DPT Xpress February 2025: Samyak Sethi’s Main Event Triumph & Raghav Bansal’s Highroller Comeback Steal the Show!
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- RUPAM THAKUR February 12, 2025
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5 Minutes Read
The Deltin Poker Tournament (DPT) Xpress February 2025 has come and gone, but the echoes of thrilling hands and jaw-dropping wins still linger. Held at the floating Casino Deltin Royale in Goa, this edition of India’s longest-running live poker series delivered six days of intense competition from February 5 to 10. From budget-friendly beginnings, DPT Xpress has blossomed into a full-fledged poker festival, drawing some of the nation’s most skilled players to India`s poker capital!
Ten tournaments, including an Adda52 freeroll, kept the action sizzling. While we could only provide these basic updates due to the limited details shared by tournament organizers, the results speak for themselves.
Samyak Sethi Stuns in Main Event
The ₹30K Xpress Main Event, the series’ crown jewel, saw Samyak Sethi etch his name into DPT history. Sethi, a formidable online MTT grinder, navigated a field of 340 entries (across three starting flights) to capture his first-ever live poker title. This victory wasn’t just a personal milestone; it came with a career-best ₹16.90 Lakhs payday and the coveted DPT Xpress Main Event trophy. Despite falling short of the title, Sudarshan Ravi also celebrated a personal best, taking home ₹12.46 Lakhs for his second-place finish.
Raghav Bansal Makes a Highroller Comeback
The ₹50K Xpress Highroller saw the return of poker veteran Raghav Bansal. This Kolkata-born high-stakes regular conquered a 124-entry field to claim his fifth live title and fourth DPT trophy. This win, worth ₹12.81 Lakhs, was Bansal’s first recorded live score in nearly ten months. Having maintained a low profile recently, focusing primarily on big-ticket online tournaments, Bansal’s return to the live scene proved to be nothing short of spectacular. Rising Star Aman Parakh, an online MTT crusher, came close to his first live title but finished as the runner-up for ₹9.42 Lakhs, a familiar sting after a similar near miss in the APT Hanoi Billions Vietnam Sunday Superstack in December 2023.
Ridhav Chawla’s Double Dose of Victory
Ridhav Chawla was a true trailblazer, achieving the rare feat of winning two titles in just three days. Chawla first conquered the ₹20K Xpress NLH Bounty, outlasting 138 entries and demonstrating sharp bounty-hunting skills to win ₹3.84 Lakhs (including seven bounties worth ₹1.05 Lakhs). Not content with one victory, Chawla then shipped the final event, ₹11,500 Xpress Closure, adding another DPT title and ₹3.24 Lakhs to his winnings.
Anand Babu Pallikona Breaks Through
They say good things come to those who wait, and Anand Babu Pallikona proved it. Pallikona, a familiar face on the circuit, finally broke through for his first live title after several near misses, including a runner-up finish in the DPT Grand ₹40K NLH Re-Entry and a fourth-place finish in the ₹50K Freeze Out Championship last October. He topped a 111-entry field in the ₹15,000 Xpress Freeze Out to win ₹3.51 Lakhs. Nitish Mehndiratta finished second for ₹2.62 Lakhs.
Vikash Shah’s PLO Mastery
Veteran grinder Vikash Shah added to his impressive record, capturing his first DPT title (his third overall) in the ₹11,500 Xpress PLO-4. Shah’s mastery of Omaha strategy was evident as he conquered a 53-entry field, earning ₹2.05 Lakhs. Viney Singal took second place for ₹1 Lakh.
Early Winners
The series also saw early wins for Angad Kaura (₹5,750 DPT Rush for ₹8.68 Lakhs), Abhishek Sharma (₹16,500 Xpress Mystery Bounty for ₹6.56 Lakhs), and Ritwik Khanna (₹15,000 Express Mini Main for ₹3.85 Lakhs), rounding out a fantastic series!
Online Grinder Samyak Sethi Takes Down DPT Xpress Main Event For ₹16.90 Lakhs!
The DPT Xpress series concluded with a bang, crowning a new champion in the ₹30K Xpress Main Event. Samyak Sethi, a 25-year-old online force originally from Guwahati but now residing in Jaipur, conquered a field of 340 entries (across three starting flights) to claim his first live poker title. This wasn’t just any win; it was a career-defining breakthrough, earning him a staggering ₹16.90 Lakhs and cementing his status as the festival’s biggest winner. In a dramatic heads-up battle, Sethi outlasted Sudarshan Ravi, who also notched up a personal best ₹12.46 Lakhs for his second-place finish.
Sethi’s online record speaks for itself, boasting over ₹4 Crores in tracked winnings and a 25% profit rate. It’s a record that reflects years of dedication to the game, a passion that was first ignited when he learned to play poker at the tender age of 10. Having completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from NIT Jaipur in 2021, his poker journey began in Guwahati, where he honed his skills playing recreationally. He even took a two-year plunge to pursue it professionally for two years, but ultimately decided to return to playing recreationally, focusing his online play on Sundays and making select appearances at live events.
However, live poker was a different story. His first recorded live cash was back in April 2022 at the DPT ₹11K Warm-up, a modest 50th place for ₹14,100. Since then, Sethi has been a regular presence at DPT festivals.
Adding to his impressive series performance, Sethi also made a deep run in the ₹5,750 DPT Xpress Rush, finishing 92nd for ₹16,260. This brought his total earnings for the Goa trip to a whopping ₹17.06 Lakhs, making him the overall top scorer of the series.
The ₹30K Xpress Main Event generated a massive ₹88.40 Lakhs prize pool. Only 43 players survived the three starting flights, making it to Day 2 on Monday, each guaranteed at least ₹66,734.
The final table was a who’s who of seasoned pros and circuit regulars. Rahul Purohit (3rd for ₹9.19 Lakhs), Young Gun Siddhanth Kripalani (4th for ₹6.78 Lakhs), Adwait Pol (5th for ₹5 Lakhs), Phanindra Akkina (6th for ₹3.69 Lakhs), Jaikiran Kumar (7th for ₹2.72 Lakhs), the recent ₹15K Xpress Mini Main Event champion Ritwik Khanna (8th for ₹2.01 Lakhs), and the Xpress Mini Main Event runner-up Vishrant Goyal (9th for ₹1.48 Lakhs) battled for the top spots.
Some of the biggest names in Indian poker made deep runs, further emphasizing the prestige of DPT Xpress. The ₹16,500 Xpress Mystery Bounty champion Abhishek Sharma (15th for ₹99,376), Siddharth Pandey (21st for 81,435), Chirag Sodha (22nd for 81,435), online crushers Vishal Bajaj (30th for 66,734), Rishab Malik (34th for 66,734), and two-time DPT Grand bracelet winner Sagar Raj (38th for 66,734), and ₹5,750 DPT Xpress Rush champion Angad Kaura (43rd for 66,734) all cashed in the Main Event.
Final Table Results (INR)
- Samyak Sethi – ₹16,89,926
- Sudarshan Ravi – ₹12,46,425
- Rahul Purohit – ₹9,19,306
- Siddhanth Kripalani – ₹6,78,036
- Adwait Pol – ₹5,00,088
- Phanindra Akkina – ₹3,68,842
- Jaikiran Kumar – ₹2,72,040
- Ritwik Khanna – ₹2,00,644
- Vishrant Goyal – ₹1,47,986
Raghav Bansal Back on Top: Wins Star-Studded DPT Xpress Highroller For ₹12.81 Lakhs!
Day 3 delivered some serious excitement, with two big winners grabbing headlines. Ritwik Khanna, the fitness model turned poker pro, snagged his first DPT Xpress trophy (and fourth live title in Goa) in the₹15K Xpress Mini Main Event, boosting his bankroll by ₹3.85 La
But the real newsflash was the return of Raghav Bansal. This Kolkata-born poker pro stormed back into the spotlight, proving he’s still got what it takes to win at the highest level. He conquered the ₹50K Xpress Highroller, topping a field of 124 top players, and walked away with a massive ₹12.81 Lakhs! This win added a fifth live title and a fourth DPT trophy to his already stacked resume, marking his first live cash in nearly ten months!
The heads-up showdown was a nail-biter, with Rising Star Aman Parakh going head-to-head with Bansal for the title. But in the end, it was Bansal’s that reigned supreme against Parakh’s on a board. Parakh put up a good fight for his maiden live title but had to settle for the runner-up spot and ₹9.42 Lakhs.
This victory is a clear sign that Bansal is back in top form. He might be known for crushing high-stakes cash games, but he’s no slouch when it comes to tournaments either. Let’s not forget, this is the same guy who won the very first DPT Main Event back in 2016!
And speaking of his poker journey, Bansal’s accomplishments are nothing short of legendary. Here’s a quick rundown of his biggest wins:
January 2016: Champion of the first-ever DPT Main Event (₹30.60 Lakhs)
February 2017: Winner of the Macau Poker Cup 26 HK$4K NLHE – Teams Event ($6,202)
November 2022: Champion of the online-live hybrid ₹2 Crores GTD Big Millions (₹31.64 Lakhs)
October 2023: DPT ₹110K High Roller champion (₹16.86 Lakhs)
February 2025: DPT Xpress ₹50K Highroller Champion (₹12.81 Lakhs)
His biggest score, however, came in 2017 when he finished second in the PokerStars Macau Championship HK$103K NLHE High Roller, earning a staggering $335,910 (~₹2.20 Crores).
A WSOP regular for the past ten years, Bansal has consistently displayed his elite skills. This win pushes his live tournament earnings past $1.20 Million, placing him #10 on India’s all-time money list, according to The Hendon Mob.
The ₹50K Xpress Highroller was a tough battleground, with a prize pool of ₹53.94 Lakhs and the top 15 places got paid. The final table was packed with accomplished players, including Sriram Subramanian (3rd for ₹6.93 Lakhs), Mohsin Shaikh (4th for ₹5.09 Lakhs), two-time DPT Grand bracelet winner Sagar Raj (5th for ₹3.75 Lakhs), Gopal Bajaj (6th for ₹2.75 Lakhs), Myron Pereira (7th for ₹2.03 Lakhs), and old-timers Pranav Bagai (8th for ₹1.77 Lakhs), and Rohit Bhalla (9th for ₹1,55,474).
The other players to post scores in the event included Phanindra Akkina (10th for ₹1.36 Lakhs), Young Gun Hardik Nair (11th for ₹1.36 Lakhs), Aditya Systla (12th for ₹1.36 Lakhs), Gautam Sachdeva (13th for ₹1.36 Lakhs), Selvam Karunanithi (14th for ₹1.19 Lakhs), and Rishabh Gupta (15th for ₹1.19 Lakhs).
Final Table Results (INR)
- Raghav Bansal – ₹12,80,982
- Aman Parakh – ₹9,41,970
- Sriram Subramanian – ₹6,92,674
- Mohsin Shaikh – ₹5,09,355
- Sagar Raj – ₹3,74,552
- Gopal Bajaj – ₹2,75,425
- Myron Pereira – ₹2,02,533
- Pranav Bagai – ₹1,77,451
- Rohit Bhalla – ₹1,55,474
Ridhav Chawla: The Double-Trouble Champion of DPT Xpress!
Another player who made waves in the series was Ridhav Chawla. This online regular was unstoppable, achieving the rare feat of winning not one, but two titles in the span of just three days!
Chawla, who had come close to victory in last year’s ₹50K Xpress Highroller (finishing as the runner-up), was clearly on a mission this time around. He first set his sights on the ₹20K Xpress NLH Bounty. With a field of 138 entries, this was no easy task. But Chawla displayed incredible aggression and expert bounty-hunting skills, eliminating opponents left and right on his way to victory. He ultimately took home ₹3.84 Lakhs, including a hefty ₹1.05 Lakhs in bounties! Akshay Kapoor, the runner-up, had to settle for ₹2.07 Lakhs.
But Chawla wasn’t satisfied with just one trophy. He kept the momentum going and entered ₹11,500 Xpress Closure, determined to prove his first win was no fluke. And prove it he did! He tore through a field of 140 entries, claiming his second DPT title of the series and another ₹3.24 Lakhs in prize money.
This incredible double victory puts Chawla in a league of his own. He now joins an exclusive club of players who have achieved the remarkable feat of winning two titles in a single DPT series in Goa. This prestigious group includes Nikunj Jhunjhunwala (who did it back in 2015), Gokul Raj (2023), and Sagar Raj (2024).
While Chawla was celebrating his double victory, spare a thought for Nitish Mehndiratta, who finished as the runner-up in Xpress Closure for ₹2.40 Lakhs. This was actually his second runner-up finish of the series (after a similar finish in Xpress Freeze Out), making it a bittersweet experience for him.
Content & Images Courtesy: Adda52 Live
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