This Week in Poker: February 14 – 20

In the PokerGuru feature, ‘This Week in Poker,’ we bring you the weekly roundup of 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 top stories!

The third week of February proved to be action-packed for poker enthusiasts around the globe. From the exciting conclusion of the ₹15 Crores GTD Adda52 Online Poker Series (AOPS) – Goa Edition to the record-breaking 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Paris, here’s a detailed look at what made this week so special.

The ₹15 Crores GTD Adda52 Online Poker Series (AOPS) – Goa Edition reached its thrilling climax this past weekend, with the live final tables of three flagship events taking centre stage at the opulent Casino Deltin Royale in Goa.

The ₹3 Crore GTD AOPS Main Event saw Dhiraj Kumar Totala emerge victorious after a stellar performance on Sunday’s final table. He outlasted a massive field of 3,072 entries and an even heads-up deal with Vaibhav Sharma to take home a career-best ₹39.94 Lakhs. Sharma also secured an equal ₹39.94 Lakhs payout. For their stellar performance, Totala and Sharma are our “PokerGuru Stars of the Week!”

Other notable finalists with deep runs included Sriharsha Doddapaneni (3rd for ₹24.03 Lakhs), Vinay B (4th for ₹17.28 Lakhs), Roshan Gurbuxani (5th for ₹12.42 Lakhs), Debneil Mukherjee (6th for ₹8.93 Lakhs), Young Gun Arsh Grover (7th for ₹6.42 Lakhs), and Tony Thomas (8th for ₹6.42 Lakhs).

Mohit Mahi triumphed in the AOPS Mini Main Event, navigating a field of 3,188 entries to claim the title and ₹24.22 Lakhs. Sahil Mahboobani finished runner-up for ₹17.26 Lakhs. The final table also saw solid finishes from Saahib Bawa (3rd for ₹12.31 Lakhs), Parth Jain (4th for ₹8.77 Lakhs), Siddharth (5th for ₹6.25 Lakhs), Saurabh Rohila (6th for ₹4.46 Lakhs), Nishant Kumar (7th for ₹3.18 Lakhs), and Vikash Kumar Ba (8th for ₹2.26 Lakhs).

The AOPS Micro Main Event, with 5,417 entries, saw Kovid Saraswat take down the first-place prize of ₹3.96 Lakhs. Gunisha Sinha finished as runner-up for ₹2.82 Lakhs, while other finalists included Tony Thomas (3rd for ₹2.01 Lakhs), Unmesh Nair (4th for ₹1.43 Lakhs), Bojja Sai Ram Reddy (5th for ₹1.02 Lakhs), Shadab Siddiqui (6th for ₹72,899), Imran Dalal (7th for ₹51,965), and Mayank Maruka (8th for ₹37,042).

The week also witnessed several Indian players crushing it on the online felt. Spartan Poker’s Millionaire V champion Utkarsh Vaish, Rahul Sahni, Himanshu Chhikara, Anshul Gupta, Prakash Gupta, Kabir Tandon, Abilash Bala, Aniket Waghmare, Karan Sitlani, Aditya Singh, and Advait Rajguru all secured significant wins.

Notable Online Winners of the Week

Internationally, the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Paris, which runs through February 24 at the Palais des Congres, is making headlines. India’s Ankit Ahuja, the two-time GPI POY (India), is making waves with four cashes totalling €26,150, including a fourth-place finish in the €1,100 No Limit Hold’em for €19,400. Currently, Ahuja is in the running on Day 2 of the €3,000 Mystery Bounty with a formidable stack of 199,000 chips.

Joining him are Kartik Ved, a WSOP bracelet winner with 216,000 chips, well above the Day 2 average, and Jeevan Lobo, who also boasts an impressive 105,000 chips. France’s Stephane Gabarre leads 213 survivors with 401,500 chips from a starting field of 827 entries.

The €5,300 EPT Paris Main Event has been the centre of attention, drawing the sixth-largest EPT field ever (and the largest outside Barcelona) with 1,747 entries and a massive €8,385,600 prize pool. India`s Sahil Chuttani (359,000) and Santhosh Suvarna (136,000) are still in the running, with Canadian pro Eliot Hudon (955,000) leading 222 players heading into Day 3.

The series has already seen ten champions crowned across various events, with notable wins by Mateusz Moolhuizen (Won €1,100 FPS Main Event for €470,830), Duco ten Haven (Won €10,200 Mystery Bounty for €126,500), Stephen Chidwick (Won €25,000 NL Hold’em I for €389,820), Daniel Dvoress (Won €25,000 NL Hold’em II for €444,840), Henrik Juncker (Won €2,200 FPS High Roller for €544,790) and Thomas Santerne (Won €50,000 EPT Super High Roller for €889,480).

Other side event winners include João Oliveira (Won €1,100 No Limit Hold’em for €55,820), Ewen Trevidy (Won €1,100 Pot Limit Omaha for €40,100), Nolan Madene (Won €550 No Limit Hold’em – FPS Cup for €143,200), Bogdan Capitan (Won €5,200 Pot Limit Omaha for €122,900), and Enzo Enzo (Won €2,100 No Limit Hold’em for €102,170).

Indo-American Raminder Singh, also known as “The Raminator,” continues to dominate the US poker scene. Fresh off his championship win at the LHPO, Singh continues his hot streak by clinching his second WSOP Circuit ring at Harrah’s Pompano Beach in Event #10: $250 No-Limit Hold’em 30K Starting Stack. This recent achievement awarded Singh a prize of $21,580.

In another big announcement, the eagerly awaited schedule for the 55th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been released, promising an exhilarating summer of poker from May 28 to July 17 at the legendary Horseshoe Las Vegas & Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. This year’s series raises the stakes, featuring 99 live bracelet events, an increase of four events from last year, setting the scene for a summer packed with high-stakes action.

PokerBaazi is pushing the envelope with the release of version 4.0 this past Monday, bringing forward a suite of enhancements designed to revolutionize the online poker playing field. Highlights of this update include the KingMaker Game Engine, ensuring smoother and more secure gameplay; a redesigned app interface for a more intuitive user experience; Poker TV & Pokershots for combining strategy with entertainment; new avatars and emojis for personalized expression; an improved desktop client for flawless gameplay; expanded tournament offerings with daily guarantees exceeding ₹1 crore; and exclusive deposit codes for NPS India 2024.

Meanwhile, MPL Poker is setting the stage for the Prime Time Series, scheduled from February 25 to March 3, 2024. This 8-day spectacle is set to deliver non-stop poker action, boasting a total guaranteed prize pool of ₹1 Crore across eight captivating primetime tournaments. Scheduled to commence at 8:30 PM each day, the series offers an ideal platform for players to shine and demonstrate their prowess in the prime time slot.

In a major legal reprieve for Dream11, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has temporarily halted the insolvency proceedings against Sporta Technologies, the fantasy major`s parent company, just as the IPL season approaches. This intervention comes in the wake of a ₹7.61 Crore dispute stemming from a license agreement in 2019 with Reward Solutions.

In an ambitious move to expand its global presence, Nodwin Gaming, a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies, has acquired Ninja Global FZCO, based in Istanbul. This acquisition is part of Nodwin’s strategy to extend its esports influence into Turkey and the MENA region, seizing opportunities within Central Asia’s rapidly growing mobile gaming market.

With this, we conclude this week’s roundup of the latest news updates and developments from the world of poker. We will return next week with our weekly report. Stay tuned.