Daily Majors: Tarush Gupta’s The Summit Hat-Trick Makes Him Thursday’s Hero

Indian online poker is exploding, and if 2025 is anything like the record-breaking 2024, we’re in for a wild ride. The penultimate day of January was no exception, crackling with excitement. PokerBaazi and Natural8 India, as always, hosted the biggest battles, but other top platforms also served up their signature events, setting the stage for an intense night. And for those who prefer cash games, MPL Poker offered a free-to-play invite, making sure everyone got a piece of the action. It was a night where the whole poker community came together, and nobody was left out.

But one player reigned supreme. Tarush Gupta, fresh off his The Quest victory last Friday, conquered PokerBaazi’s The Summit for the third time in three months. Let that sink in. This online phenom pocketed a staggering ₹7.50 Lakhs – his biggest score of the year so far. And that wasn’t the end of it. Another strong performance pushed his Thursday earnings to a scorching ₹7.57 Lakhs, making him the undisputed king of the hill. Aditya Singh, another formidable player, came close to adding the missing The Summit title to his collection, walking away with a respectable ₹5.06 Lakhs – his second-largest payday of 2025. He chipped away at two other events, boosting his total winnings to over ₹5.24 Lakhs.

Ashish Kumar, the NPS India 2024 Main Event runner-up, has been on a roll lately, and Thursday was no different. Taking inspiration from Yash Chitre and ‘aniket030,’ who both achieved double victories on Wednesday, Kumar first triumphed in PokerBaazi’s Summit Lite for ₹1.90 Lakhs and then went on to conquer Pocket52’s Pocket Magnets for a site-best ₹1.88 Lakhs. With three deep runs, his total winnings for the day soared past ₹3.94 Lakhs! Mayank Kajala gave Kumar a run for his money in the Summit Lite, finishing runner-up for ₹1.28 Lakhs and accumulating at least ₹1.48 Lakhs throughout the day. Meanwhile, poker streamer Aniruddha Joshi narrowly missed a second Pocket Magnets title, taking second place for ₹1.32 Lakhs.

Over at Natural8 India, Siddharth Arya Jolly was the man of the hour! Fresh off his second live title win in the Poker Dream 15 Malaysia MYR 800 NLH Turbo, he effortlessly transitioned back to the online felt, finishing third in a massive 343-entry field in the APL Series: Crazy Eights. This impressive feat earned him ₹3.74 Lakhs, pushing his total Natural8 India earnings past the ₹15 Lakhs mark!

Bharat Vasan, the 2024 Indian Poker Masters leaderboard crusher, also made a spectacular comeback. He stormed to victory in PokerBaazi’s WTF, grabbing his first title of 2025 and ₹3.29 Lakhs, thanks to a heads-up deal. Deep runs in three other flagships brought his Thursday total to almost ₹3.73 Lakhs. Mid-stakes powerhouse Prince Singh, aiming for his fourth title of the month, finished as the WTF runner-up, taking home ₹3.45 Lakhs, also thanks to the deal. Another cash pushed his total to over ₹3.65 Lakhs.

Poker veteran Sahil Mahboobani (Won Big PLO-5 for ₹1.83 Lakhs) and Siddhant Gaurav (Won Daily Last Chance for ₹1.82 Lakhs) dominated the other PokerBaazi flagships.

On Adda52, Drish Aggarwal, after a string of near misses, finally broke through, winning the Godfather for ₹3.31 Lakhs after a heads-up deal. Another deep run brought his total earnings to ₹3.69 Lakhs. Abhishek Mandal, also in top form, finished second in Godfather for ₹3.12 Lakhs from the deal, recovering over a quarter of his past losses in the process.

‘dontraiseplz,’ continuing their incredible run on Natural8 India, followed up a runner-up finish in Natural8 India’s Grand Prix Europe 125 and a win in the APL Series: Sunday Crazy Eights with another pair of strong performances. Two deep runs, including a fifth-place finish in the APL Series: Hold’em Deepstack for ₹2.28 Lakhs and a 23rd-place finish in the Chengdu Giant Panda Giant Stack for ₹1.23 Lakhs, netted them a total of ₹3.51 Lakhs. With over ₹90 Lakhs in total earnings already in 2025, ‘dontraiseplz’ is hot on the heels of ‘borntrouble’ as the year`s top scorer!

And that’s not all! Natural8 India saw some more fireworks:

• Armaan Kochhar, still riding high from his triple crown victory on Tuesday, kept the momentum going with a fourth-place finish in the APL Series: Hold’em Deepstack 7-Max, adding ₹2.23 Lakhs to his winnings.
• Harsh Bubna, fresh from his win in last week’s APL Series: Hold’em Deepstack, secured sixth place in the APL Series: Zodiac Monkey King Bounty, boosting his bankroll by ₹1.74 Lakhs.

Junglee Poker witnessed the sheer dominance of Lavesh Meena as he crushed the competition in the Thursday Mini Highroller, winning the event for the third time and claiming ₹2.28 Lakhs – his fourth victory of the year! His incredible run continued with two more deep runs, pushing his total earnings to almost ₹2.96 Lakhs.

Adding to this already spectacular night were standout victories from three-time POY Young Gun Gaurav Sood, Anurag Kureel, Nakul Sharma, Riyana Rashid, and Bhushan Sohani, each leaving their mark on the other marquee events.

Here are the Thursday highlights!

PokerBaazi

The Summit – ₹50 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹10,000

Entries – 308

Re-entries – 242

Prize Pool – ₹50,00,000

Places Paid – 89

PokerBaazi, the undisputed king of the Indian online poker scene, never fails to deliver when it comes to high-octane tournaments. This Thursday was no exception, with the ₹50 Lakhs GTD The Summit taking center stage. This weekly event is a highlight of the Indian online poker calendar, always attracting the best players, and last night’s edition was a classic.

At the heart of the action stood one man: online phenom Tarush ‘Busterr’ Gupta. Fresh off a red-hot victory in The Quest last Friday – his second time conquering that beast – Gupta was riding a wave of momentum. He proceeded to dismantle a stacked field of 308 entries (550 total) in the 8 PM showstopper in just over eight hours, grabbing a remarkable third The Summit title in just three months and a massive ₹7.50 Lakhs payday, his best score of the year so far.

But Gupta wasn’t done stacking up. This Pune-based crusher also picked up another cash in PokerBaazi’s Daily Last Chance (42nd for ₹6,966), taking his total Thursday total to a staggering ₹7.57 Lakhs. The night belonged to him as he cemented his place as the undisputed top earner of the day, surging to #40 on PokerBaazi’s ₹5 Crores GTD 2025 Player of the Year leaderboard race.

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s The Summit for ₹7,50,000

> 42nd in PokerBaazi’s Daily Last Chance for ₹6,966

Tarush Gupta’s online stats (excluding Natural8 India, Junglee Poker and Pocket52): Lifetime Winnings: ₹8.47 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹2.64 Crores | Titles Won in 2025: #2 | Annual Winnings: ₹21.80 Lakhs | Annual Profits: ₹8.90 Lakhs | Moves to #40 in PokerBaazi’s 2025 Player of the Year Standings

Gupta’s heads-up opponent, Aditya ‘konstantin’ Singh from Nautanwa, had his own ambitions. Singh, an online crusher in his own right, was determined to add the missing The Summit title to his impressive poker resume. With victories in The Quest and The Pride already under his belt, he was hungry for a third title in 2025. He gave it his all but had to settle for second place, taking home a respectable ₹5.06 Lakhs – his second-biggest score of the year, though also a heartbreaking third near miss in this Thursday night spectacle.

Singh, a true grinder at heart, went on to cash in two more PokerBaazi flagships, adding over ₹5.24 Lakh to his bankroll and climbing to #31 on the 2025 Player of the Year leaderboard. The race for the top spot is getting intense!

> 2nd in PokerBaazi’s The Summit for ₹5,06,000

> 26th in PokerBaazi’s Summit Lite for ₹9,600

> 70th in PokerBaazi’s WTF for ₹8,587

Aditya Singh’s online stats (excluding Natural8 India, Junglee Poker and Pocket52): Lifetime Winnings: ₹8.26 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹2.58 Crores | Titles Won in 2025: #2 | Moves to #31 in PokerBaazi’s 2025 Player of the Year Standings

The Summit’s final table was a battleground, with talented regulars and other ambitious players vying for the title. ‘Yasir1986’ (3rd for ₹3.85 Lakhs), Kurukshetra-based pro Amit ‘quark’ Kaushik (6th for ₹2.88 Lakhs), ‘Heflyshigh’ (5th for ₹2.44 lakhs), ‘sandeep1404’ (6th for ₹2 Lakhs), and recent (6-Max) BSS SPRINT finalist Nishant ‘rektace’ Kumar (7th for ₹1.58 Lakhs) all fought hard for the win.

Despite its sky-high appeal, The Summit fell short of its ambitious guarantee by ₹2.17 Lakhs, creating even more value for the top 89 finishers. Each player who cashed took home at least ₹20,000, double the ₹10,000 buy-in. With another exciting edition in the books, this Thursday night showdown once again proved why PokerBaazi is the place to be for India’s online poker elite.

Final Table Results

1. Tarush ‘Busterr’ Gupta – ₹7,50,000
2. Aditya ‘konstantin’ Singh – ₹5,06,000
3. Yasir1986 – ₹3,85,000
4. Amit ‘quark’ Kaushik – ₹2,87,500
5. Heflyshigh – ₹2,43,500
6. sandeep1404 – ₹2,00,000
7. Nishant ‘rektace’ Kumar – ₹1,57,500

WTF – ₹25 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹3,300

Entries – 487

Re-entries – 448

Prize Pool – ₹26,83,450

Places Paid – 130

PokerBaazi’s Thursday night MTT lineup is always a spectacle, and yesterday was no different. And Bharat ‘Thinkfloyd’ Vasan, the Noida poker star who topped the 2024 Indian Poker Masters leaderboard, just put on a clinic in PokerBaazi’s ₹25 Lakhs GTD WTF. After several close calls in the eight weeks since his Spartan Poker Ignite victory early last month, Vasan finally broke through for his first title of the year.

But make no mistake, Vasan hasn’t been sitting idle. A player of his calibre doesn’t stay quiet for long. He’s been on a tear, with three podium finishes already in 2025, proving he’s one of the most consistent forces in the game.

Last night, though, he was unstoppable. The 7:30 PM flagship tournament was a hotbed of action, drawing a horde of 487 players (935 total entries) and crushing its guarantee. Vasan sliced through the field with his signature style. After a gruelling battle that lasted over 7.5 hours, he emerged on top, grabbing his first title of 2025 and a well-deserved ₹3.29 Lakhs payday, thanks to a heads-up deal. And Vasan didn’t stop there. Deep runs in three other flagship tournaments padded his pockets, bringing his total Thursday winnings to a grand total of almost ₹3.73 Lakhs!

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s WTF for ₹3,28,601* (heads-up deal)

> 45th in PokerBaazi’s The Summit for ₹26,500

> 13th in Pocket52’s Pocket Magnets for ₹11,280

> 41st in PokerBaazi’s Summit Lite for ₹6,600

Mid-stakes crusher Prince ‘NaNki’ Singh is also having a phenomenal run on PokerBaazi in 2025. He snagged his first title of the year in the first week with a (PLO-6) BSS win, then doubled down by taking down the WTF just a fortnight ago. Last week, he added another win in the Daily Last Chance, and yesterday, he was gunning for his fourth title of the month, aiming for a repeat victory in the WTF. Although he fell short, his second-place finish earned him an even better ₹3.45 Lakhs from the heads-up deal with Vasan.

And Singh wasn’t just a one-trick pony. He also made a deep run in last night’s The Summit (84th for ₹20,000), bringing his Thursday total to over ₹3.65 Lakhs.

Prince Singh’s online stats (PokerBaazi, Adda52 and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹3.27 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹90.87 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #3

The WTF final table was a shark tank, with notable players like recent Tuesday Phoenix podium finisher Naveen Kumar ‘HappyHunter’ S (3rd for ₹1.99 Lakhs), 2024 POY #20 Vinay ‘Vinstill’ B (4th for ₹1.53 Lakhs), the always-present Jatin ‘patience124’ Sablani (6th for ₹93,384), Vikram ‘VikramJaiswal7’ Jaiswal (7th for ₹69,770) and recent Sunday Big Slick champion Sachin ‘browguy26’ Raj (8th for ₹49,912) all in the mix.

The WTF, with its ₹3,300 buy-in, was a huge hit, crushing its guarantee by over ₹1.83 Lakhs and creating a scorching ₹26.83 Lakhs prize pool. The top 130 players earned a share of the winnings, with min-cashes starting at ₹6,709, making for a wild Thursday night on PokerBaazi.

Final Table Results

1. Bharat ‘Thinkfloyd’ Vasan – ₹3,28,601*
2. Prince ‘NaNki’ Singh – ₹3,45,213*
3. Naveen Kumar ‘HappyHunter’ S – ₹1,98,575
4. Vinay ‘Vinstill’ B – ₹1,52,957
5. Nitparjas – ₹1,20,487
6. Jatin ‘patience124’ Sablani – ₹93,384
7. Vikram ‘VikramJaiswal7’ Jaiswal – ₹69,770
8. Sachin ‘browguy26’ Raj – ₹49,912

*denotes a heads-up deal

Summit Lite – ₹12 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹3,000

Entries – 268

Re-entries – 177

Prize Pool – ₹12,00,000

Places Paid – 65

Ashish ‘Imgabru’ Kumar, known for his phenomenal runner-up finish in the National Poker Series India 2024 Main Event last March, has been quietly building momentum for the past seven months, flashing glimpses of brilliance across different platforms.

He’s come into 2025 swinging, with podium finishes in Adda52’s Ferris Wheel and Columbus, followed by final table appearances in Adda52’s MMA Mini High Roller and Spartan Poker’s Ignite. Last week, he finally broke through by winning Spartan Poker’s Supreme, and this Tuesday, he almost conquered Pocket52’s Pocket Bullets, finishing second. It felt like a matter of time before he really blew up.

And last night, Kumar didn’t just win; he went on a tear, capturing two titles in one incredible session. He conquered PokerBaazi’s ₹12 Lakhs GTD Summit Lite and Pocket52’s ₹8 Lakhs GTD Pocket Magnets, adding two more wins to his record and padding his bankroll with over ₹3.94 Lakhs across three deep runs.

In the 7:30 PM Summit Lite, Kumar fired three bullets before steamrolling a field of 445 entries (268 unique). He clinched his first-ever Summit Lite title in an intense but fast-paced battle that lasted under six hours, locking up a cool ₹1.90 Lakhs – his biggest score of 2025 so far.

But that was just the warm-up act to a session that was only going to get better. An hour later, Kumar ransacked a tough 132-player field (253 total entries) in the 8 PM Pocket Magnets, grabbing his second win of the night and adding another ₹1.88 Lakhs to his winnings – his best score yet on Pocket52. His final opponent was poker streamer Aniruddha Joshi, who had to settle for second place and ₹1.32 Lakhs.

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s Summit Lite for ₹1,89,600

> 1st in Pocket52’s Pocket Magnets for ₹1,88,240

> 20th in Adda52’s Godfather for ₹16,369

Ashish Kumar’s online stats (excluding Pocket52, Natural8 India and Junglee Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹2.34 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹93.59 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #2

Mayank ‘Mayhem97’ Kajala (opted out of our tracking) came this close to winning the Summit Lite but finished second, earning ₹1.28 Lakhs. This poker reg from Haryana, best remembered for snagging a silver medal in the NPS India 2023 Mini Main Event, also made a deep run in PokerBaazi’s The Summit, finishing 65th for ₹20,000, racking up at least ₹1.48 Lakhs for the day.

The Summit Lite’s final table was packed with familiar faces. Sameer ‘tandoori’ Agarwal took third place for ₹98,400, while Naman ‘instamuckk’ Agrawal (5th for ₹57,600) and Pranav ‘pranav40973’ Agrawal (6th for ₹46,680) also made it to the final showdown.

Even with all the action, the ₹3,000 buy-in Summit Lite fell shy of its guarantee by a tiny ₹38,995. The top 65 finishers still walked away with a minimum payout of ₹6,600 – more than double the buy-in, adding to the Thursday night fireworks on PokerBaazi.

Final Table Results

1. Ashish ‘Imgabru’ Kumar – ₹1,89,600
2. Mayank ‘Mayhem97’ Kajala – ₹1,28,400
3. Sameer ‘tandoori’ Agarwal – ₹98,400
4. Kimchii – ₹72,000
5. Naman ‘instamuckk’ Agrawal – ₹57,600
6. Pranav ‘pranav40973’ Agrawal – ₹46,680
7. naman2618 – ₹36,720
8. NGUPTA – ₹27,000

Big PLO-5 – ₹10 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹5,000

Entries – 125

Re-entries – 107

Prize Pool – ₹10,08,736

Places Paid – 33

Sahil ‘ImHighIshove’ Mahboobani is a name that commands attention. This Gurugram veteran lets his results speak for themselves. Coming off wins in the Pocket Kings on Pocket52, a Blockbuster Knockout victory on Junglee Poker last month, not to mention a litany of solid finishes in recent weeks, this MTT beast stormed into PokerBaazi on Thursday night and conquered the ₹10 Lakhs GTD Big PLO-5.

This wasn’t just any win; this was sweet revenge. Just the night before, Mahboobani was this close to winning this new 9 PM PLO-5 flagship for the first time, losing the heads-up battle to Shivam Kumar Dubey. But last night was a different story. Leaving nothing to chance, he brought his signature swagger and tore through a tough 232-entry field (125 unique). He battled through the wild swings for almost six and a half hours before grabbing the title and a cool ₹1.83 Lakhs after a heads-up deal, using two entries along the way.

And that wasn’t all for Mahboobani. Deep runs in five other tournaments added to his winnings, pushing his Thursday total to nearly ₹2.42 Lakhs.

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s Big-PLO5 for ₹1,82,843* (heads-up deal)

> 54th in PokerBaazi’s The Summit for ₹20,000

> 30th in Adda52’s Godfather for ₹13,883

> 15th in PokerBaazi’s Daily Last Chance for ₹11,029

> 14th in Pocket52’s (7-Max) Deepstack Turbo for ₹7,050

> 127th in PokerBaazi’s (7-Max) WTF for ₹6,709

Sahil Mahboobani’s online stats (excluding Pocket52, Natural8 India and Junglee Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹20.90 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹5.41 Crores | Titles Won in 2025: #1

Sparsh ‘sparsh1231’ Gupta, who had already shown his PLO prowess with a podium finish in last Thursday’s Big PLO-5, was chasing his first title of 2025 and made a serious run in the same Big PLO-5. Improving on his previous finish, Gupta fought his way to heads-up play, only to fall at the final hurdle. His second-place finish still earned him a solid ₹1.85 Lakhs from the heads-up deal – his eighth-best score on the platform.

Sparsh Gupta’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹92.96 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹36.77 Lakhs

The Big PLO-5 final table was a who’s who of poker talent, with players like Sankalp ‘Wobbegong’ Marwah (3rd for ₹1.26 Lakhs), PokerBaazi Team Pro and ‘The Circuit’ Season 1 champ Laksh Pal ‘boomtlt23’ Singh (5th for ₹50,437), and recent (7-Max) Afternoon Boost winner Vijay ‘Bluffmeister69’ Kamnani (6th for ₹40,349) all making a spirited run for the title.

This ₹5,000 buy-in Big PLO-5 is becoming a PLO player favourite, and last night’s edition didn’t disappoint, bringing in the numbers and generating a tempting ₹10.09 Lakhs prize pool. The top 33 players cashed, with payouts starting at ₹9,079. It was another epic run for this PLO flagship, offering a feast of action and rewards for the PLO crowd.

Final Table Results

1. Sahil ‘ImHighIshove’ Mahboobani – ₹1,82,843*
2. Sparsh ‘sparsh1231’ Gupta – ₹1,85,346*
3. Sankalp ‘Wobbegong’ Marwah – ₹1,26,092
4. juvenileanu – ₹83,725
5. Laksh Pal ‘boomtlt23’ Singh – ₹50,437
6. Vijay ‘Bluffmeister69’ Kamnani – ₹40,349

*denotes a heads-up deal

Daily Last Chance – ₹10 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹2,500

Entries – 300

Re-entries – 234

Prize Pool – ₹11,60,916

Places Paid – 82

PokerBaazi’s Thursday night action was a spectacle to behold, with the excitement stretching into the early hours of Friday morning. Among the many stories of triumph and near misses, one player’s victory stood out: Siddhant ‘ALLinBoy’ Gaurav, a satellite specialist who finally broke his nine-month dry spell by storming to victory in PokerBaazi’s ₹10 Lakhs GTD Daily Last Chance. His comeback was complete, earning him a well-deserved ₹1.82 Lakhs – his best score of 2025 and his second-best ever on PokerBaazi, just behind the ₹2.28 Lakhs he won in the 1000X#36 Super Saturday in November 2023.

The 10:30 PM flagship tournament became a marathon grind, stretching to almost 5 AM. A massive 300 players (534 total entries) braved the late-night battle, but it was Gaurav’s night. He defied the odds to capture his first Daily Last Chance title, giving his platform profits a serious boost.

Siddhant Gaurav’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹53.72 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹2.51 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #1

Meanwhile, ‘toilet007,’ a casual player from West Bengal who’s been grinding on PokerBaazi since July 2021, almost wrote their own comeback story. After nearly four years of playing, and in just their 23rd tournament on the platform (and only their third of 2025), they made a stunning runner-up finish in the late-night showdown. Their effort earned them a platform-best ₹1.20 Lakhs – a staggering 22 times bigger than their previous best. This result not only brought them their biggest cash to date but also pushed them back into the green.

toilet007’s PokerBaazi stats: Site Winnings: ₹1.31 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹95,696

The Daily Last Chance final table was a tough one. Tuesday’s Big PLO-5 podium finisher Zeshan ‘Deez49’ Hamza took third place again for ₹90,551, while Wednesday’s Daily Last Chance runner-up Aditya ‘Whoarewe’ Kulkarni finished sixth with ₹46,437. Young Gun Shardul ‘duuurrrr’ Parthasarathi, who also made a final table appearance in last night’s Monster Turbo PKO, finished seventh for ₹36,685.

The action on PokerBaazi was red-hot all night long, and even the ₹2,500 buy-in Daily Last Chance drew a big crowd, easily surpassing its advertised guarantee and generating a juicy ₹11.61 Lakhs prize pool. The top 82 players cashed, with a minimum payout of ₹5,572 – more than double the buy-in, making it a profitable grind for many night owls.

Final Table Results

1. Siddhant ‘ALLinBoy’ Gaurav – ₹1,82,148
2. toilet007 – ₹1,20,155
3. Zeshan ‘Deez49’ Hamza – ₹90,551
4. Poker4everz – ₹66,521
5. Nimbuz – ₹56,421
6. Aditya ‘Whoarewe’ Kulkarni – ₹46,437
7. Shardul ‘duuurrrr’ Parthasarathi – ₹36,685
8. bigusdikus – ₹27,282

Anurag ‘AGENTP52’ Kureel (Won ₹5 Lakhs GTD (7-Max) Afternoon Boost for ₹55,947), ‘SeveralTurn1420’ (Won ₹2 Lakhs GTD PLO-5 Boost for ₹31,440), ‘guns465’ (Won ₹2 Lakhs GTD Daily Boost for ₹26,520), ‘chandrajit2010’ (Won ₹1.50 Lakhs GTD PLO-6 Daily for ₹19,740), Bhushan ‘bhushansohani’ Sohani (Won ₹1 Lakh Evening SPRINT for ₹15,200), ‘FirmAceOut05’ (Won ₹1 Lakh 6-Max SPRINT for ₹13,260), and ‘rajeety77’ (Won ₹1 Lakh Boost for ₹10,160) won the other Thursday marquees on PokerBaazi.

Junglee Poker

Thursday Mini Highroller – ₹8 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹6,900

Entries – 156

Total Prize Pool – ₹9,36,000

Regular Prize Pool – ₹4,68,000

Bounty Prize Pool – ₹4,68,000

Places Paid – 17

Lavesh ‘magicodds98’ Meena is a poker player who just draws you in. This Jaipur pro is known for his consistency and smooth style, gliding through different formats and stakes like a natural. And last night, he did it again. Fresh off a third-place finish in Pocket52’s (7-Max) Deepstack Turbo, Meena went on to win Junglee Poker’s ₹8 Lakhs GTD Thursday Mini Highroller for a career-third time (and his first in 2025).

Meena didn’t just show up; he owned the night. He took centre stage with a dominating performance in the 8 PM PKO showdown, capturing his fourth title of 2025 (his third on Junglee Poker this year). The competition was fierce, with 156 players battling for seven hours. When the final hand was played, Meena stood tall, claiming the top prize of ₹2.28 Lakhs, including a massive ₹1.44 Lakhs in bounties alone.

Over the past nine months, Meena’s journey on Junglee Poker has been nothing short of impressive. Ten titles, four runner-up finishes, and countless final table appearances tell the story, with each win adding another chapter to his ever-growing poker story.

Even before his Thursday Mini Highroller triumph, Meena was already on a roll with two other deep runs. By night’s end, his Thursday winnings totalled almost ₹2.96 Lakhs.

> 1st in Junglee Poker’s Thursday Mini Highroller for ₹2,28,099* (₹1,43,906 in bounties)

> 13th in PokerBaazi’s The Summit for ₹56,000

> 38th in PokerBaazi’s WTF for ₹11,539

Lavesh Meena’s online stats (excluding Junglee Poker, PokerStars India and Pocket52): Lifetime Winnings: ₹3.91 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹1.18 Crores | Titles Won in 2025: #1

The mysterious ‘godfather’ also made a deep run in the Thursday Mini Highroller, chasing Meena all the way to the end, eventually finishing second for a respectable ₹1.05 Lakhs (₹20,531 in bounties).

The Thursday Mini Highroller final table was stacked with big names, like the top Indian earner at the just-concluded Poker Dream 15 Malaysia Young Gun Anmol ‘Kaanchacheena’ Mehta (3rd for ₹80,392) (₹23,250 in bounties), Dhinesh ‘you3betI4bet’ Kumar (7th for ₹52,279) (₹31,500 in bounties), and Bharath ‘foldmybet’ Kumar (8th for ₹26,785) (₹10,125 in bounties).

With a tempting ₹9.36 Lakhs prize pool, the ₹6,900 buy-in Thursday Mini Highroller smashed its ₹8 Lakhs guarantee, making Meena’s victory even sweeter. The top 17 players cashed, each taking home at least ₹7,956 from the ₹4.68 Lakhs cash prize pool. With another ₹4.68 Lakhs in the bounty pool, the action was non-stop, with players racking up cash with every knockout.

Final Table Results (Including Bounties)

1. Lavesh ‘magicodds98’ Meena – ₹2,28,099
2. godfather – ₹1,04,630
3. Anmol ‘Kaanchacheena’ Mehta – ₹80,392
4. nolimit11 – ₹57,866
5. mahi – ₹53,007
6. iguess..d – ₹34,785
7. Dhinesh ‘you3betI4bet’ Kumar – ₹52,279
8. Bharath ‘foldmybet’ Kumar – ₹26,785

‘killerff777’ (Won ₹4.50 Lakhs GTD Thursday Thunder for ₹97,541), ‘h2owater’ (Won ₹90K GTD Thursday Sunsetter for ₹19,584), and ‘fucknrunn’ (Won ₹60K GTD Hangover for ₹11,712) won the other Thursday marquees on Junglee Poker.

Adda52

Godfather – ₹20 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹5,750

Entries – 172

Re-entries – 197

Re-buys – 10

Prize Pool – ₹20,00,000

Places Paid – 55

Thursdays on Adda52 are synonymous with the Godfather, a weekly poker showdown that draws players nationwide. Last night’s edition lived up to the hype, delivering a drama-filled tournament that saw Drish ‘dpatron’ Aggarwal finally claim his crown.

Aggarwal’s recent poker journey has been a story of near misses. Since his PokerBaazi IPM#5 Megastack victory last month, he’s been a consistent presence at final tables, storming seven of them. He’s tasted silver in PokerBaazi’s BSS Super Value and The Pride and even made deep runs in other major tournaments like the Blockbuster and The Endeavour this year. He’s been knocking on the door for a while, and everyone knew it was just a matter of time. He had already warmed up this week with final table finishes in the BSS Kickoff and Big Show Lite. The hunger was there, the momentum was building, and last night, everything clicked.

The 8 PM Godfather, boasting a ₹20 Lakhs prize pool guarantee, attracted a tough crowd of 172 players (379 total entries). But Aggarwal was up for the challenge. This poker reg from Delhi weaved his way through the competition, showing a never-give-up attitude until he found himself heads-up. A deal was agreed upon, and Aggarwal walked away with a well-earned ₹3.31 Lakhs. This win is not just his first Godfather title; it’s also his biggest score yet on Adda52 and the third-largest of his online career. He continued his hot streak with a deep run in PokerBaazi’s The Summit, pushing his Thursday haul to nearly ₹3.69 Lakhs!

> 1st in Adda52’s Godfather for ₹3,31,094* (heads-up deal)

> 20th in PokerBaazi’s The Summit for ₹37,500

Drish Aggarwal’s online stats (Adda52, PokerBaazi and Spartan Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹1.63 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹26.19 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #1

While Aggarwal was celebrating, Abhishek ‘abhisekchem86’ Mandal had his own story to tell. Mandal, who had a strong final table finish in the Maverick a few weeks ago, had his sights set on Godfather gold. He gave Aggarwal a real fight, eventually finishing second and taking home an equally commendable ₹3.12 Lakhs thanks to the deal. This score, his third-best on the platform, more than made up for over a quarter of his previous losses.

The Godfather final table was a star-studded affair featuring some of the biggest names in Indian poker. Neeraj ‘NeeruNJ’ Sattawat, who finished 11th in the 2024 POY race, took third place for ₹1.99 Lakhs. Wednesday’s Pocket Rockets champion, Ravi ‘ravi250294’ Kant Kumar, snagged fourth place for ₹1.46 Lakhs. The lineup also included other heavy hitters like Ankit ‘d00mtr00p3r’ Wadhawan (5th for ₹1.07 Lakhs), ‘High Roller Specialist’ Karan ‘nebzo’ Sitlani (6th for ₹78,528), Shagun ‘sogani94’ Jain (7th for ₹57,561), and Young Gun Arsh ‘bigggtymer’ Grover (8th for ₹42,192), making for an epic finale.

Adding to the excitement, the ₹5,750 buy-in Godfather fell short of its advertised guarantee by ₹1.55 Lakhs, creating extra value for the players. Only the top 55 players got a piece of the ₹20 Lakhs prize pool, with even a min-cash good for ₹11,774. The stakes were high, the competition was fierce, and the payouts were impressive, making for a thrilling Thursday night on Adda52 and leaving everyone wondering what the weekend holds.

Final Table Results

1. Drish ‘dpatron’ Aggarwal – ₹3,31,094*
2. Abhishek ‘abhisekchem86’ Mandal – ₹3,12,051*
3. Neeraj ‘NeeruNJ’ Sattawat – ₹1,99,396
4. Ravi ‘ravi250294’ Kant Kumar – ₹1,46,156
5. Ankit ‘d00mtr00p3r’ Wadhawan – ₹1,07,132
6. Karan ‘nebzo’ Sitlani – ₹78,528
7. Shagun ‘sogani94’ Jain – ₹57,561
8. Arsh ‘bigggtymer’ Grover – ₹42,192

*denotes a heads-up deal

₹50 Lakhs GTD Big Whale – Day 1A

Day 1A > Entries – 105 | Re-entries – 63 | Re-buys – 5| Survivors – 18 | Chip Leader – Mohit ‘FloatingMonkey’ Bohra (310,917)

Young Gun Gaurav ‘BuildPuntOK’ Sood (Won ₹4.50 Lakhs GTD Monser Turbo PKO for ₹1.02 Lakhs), ‘guruji423’ (Won ₹2 Lakhs GTD Godfather Lite for ₹37,568), Nakul ‘NakulSharma11’ Sharma (Won ₹1.50 Lakhs GTD Nighttide DST Adda for ₹32,772), ‘Ckh9763’ (Won ₹1 Lakh GTD Afternoon Bounty for ₹26,478), and ‘8A7A6A3A3B’ (Won ₹55K GTD Bounty Adda for ₹17,863) won the other Thursday marquees on Adda52.

Pocket52

Pocket Magnets – ₹8 Lakhs GTD

Buy-in – ₹3,300

Entries – 132

Re-entries – 121

Prize Pool – ₹8,00,000

Places Paid – 27

Ashish ‘AK19’ Kumar is a name that’s been making waves in the online poker scene, and last night, he proved why. Following in the footsteps of Yash Chitre and ‘aniket030,‘ who both achieved double victories on Wednesday, Kumar decided to get in on the action and take down not one but TWO tournaments in a single night. He conquered PokerBaazi’s ₹12 Lakhs GTD Summit Lite and Pocket52’s ₹8 Lakhs GTD Pocket Magnets, adding two more shiny trophies to his cabinet and fattening his bankroll by over ₹3.94 Lakhs across three deep runs.

Kumar, who burst onto the scene with a spectacular second-place finish in the National Poker Series India 2024 Main Event last March, is no stranger to success. He grabbed his first title of 2025 last week in Spartan Poker’s Supreme, along with a string of solid recently, and he’s clearly just hitting his stride.

His first big win of the night came in the 7:30 PM Summit Lite. After firing three bullets, he tore through a field of 445 entries (268 unique) in a five-hour and 54-minute battle, grabbing a cool ₹1.90 Lakhs – his biggest score of 2025 so far.

But that was just the opening act. Nearly 2.5 hours later, Kumar struck again, this time in the 8 PM Pocket Magnets. Improving on a second-place finish in Tuesday’s Pocket Bullets, Kumar stormed through a tough 132-entry field in just over eight hours, claiming his 13th title on Pocket52 and adding another ₹1.88 Lakhs to his Thursday haul – also his biggest score yet on the platform.

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s Summit Lite for ₹1,89,600

> 1st in Pocket52’s Pocket Magnets for ₹1,88,240

> 20th in Adda52’s Godfather for ₹16,369

Ashish Kumar’s online stats (excluding Pocket52, Natural8 India and Junglee Poker): Lifetime Winnings: ₹2.34 Crores | Lifetime Profits: ₹93.59 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #2

Ashish Kumar’s Pocket52 stats: Site Winnings: ₹15.93 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹5.25 Lakhs | Titles Won in 2025: #1

While Kumar was celebrating his double victory, popular poker streamer Aniruddha ‘Pocketaces_’ Joshi came this close to a second Pocket Magnets title. Joshi ultimately finished second, earning a respectable ₹1.32 Lakhs – his second-best score on Pocket52 after his Pocket Bullets win last September and a step forward towards achieving his ambitious profit challenge!

Aniruddha Joshi’s Pocket52 stats: Site Winnings: ₹15.25 Lakhs | Site Profits: ₹1.90 Lakhs

The Pocket Magnets final table was a stacked affair, featuring strong performances from Amar ‘PsykoEko’ Iyer (3rd for ₹84,960), ‘MS07’ (4th for ₹62,880), ‘BadeMiya’ (5th for ₹47,200), ‘FeetFetish’ (6th for ₹37,760), Rakshit ‘Destroyer13’ Ved (7th for ₹31,360), and Rahul ‘YSoSerious’ Sengar (8th for ₹25,120).

With its ₹3,300 buy-in, the Pocket Magnets fell ₹73,890 short of its ₹8 Lakhs guarantee, creating an overlay that added even more value for the players. The top 27 finishers made it into the money, with min-cashes starting at ₹6,440. This kind of value, combined with the thrill of competition, is what`s made Pocket52 a favourite among tournament grinders.

Final Table Results

1. Ashish ‘AK19’ Kumar – ₹1,88,240
2. Aniruddha ‘Pocketaces_’ Joshi – ₹1,32,080
3. Amar ‘PsykoEko’ Iyer – ₹84,960
4. MS07 – ₹62,880
5. BadeMiya – ₹47,200
6. FeetFetish – ₹37,760
7. Rakshit ‘Destroyer13’ Ved – ₹31,360
8. Rahul ‘YSoSerious’ Sengar – ₹25,120

‘breakingbread’ (Won ₹5 Lakhs GTD 7-Max Deepstack Turbo for ₹1.18 Lakhs), ‘baapsi’ (Won ₹1.50 Lakhs GTD Soda for ₹40,200), and Riyana ‘RiriPiri’ Rashid (Won ₹1 Lakh GTD Brunch for ₹28,150) won the other Thursday marquees on Pocket52.

Spartan Poker

‘SUNBATH00007’ (Won ₹3 Lakhs GTD Supreme for ₹66,600), ‘8X2X9X3Y7Y’ (Won ₹2 Lakhs GTD Bullet for ₹44,400), and ‘FORA_Natehi’ (Won ₹1 Lakh GTD Monster Turbo for ₹22,200) won the Thursday marquees on Spartan Poker.

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