Nauv Kashyap Registers Record Win at WPT New Zealand Main Event

In a tournament packed with 360 entrants, Aussie-Indian poker player Nauv Kashyap (cover image) beat all odds to win the inaugural World Poker Tour (WPT) New Zealand Main Event for NZ$169,200 (~₹79.93 Lakhs) at SkyCity Auckland. The World Poker Tour New Zealand was the first of its kind for the Kiwis and the largest Main Event in the history of the country.

Kashyap, ranked 98^th on the Australia All Time Money List, is a dentist by profession and an avid poker player who started playing tournaments in 2007. His largest recorded score was at the ANZPT A$2,500 No Limit Hold’em for AU$182,965 in 2010. He currently has $462,474 in total live earnings.

Final Day Recap

The final day starting with only 16 players, with seven more players hitting the rails before the final table began.

The final table started at 4pm with nine players. Kashyap was leading the chip count at the start of the day and was accompanied by Jack Efaraimo, Sosia Jiang, Kelvin Li, Anthony Inns, Zac Metin, Nic Southorn, Daniel Neilson and Eden Smith on the final table.

Final Table Recap

The first of the final nine to go was Eden Smith (ninth place for NZ$17,280). He called all-in from under-the-gun with pocket aces but got unlucky against Jiang’s who clipped a set on the board .

Daniel Neilson followed Smith’s exit when he went all-in from cutoff with only to come up flipping against Li’s . Nielson needed to connect on the board to win but the community cards went in Li’s favour with the rundown eliminating Neilson in eighth place.

It didn`t take long for the next player to fall. From the button position, Nic Southorn moved all-in preflop with pocket queens. Kashyap re-raised all-in from small blind with . With the board showing , Kashyap’s pair of aces eliminated Southorn at seventh place.

Li then eliminated Metin after the latter moved all-in from the small blind. Metin`s fell flat against Li’s pair of fives, with the board sending Metin home at sixth place.

Anthony Inns was the next player to be busted by Kashyap. Both players held ace-queen and what was looking like a chopped pot created some opportunities for Kashyap with the flop , opening a possible back-door flush draw for Kashyap who held . He successfully hit the diamond flush when the turn revealed , eliminating Inns in fifth place.

Kelvin Li was ousted at fourth place when he re-raised all-in from big blind against Kashyap but his were no match against Kashyap’s .

Sosia Jiang`s exit at third place paved the way for the heads-up play. Jiang’s pair of fell short against Kashyap’s when the board ran making Kashyap’s two pair stronger.

The final hand between the two finalists – Efaraimo and Kashyap, saw the latter’s defeating Efaraimo’s with the rundown missing both players.

Regarding his victory, Kashyap said, “I got lucky in a lot of ways. When I was bluffing, I wasn’t called. When I had it, they happened to call. You can’t really change the way the cards go, and it worked out well.”

Final Table Results (NZD)

1. Nauv Kashyap – NZ$169,200

2. Jack Efaraimo – NZ$108,000

3. Sosia Jiang – NZ$68,400

4. Kelvin Li – NZ$54,000

5. Anthony Inns – NZ$39,600

6. Zac Metin – NZ$32,400

7. Nic Southorn – NZ$25,200

8. Daniel Neilson – NZ$21,240

9. Eden Smith – NZ$17,280

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