ice-cold calculation and unwavering determination, he snatched his first platform title of the year in the ₹25 Lakhs GTD WPT#13 (PLO-5), the first PLO tournament of the series.
Tuesday night’s showdown was not a place for the timid. Ramesh battled through a field of 886 hopefuls (369 unique) in the 6:30 PM PLO-5 flagship, a veritable inferno of ambition, outlasting his rivals in a gruelling eight-hour and 21-minute marathon. As the pressure cooker reached its boiling point, he maintained his composure, expertly navigating to the final table and ultimately seizing the top prize of ₹4.04 Lakhs. This win represents his most significant score on PokerBaazi this year and the second-largest of his career, only eclipsed by a near-miss in an IOPC event on Spartan Poker in 2020.
Nikhil Ramesh’s online stats (excluding Natural8 India, Junglee Poker and Pocket52): Lifetime Winnings: ₹64.77 Lakhs | Lifetime Profits: ₹10.52 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2024: #1 | Annual Winnings: ₹4.04 Lakhs | Annual Profits: ₹3.94 Lakhs
But the night held even more excitement in store. ‘Frankie08’ (anonymity requested), a familiar face on PokerBaazi, was on the verge of making a serious splash in the WPT Online series. Already riding a wave of success, ‘Frankie08’ had previously snatched titles in The Quest Lite and Blockbuster and came within a hair’s breadth of achieving a hat-trick last month, settling for second place in the Daily Last Chance.
December saw ‘Frankie08’ maintain their strong form with a win and a final table finish in the Daily Last Chance, a second-place finish in Spartan Poker’s Bullet, and yet another final table appearance in the Blockbuster Lite. With the wind in their sails, they entered WPT#13 (PLO-5) with high hopes and a chance to prove their PLO skills, but victory proved to be just out of reach. They finished as the runner-up, adding ₹2.70 Lakhs to their bankroll—their eighth-best score on the platform this year. Despite falling short of the top spot, they still had a night to remember, racking up almost ₹2.92 Lakhs in winnings thanks to another deep run in the WPT#14 Mini Championship, which propelled them to #22 on the ₹50 Lakhs WPT India Online Leaderboard with 2,130 points.
> 2nd in PokerBaazi’s WPT#13 (PLO-5) for ₹2,69,610
> 70th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#14 Mini Championship for ₹22,263
Frankie08’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹1.73 Crores | Site Profits: ₹21.03 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2024: #15 | Moves to #22 on the ₹50 Lakhs WPT India Online Leaderboard
The WPT#13 (PLO-5) final table was brimming with talent, featuring accomplished regs like recent Ignite finalist Shivam ‘daddyaddy’ Kumar Dubey (3rd for ₹1.99 Lakhs), last month’s Godfather champ Prince ‘NaNki’ Singh (4th for ₹1.54 Lakhs), last night’s WPT#12 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo and Pocket Bullets runner-up Young Gun Shardul ‘duuurrrr’ Parthsarathi (5th for ₹1.24 Lakhs), and last month’s MMA Highroller runner-up Himanshu ‘pokerbrat7’ Arora (6th for ₹96,790).
WPT#13 (PLO-5) drew a stellar turnout with its ₹3,500 buy-in, surpassing its guarantee to generate a tempting ₹26.96 Lakh prize pool. The top 138 finishers left with something to show for their efforts, with even the minimum cash prize set at ₹5,392. This thrilling event has set the stage for an unforgettable WPT India Online series, leaving players eagerly awaiting more.
Final Table Results
WPT#12 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo – ₹20 Lakhs GTD
Buy-in – ₹2,500
Entries – 387
Re-entries – 373
Prize Pool – ₹20,00,000
Places Paid – 122
Day 3 of PokerBaazi’s ₹35 Crore GTD WPT India Online was a scorcher. Amidst the familiar faces, a new champion emerged from the fray. In the ₹20 Lakhs GTD WPT#12 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo, ‘Gajab’ took down the title in a fast and furious battle, grabbing their first win on the platform this year!
‘Gajab’ has been a regular in PokerBaazi’s mid-stakes tournaments since 2019, consistently grinding and making deep runs. This year had seen its share of close calls, but last night, everything aligned. With a potent combination of skill and determination, ‘Gajab’ finally broke through, adding their name to the list of WPT Online champions.
The flagship event, which began at 5:30 PM, drew a field of 760 entries (387 unique) – slightly below the guarantee. But ‘Gajab,’ undeterred, fired three bullets to ensure a spot in the fight. The action was relentless, a four-hour and 17-minute rollercoaster that saw big names crash and burn, dreams shattered, and fortunes reversed. ‘Gajab’ navigated the chaos with precision and grit. When the smoke cleared, they had captured the top prize of ₹3 Lakhs – a career-defining score that catapulted them back into profitability and obliterated their previous personal best five times over.
Gajab’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹10.47 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹2.17 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2024: #1
But ‘Gajab’ wasn’t the only one making headlines. Young Gun Shardul ‘duuurrrr’ Parthasarathi had an astounding Tuesday night. Fresh off his return from APT Phu Quoc 2024, Parthasarathi – Junglee Poker’s all-time top dog – has been on a tear this December, with a victory in the Tuesday Phoenix and a string of final table appearances across four tournaments.
Keeping his streak alive, Parthasarathi has been making a lot of noise in the WPT India Online, notching final table finishes in the WPT#3 Megastack and WPT#8 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo in the first two days. Last night, he was in the hunt for two titles – the WPT#12 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo and Pocket52’s Pocket Bullets. He came heartbreakingly close in both, finishing as the runner-up. His efforts earned him ₹2 Lakhs in the Hyper Turbo and ₹1.24 Lakhs in Pocket Bullets, adding a hefty chunk of change to his bankroll.
Parthasarathi didn’t stop there. He added four more deep runs to his tally, including two final table appearances in the WPT#13 (PLO-5) and Pocket52’s (7-Max) Deepstack Turbo. By the end of the night, this multi-format maestro had racked up over ₹4.88 Lakhs in total winnings, enough to storm to the top of the WPT India Online Leaderboard with 4,370 points – a spot previously held by Ankit Wadhawan, who has also been a consistent performer in the series.
> 2nd in PokerBaazi’s WPT#12 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo for ₹2,00,000
> 5th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#13 (PLO-5) for ₹1,24,290
> 2nd in Pocket52’s Pocket Bullets for ₹1,24,113
> 5th in Pocket52’s (7-Max) Deepstack Turbo for ₹27,842
> 46th in Adda52’s The Mint for ₹7,549
> 154th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#11 Megastack for ₹4,380
Shardul Parthasarathi’s online stats (excluding Natural8 India, Junglee Poker and Pocket52): Lifetime Winnings: ₹12.70 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹3.88 Crores | Titles Won in 2024: #12 | Annual Winnings: ₹2.37 Crores | Annual Profits: ₹69.27 Lakhs | Moves to #1 on the ₹50 Lakhs WPT India Online Leaderboard
The final table of the WPT#12 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo featured a mix of talented players like last month’s Daily Last Chance finalist Pratap ‘Pratap42’ Maurya (3rd for ₹1.50 Lakhs), last month’s WTF finalist Bhanu ‘Chennaino1’ Prakash KC (4th for ₹1.15 Lakhs), and last week’s Summit Lite podium finisher Sandeep ‘kundumc’ Chatlani (6th for ₹76,600).
Adding to the excitement, the WPT#12 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo saw a whopping ₹3.48 Lakhs overlay, making it an absolute steal. With a ₹2,500 buy-in, the top 122 players were guaranteed to at least double their money, taking home a minimum of ₹5,000 each. It was a night of big wins and even bigger thrills, keeping the WPT India Online series fervour burning bright.
Final Table Results
WPT India Online Leaderboard Standings – Day 3
Rank | Player | Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Shardul 'duuurrrr' Parthasarathi | 4,365 |
2 | Ankit 'd00mtr00p3r' Wadhawan | 4,305 |
3 | ayyappa1963 | 3,496 |
4 | Mandar 'MAMA04' Madaye | 3,391 |
5 | Naman 'instamuckk' Agrawal | 3,239 |
6 | Mayank 'newsolidcash' Maruka | 3,093 |
7 | tiltplay | 2,834 |
8 | Mithun 'thepokeraja' Mahesh | 2,784 |
9 | Dinesh 'Daddu26' Singh | 2,755 |
10 | Adwait 'SSHOTT' Pol | 2,676 |
‘shivam796’ (Won ₹1.50 Lakhs GTD PLO 6 Daily for ₹33,620), ‘bullgod’ (Won ₹2 Lakhs GTD Daily Boost for ₹29,1600), Vivek ‘viveksnmc10’ Pal (Won ₹1.50 Lakhs 7-Max SPRINT for ₹20,250), Penjo ‘shutterisland’ Wangchuk (Won ₹1 Lakh 6-Max SPRINT for ₹11,750), and ‘pokerstarsa123’ (Won ₹1 Lakh Midnight SPRINT for ₹10,350) won the other Tuesday marquees on PokerBaazi.
Junglee Poker
Tuesday Phoenix – ₹7.50 Lakhs GTD
Buy-in – ₹3,450
Entries – 245
Ranked Prize Pool – ₹3,82,500
Bounty Prize Pool – ₹3,67,500
Total Prize Pool – ₹7,50,000
Places Paid – 27
Jayant ‘jayferro’ Alagawadi, one of India’s most entertaining poker streamers, just put on a show for the ages! Three months ago, he blew us away by winning Junglee Poker’s Tuesday Phoenix live on stream, and last night, he did it again! Alagawadi put on an absolute clinic, conquering a 245-strong field in the ₹7.50 Lakhs GTD Tuesday Phoenix in front of a live audience and walking away with a cool ₹1.39 Lakhs (₹81,867 in bounties)!
Junglee Poker and streamers seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. Hot on the heels of Rahul Kumar‘s incredible back-to-back Sunday Special Knockout victories (both streamed live, of course!), Alagawadi has one-upped him with a third livestream hit. He recently came close to victory in A23 Poker’s TNT Rush during a live stream, finishing third. He also conquered Junglee Poker’s Sunday headliner in late November. And last night, he added the Tuesday Phoenix to his trophy case with the whole world watching!
At the start of the stream, he mentioned that he had shipped this tournament once before, but it hadn’t happened since. He also added, “Hopefully, we can change that tonight!” And change it he did!
The stream was a rollercoaster of emotions, capturing the highs and lows of a poker player and streamer, his struggles with sleep, and the slim chances of making a deep run on a live stream.
When the field narrowed to two tables, Alagawadi got extremely fortunate. The 13th-place finisher, ‘sahbajahmaf,’ punted their entire 40+ BB stack, gifting Alagawadi an over 80 BB pot with his flopped trip threes and boosting his stack to 100 BBs. His reaction? Pure disbelief. “Aaj sab log donate kyun kar rahe hai, 10 hazar ki bounty thi woh!”
As the blinds climbed and the field shrunk to 10 players, Alagawadi held the second-largest stack. But deep into the stream, now approaching the 6-hour mark, he showed a bit of a gambling streak. He called off ‘hotstreak‘s river jam with the second pair, only to see his opponent table the nut flush and scoop the 50 BB pot. “Probably should have folded,” he muttered. “What am I thinking.”
He had now slipped to fourth place with just under 30 BBs, with the remaining six players all within 15 BBs of each other.
But it was Alagawadi’s night. Facing Yash ‘darkshark_11’ Jaiswal’s 21 BB three-bet jam from the small blind, he made the call with pocket tens. ‘hotstreak’ (his previous nemesis) also called after initially flatting with pocket nines. Jaiswal showed ace-jack.
Before the flop was dealt, Alagawadi pleaded, “come on tens ek baar jeeta de!” And his pocket pair delivered! A ten on the flop gave him the pot, a bounty, and a crucial chip-up to 86 BBs. He roared back to life, yelling, “we are back in it, let’s go!”
It was time for the final table bubble, and he ranked first. In no time, he had made the final table with the chip lead for a change!
He won the first two hands at the final table, keeping the momentum going. The game slowed down, and with Alagawadi holding a commanding lead, the other players battled for second place as the field dwindled to five.
Coming back from the penultimate break of the live stream, Alagawadi eliminated ‘gridgang35667546’ in fifth place, flopping quad fives with a laugh. Soon after, he picked up ace-five suited and moved all in, busting ‘riya424286’ in fourth place with a flopped nut flush against their pocket kings. “Podium finish guys, podium finish!” he exclaimed. “Let’s go, let’s keep running like this!”
With three players left, Alagawadi’s stack was almost four times that of his closest opponent, ‘Shinichi,’ and nearly six times that of Sreeharsha ‘DonkeyCommitted’ Boneni, who was bringing up the rear.
But Boneni, the experienced mid-stakes grinder, knocked out ‘Shinichi’ in third to set up a heads-up battle with Alagawadi, who held a 2:1 chip advantage.
The two players traded blows before their stacks were even. Boneni even managed to pull ahead with a 3:1 chip advantage. But Alagawadi, ever persistent, found a double-up with pocket queens to regain the lead. Boneni, however, was relentless, clawing his way back once again.
But Alagawadi was on fire, having already flopped two sets, quads, and a flush at the final table. In a pivotal hand, Alagawadi limped in the small blind with two-five suited, and Boneni checked. On the ace-seven-four flop, Alagawadi raised one big blind, and Boneni re-raised to four big blinds. Alagawadi called, pleading, “ek baar dedo yaar, baas ek baar three dedo, please.” And boom! A three on the turn. “Wow!” he gasped.
Boneni kept raising until he shoved on the river, giving Alagawadi a full double-up and the chip lead. Boneni held ace-four for flopped two-pair. “Kya set-up tha, bhai ke paas bhi two pair thae!” Alagawadi exclaimed.
His incredible run of luck continued. It just goes to show that when you combine skill and persistence with a little bit of fortune, great things can happen. It took another half an hour for Alagawadi to finish off Boneni, who never made it easy. Their heads-up match lasted over an hour and 10 minutes.
Before the final hand, Alagawadi declared, “guys this is a fight, this is a grind, this is a battle!”
The final hand was a coin flip. Alagawadi shoved all-in from the small blind with ace-six offsuit, and Boneni called from the big blind with pocket fours. An ace on the flop sealed the deal, eliminating Sreeharsha ‘DonkeyCommitted’ Boneni in second place for ₹82,791 (₹25,875 in bounties).
If you want to relive the excitement, check out the stream on his YouTube channel below.
With a buy-in of ₹3,450, Tuesday Phoenix fell negligibly short of its ₹7.50 Lakhs guarantee by just ₹15,000. The top 27 finishers shared the ₹3.83 Lakhs prize pool. And with another ₹3.67 Lakhs in the bounty pool, players were padding their winnings with every knockout. It was a night of fierce competition, thrilling showdowns, and big rewards for those who dared to enter the Junglee Poker arena, with ‘jayferro’ and his electrifying stream stealing the show!
Final Table Results (Including Bounties)
‘bholekabeta’ (Won ₹3 Lakhs GTD Tuesday Turbo for ₹64,367) and ‘average2076590’ (Won ₹80K GTD Tuesday Sunsetter for ₹20,005) won the other Tuesday marquees on Junglee Poker.
Adda52
The Mint – ₹14 Lakhs GTD
Buy-in – ₹4,200
Entries – 205
Re-entries – 159
Rebuys – 18
Prize Pool – ₹14,00,000
Places Paid – 62
For over three months, Dirgesh ‘jaihanuman423’ Dedhiya had been battling a frustrating drought. A victory in Adda52’s Sunday Head Hunter in early September seemed a distant memory. Four times he’d come close, four times he’d tasted the possibility of victory, only to fall short at the final table. Each deep run felt like another test, another opportunity slipping through his fingers.
But last night, the tide finally turned in Adda52’s ₹14 Lakhs GTD The Mint. Dedhiya entered the 8 PM flagship with a burning desire to break the spell. Facing a field of 205 contenders (382 total entries), he knew it wouldn’t be easy. For seven hours and 44 minutes, he had to navigate a minefield of challenges, seizing every opportunity and maintaining his composure as opponents fell by the wayside. Finally, he was the last man standing when all the chips were counted. The top spot – the one that had eluded him for so long – was his. He claimed his first The Mint title and a ₹2.56 Lakhs payday, the second-largest score of his poker career.
Dirgesh Dedhiya’s online stats (Adda52 and PokerBaazi): Lifetime Winnings: ₹17.63 Lakhs | Lifetime Profits: ₹6.15 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2024: #3
Dedhiya wasn’t the only one with eyes on the prize. Adda52 regular ‘97092139089x0x2x3x0x,‘ who first appeared on the scene in September 2022, was also looking for a breakthrough. They had spun a meagre ₹420 satellite investment into a seat in this primetime event and rode that wave all the way to a runner-up finish worth ₹1.87 Lakhs – an astonishing result that eclipsed their previous best score by a factor of five. While the title may have slipped away, it was a night they won’t soon forget.
97092139089x0x2x3x0x’s Adda52 stats: Site Winnings: ₹3.19 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹2.92 Lakhs
The Mint’s final table was packed with familiar faces and up-and-coming stars, including last week’s MMA 8-Max PKO runner-up Satyapal ‘Zoca’ (3rd for ₹1.37 Lakhs), circuit veteran Vinay ‘ContemporisT’ B (5th for ₹73,840), three-time The Millionaire champion Rishab ‘rish1994’ Malik (6th for ₹54,124), recent Head Shot Bounty champion Sunil ‘bababk’ Arora (7th for ₹39,673), and the ever-dangerous Aditya ‘whatistheend’ Kulkarni (8th for ₹29,080).
The Mint saw a nominal overlay of ₹5,700. Nevertheless, the top 62 finishers each earned at least ₹7,549, a tidy 1.8x return on their ₹4,200 investment. For those who managed to dig in and reach the money, it was a solid reward for their efforts!
Final Table Results
Unmesh ‘unmesh100’ Nair (Won ₹2.75 Lakhs GTD Voyager for ₹59,167), ‘kalidenalli’ (Won ₹1.50 Lakhs GTD Nighttide DST Adda for ₹35,022), ‘krishiv9935’ (Won ₹1 Lakh GTD Afternoon Bounty for ₹27,011), Jatn ‘jatin2929’ Sablani (Won ₹1.20 Lakhs GTD The Mint Lite for ₹22,281), ‘goasales123’ (Won ₹50K GTD Bounty Adda for ₹15,857), and Mubashir ‘copains37’ Ahahmed (Won ₹50K GTD Sundown Adda for ₹14,771) won the other Tuesday marquees on Adda52.
Pocket52
Pocket Bullets – ₹8 Lakhs GTD
Buy-in – ₹3,300
Entries – 141
Re-entries – 138
Prize Pool – ₹8,00,730
Places Paid – 36
Pocket52’s Tuesday mainstay, the ₹8 Lakhs GTD Pocket Bullets, didn’t disappoint! This 8 PM flagship event was an all-out brawl, with 279 contenders (141 unique) battling for a piece of the pie. After a gruelling eight hours, it was Ahshish ‘AK19’ Kumar, known for his incredible runner-up finish in the NPS India 2024 Main Event, who emerged as the champion, grabbing the title and a ₹1.77 Lakhs payday after firing three bullets. This is his biggest score yet on Pocket52 and his 12th victory of the year on the platform!
But that’s not all. Kumar, who recently took down the Daily Morning SPRINT, also made deep runs in PokerBaazi’s WPT#11 Megastack and Adda52’s The Mint, adding nearly ₹1.93 Lakhs to his bankroll in the process.
> 1st in Pocket52’s Pocket Bullets for ₹1,76,881
> 28th in Adda52’s The Mint for ₹8,865
> 75th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#11 Megastack for ₹7,213
Ashish Kumar’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52 and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹2.19 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹86.92 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2024: #14 | Annual Winnings: ₹1.17 Crores | Annual Profits: ₹55.25 Lakhs
Mumbai’s poker coach and Young Gun Shardul ‘user1687448220’ Parthasarathi also had an outstanding Tuesday session. Fresh off final table appearances in the WPT#3 Megastack and WPT#8 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo, Parthasarathi came within a whisker of winning not one but two flagship events last night. His impressive run ended with second-place finishes in PokerBaazi`s WPT#12 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo and the Pocket Bullets.
And if that wasn’t enough, he also made deep runs in four other tournaments, including final table appearances in the WPT#13 (PLO-5) and Pocket52’s (7-Max) Deepstack Turbo. By the end of his marathon session, Parthasarathi had racked up over ₹4.88 Lakhs in winnings and even snatched the top spot on the ₹50 Lakhs WPT India Online leaderboard from Ankit Wadhawan.
> 2nd in PokerBaazi’s WPT#12 (6-Max) Hyper Turbo for ₹2,00,000
> 5th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#13 (PLO-5) for ₹1,24,290
> 2nd in Pocket52’s Pocket Bullets for ₹1,24,113
> 5th in Pocket52’s (7-Max) Deepstack Turbo for ₹27,842
> 46th in Adda52’s The Mint for ₹7,549
> 154th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#11 Megastack for ₹4,380
Shardul Parthasarathi’s online stats (excluding Pocket52, Natural8 India and JungleePoker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹12.70 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹3.88 Crores | Titles Won in 2024: #12 | Annual Winnings: ₹2.37 Crores | Annual Profits: ₹69.27 Lakhs | Moves to #1 on the ₹50 Lakhs WPT India Online Leaderboard
The Pocket Bullets final table was a star-studded affair, with top-tier talent like last night’s WPT#14 Mini Championship podium finisher Kashish ‘Kamui’ Gupta (6th for ₹35,472) and Bharat ‘lorenzovonmatterhon’ Vasan (8th for ₹29,467) also in the mix.
The ₹3,300 buy-in Pocket Bullets exceeded its guarantee, providing a fantastic experience for all the players. The top 36 finishers took home some cash, each earning at least ₹7,927. It’s safe to say that Pocket52 delivered another thrilling night of poker action.
Final Table Results
‘Dr_cyborg05’ (Won ₹5 Lakhs GTD 7-Max Deepstack Turbo for ₹1.11 Lakhs), Mohak ‘tiltin’ Kapoor (Won ₹1.50 Lakhs GTD Soda for ₹38,750), and ‘lovele’ (Won ₹1 Lakh GTD Soda for ₹28,150) won the other Tuesday marquees on Pocket52.
Spartan Poker
‘RazorK’ (Won ₹3 Lakhs GTD Supreme for ₹57,3000), Rahul ‘Rahul4444s’ Kumar (Won ₹2 Lakhs GTD Bullet for ₹34,994), ‘easy01’ (Won ₹1 Lakh GTD Monster Turbo for ₹22,200), and ‘rajatp11’ (Won ₹50K GTD Holdem for ₹12,300) won the Tuesday marquees on Spartan Poker.
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