This Week in Poker: December 18 – 24

Welcome to our latest edition of ‘This Week in Poker,’ where we bring you the most significant online scores by Indian MTT players and the top stories from both the live and online poker circuits. Here are this week’s highlights!

Merry Christmas! This festive season has been particularly thrilling for the poker community, as we witnessed an exciting culmination of both live and online poker action in the third week of December. Three marquee live poker series—the 2024 WSOP Paradise, 2024 WPT World Championship, and 2024 PokerStars EPT Prague — concluded with stunning performances by Indian players. On the virtual felts, the ₹35 Crores GTD WPT India Online crowned its champions, while Natural8 India crowned several big winners.

The 2024 WSOP Paradise concluded on December 19, awarding 15 bracelets with several spectacular performances, highlighting both established and rising stars in the poker world. Team India posted nine cashes, headlined by Santhosh Suvarna‘s back-to-back FT finishes.

The series’ centerpiece was the inaugural $25,000 Super Main Event, which promised a staggering $50 Million guaranteed prize pool. Yinan Zhou from China emerged victorious, earning his first WSOP bracelet and a life-changing $6 Million, marking the largest payout of the event. Marcelo Aziz from Brazil finished in second place, earning $4.6 Million for his efforts.

Indian poker superstar Santhosh Suvarna made significant waves throughout the series. Starting strong, Suvarna earned $50,000 (~₹42.46 Lakhs) in the $25K WSOP Super Main Event. He maintained his momentum and secured an eighth-place finish in the $50K NLHE High Roller, earning $209,420 (~₹1.78 Crores). He capped off his impressive run with a fifth-place finish in The Closer, adding $50,800 (~₹43.21 Lakhs) to his winnings. With these results, Suvarna surpassed $15 Million in lifetime live tournament earnings, affirming his status as one of India’s top poker talents and earning him the title of “PokerGuru Star of the Week.”

India’s Adesh Tiwari also scored in the $25K WSOP Super Main Event, finishing 294th for $50,000 (~₹42.46 Lakhs) – his only score of the series.

Nick Schulman captured the spotlight in Event #15: $5K The Closer NLHE Bounty Turbo, securing his sixth WSOP bracelet and a $145,000 prize from a field of 238 entrants. Runner-up Ren Lin also had a notable performance, taking home $110,000.

Team India Scores at WSOP Paradise

WSOP Paradise List of Winners

The 2024 World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship wrapped up an incredible season at Wynn Las Vegas, delivering a poker extravaganza with 46 tournaments that attracted massive fields and life-changing payouts. Team India made its mark with 12 cashes, including a runner-up finish and another final table appearance.

Scott Stewart claimed the crown at the 2024 WPT World Championship, earning a massive $2.56 Million payday and joining the prestigious WPT Champions Club. The final table saw equally remarkable payouts, with Rob Sherwood earning $2.2 Million as the runner-up and Eddie Pak taking home $2 Million for third place.

Zak VanKeuren capped off an extraordinary year with a life-changing $1.16 Million win at the WPT Prime Championship. Overcoming a record-breaking 9,670-entry field, the American poker pro and holistic performance coach claimed the title with ace-king prevailing over James Casement, who finished as the runner-up for $759,850.

Nipun Java, a three-time bracelet winner, was the standout performer for Team India. He nearly secured his maiden WPT title in the $1,100 No Limit Hold’em, finishing second for $54,474 (~₹46.46 Lakhs). Patrick Quinn topped the 456-entry field to win the event for $65,957.

Java scored in three more events, bringing his total series winnings to $65,173 (~₹55.58 Lakhs).

Team India Scores at WPT World Championship

WPT World Championship List of Winners

The 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague, held from December 4–15 in Czechia, wrapped up the season in style with 44 thrilling events. Five Indian players posted scores in the series.

Pedro Marques delivered a stunning comeback to claim the EPT Prague Main Event, securing €963,450 after a heads-up deal with Paul Runcan, who earned €900,000.

Meanwhile, Thomas Santerne dominated the high-roller circuit, winning three titles in a single week. After victories in the €20K High Roller and €50K EPT Super High Roller, he added the €25K Super High Roller Second Chance title to his resume, collectively adding over €733K to his bankroll.

Indian players showcased their talents, with Goonjan Mall cashing in the €1,100 Eureka Main Event, finishing 44th for €2,360 (~₹2.11 Lakhs)—his first-ever EPT cash.

Team India Scores at EPT Prague

EPT Prague List of Winners

While the live poker action stole the spotlight, the virtual felts delivered their own fireworks, led by an incredible performance from Shreyansh Sharma. After dominating the May leaderboards and claiming #4 in November, Sharma delivered a performance for the ages this past Sunday, climbing to #2 on the monthly leaderboard and #6 on the Player of the Year standings.

Sharma silenced any doubts about his consistency, following up last November’s ₹51.45 Lakhs mystery bounty haul with a monumental victory in Natural8 India’s Bounty Hunters HR Main Event 525. He outlasted a field of 2,870 players to secure his first eight-figure payday of ₹1.54 Crores—his largest score to date. With several more cashes throughout the week, Sharma’s total winnings hit an astounding ₹1.65 Crores for the week.

His top finishes include:

> 1st in Natural8 India’s Bounty Hunters HR Main Event 525 for ₹1,54,28,544

> 14th in Natural8 India’s Bounty Frozen Forty Stack 44 for ₹1,76,243

> 12th in PokerBaazi’s WPT#73 Bounty Hunter (KO) for ₹1,14,500

Sharma wasn’t the only one making waves on the virtual felts. Among the top performers were Nitin Rawat, Pranay Chawla, Divanshu Khurana, Prithviaditya Singh, Shrikant Sanjay Pradhan, Avneesh Munjal, Raghav Bansal, Vikhyat Ahlawat, Ishan Nadkarni, and Rahul Purohit, all proving that the Indian poker scene is teeming with extraordinary talent.

Top Online Winners of the Week

This holiday season, MPL Poker is upping the ante with free cash games, offering players a chance to enjoy real stakes without spending a rupee! With up to five daily games on ₹0.05/₹0.10 tables, it’s the perfect opportunity for beginners to sharpen their skills and for seasoned players to refine their strategies.

The National Poker Series (NPS) India 2025 is back on PokerBaazi from February 23 to March 24, bringing an unprecedented ₹100 Crores in guarantees across 191 tournaments. This record-breaking series features 21 events with ₹1 Crore GTD each, including marquee highlights like the ₹10 Crore GTD NPS Main Event and the ₹1 Crore GTD Golden Rush. With a massive lineup of tournaments and life-changing prizes, the NPS 2025 promises to be India’s biggest poker festival yet!

The NPS Camp 2025 in Goa is the ultimate destination for aspiring poker players to train with India’s top pros and prepare for the National Poker Series India 2025. This all-expenses-paid camp offers exclusive coaching, mentorship, and networking with some of the brightest minds in poker. To qualify, compete on leaderboards for ₹30K-₹2L GTD and ₹2L-₹10L GTD tournaments (running from December 23 to 29). For an alternative qualification route, participate in creative social media contests.

PokerBaazi’s Shuffled 2024 brings players a personalized highlight reel of their poker year, capturing their biggest wins, boldest bluffs, and unforgettable near-misses. Players can showcase their unique playing styles by earning exclusive badges like Maverick, Tactician, and Silent Slinger.

Bollywood star Randeep Hooda is trading the spotlight for the poker felt in an electrifying face-off against PokerStars India’s Ambassadors—Neel Joshi, Siddharth Karia, Kanchan Sharma, and Goonjan Mall.

This concludes this week’s round-up of the latest news and developments from the world of poker. We will return next week with another weekly report. Stay tuned!