This Week in Poker: January 1 – 7

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!

After a mind-blowing 2024 that saw records shattered and boundaries pushed, 2025 is already shaping up to be even bigger and better. From epic online battles to thrilling live action, the New Year has kicked off with an intensity that could easily eclipse the last. It was an eventful first week of poker, and we can’t wait to see what unfolds next!

Natural8 India’s “borntrouble” Starts the Year With a Bang

The New Year couldn’t have started better for Natural8 India’s enigmatic ‘borntrouble.’ They kicked off 2025 with a mind-blowing ₹51.20 Lakhs in winnings this week – all collected in just two days! Their rampage began on Monday, raking in a jaw-dropping ₹18.12 Lakhs across five stellar finishes. But that was just the warm-up. Tuesday saw ‘borntrouble’ going supernova, pocketing a stunning ₹33.08 Lakhs from a podium finish in Natural8 India’s Bounty High Roller 525. Despite being the top online earner of the week, ‘borntrouble’’s decision to remain anonymous passed the spotlight to the next in line.

Narayan Ramaswamy: PokerGuru Star of the Week

Taking centre stage as our first “PokerGuru Star of the Week” for 2025 is Narayan Ramaswamy, who delivered a knockout performance in Natural8 India’s Crystal Ball 108 last Friday. He finished as the runner-up, adding an incredible ₹34 Lakhs to his bankroll.

Neeraj Sattawat’s Weekend Heater

But Ramaswamy wasn’t alone in his online dominance. Neeraj Sattawat had an insane weekend, racking up ₹26.10 Lakhs in winnings. After conquering PokerBaazi’s Blockbuster for ₹5.06 Lakhs on Saturday, he went on to crush Natural8 India’s Bounty Hunters HR MAIN EVENT 525 on Sunday, finishing eighth for a whopping ₹19.36 Lakhs.

More Big Winners

Ramaswamy and Sattawat weren’t the only ones setting the virtual tables on fire. Regulars like Pratik Manjrekar, 2024 POY runner-up Anant Purohit, Gunisha Sinha, Ridhav Chawla, Vinay B, Jaikishan Jangid, and Ashutosh Kumar also put on impressive performances, making it a week to remember in Indian online poker!

Top Online Winners of the Week

The Action Heats Up!

While the year kicked off with familiar flagships on major platforms, things are about to get even crazier with the record-breaking ₹100 Crores GTD National Poker Series India 2025 coming up in February.

PokerBaazi has also launched its Player of the Year (POY) leaderboard, giving tournament players a chance to rack up points for deep runs and compete for a whopping ₹5 Crore prize pool and the title of PokerBaazi POY 2025! The top 100 players will also win cash prizes and packages to some of the biggest international poker events.

But it’s not just about the tournament grinders. MPL Poker is offering five FREE cash games daily, giving you the perfect opportunity to sharpen your skills and build your bankroll without risking a single rupee!

New Faces and Big Names

PokerBaazi is starting the year with a bang by welcoming Mumbai’s top live tournament pro, Zarvan Tumboli, to its Team Pro roster. Dubbed by us as “India’s Poker Sultan,” this 2023 People’s Poker Champion brings his undeniable talent and captivating presence to India’s leading online poker platform, joining forces with fellow Team Pros Abhishek Goindi and Laksh Pal Singh.

Moonshine Technology Defies Industry Trends

And in some exciting news for the Indian RMG industry, Moonshine Technology, the parent company of PokerBaazi, has defied the challenges facing the sector by reporting impressive revenue and profit growth in FY24. Moonshine’s operating revenue surged by 55% to reach ₹415 Crores in FY24, while profits grew by 26.3% to ₹24 Crores. This strong performance is largely thanks to PokerBaazi, which contributed over 85% to the company’s revenue. While other RMG verticals like fantasy sports experienced a decline, poker has emerged as a growth leader, and PokerBaazi capitalized on this trend with significant monthly increases in user engagement and revenue.

With a strategic investment from Nazara Technologies, Moonshine Technology is poised for continued growth, having cemented its place as a leader in the Indian online poker market.

GPI Crowns POY Champions

Speaking of POY, the Global Poker Index (GPI) just announced its 2024 POY champions. Leading the charge for India was the one and only Santhosh Suvarna, who dominated the rankings with an incredible 3,145.42 points. Suvarna’s phenomenal run, including a WSOP bracelet (in the $250K Super High Roller for a mind-blowing $5.415 Million) and an EPT title, was simply unstoppable. Even two-time GPI (India) POY Ankit Ahuja couldn’t catch him, finishing second in the India rankings.

WSOP bracelet winner Abhinav Iyer locked in the #3 spot for the second year in a row with 2,086.44 points. Nishant Sharma‘s Poker Dream Main Event hat trick and Kunal Patni‘s APT exploits landed them fourth and fifth place, respectively.

David Coleman emerged as the overall 2024 GPI Player of the Year in the global rankings, narrowly edging Jesse Lonis in a nail-biting finish. Cherish Andrews reclaimed her title in the female division from four-time champion Kristen Foxen. These two excellent players have won six of the past seven Female GPI PoY titles. Andrews also nearly bagged a second title, finishing as the runner-up in the GPI Mid-Major POY race to Han Feng.

WPT Announces Season 22 POY

And in another Player of the Year announcement, South Korea-born, US-based Yunkyu Song has been crowned the World Poker Tour’s Season 22 POY. This 25-year-old dominated the 2024 leaderboard, amassing 2,275 WPT POY points to claim the title. Song edged past a fiercely competitive field, with Dylan Smith finishing as the runner-up with 2,025 points and Eric Afriat rounding out the top three with 1,750 points.

Live Poker Action Heats Up in Vegas!

Meanwhile, over in Las Vegas, the 2024 PGT Last Chance Series is setting the PokerGO Studio ablaze! This six-event season finale, running until January 9, is the last chance for players to qualify for the PGT $1 Million Championship, a tournament reserved for the top 40 players on the PGT leaderboard. And with three Dream Seats up for grabs for the top three finishers in this series’ leaderboard, the competition is fierce.

The action started with Event #1: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em, where Nick Schulman took home the trophy and a cool $283,050 payday. Joao Simao finished as the runner-up, pocketing $177,600.

Event #2: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em saw Shannon Shorr claim his third PGT title and a handsome $297,500. Joe Serock finished second, adding another impressive result to his poker resume.

But Event #3: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em delivered one of the most unforgettable moments of the series so far. Brandon Wilson, a rising star in the U.S. poker scene, pulled off an incredible comeback, turning a near-hopeless situation into a victory for the ages. Down to just three big blinds left at one stage on the final table, he looked down at in the big blind and flopped a flush that reignited his tournament hopes. Wilson rode that wave of momentum all the way to victory, claiming his first-ever PGT title and a hefty $297,500 payday after defeating Landon Tice in heads-up play. Tice collected $184,450 as the runner-up.

But Wilson wasn’t done making headlines. Less than 24 hours later, he took down Event #4: $10,100 No-Limit Hold’em for his second consecutive PGT title and a $285,000 payday. This time, he made a gutsy hero call to defeat 2024 PGT leaderboard leader Jeremy Ausmus in the final showdown. Ausmus finished second, taking home $176,700.

Wilson’s back-to-back wins have launched him to the top of the PGT Last Chance series leaderboard, practically guaranteeing him a seat in the PGT Championship. Event #2 champion Shannon Shorr now sits in second place. With only two events left, the race for those coveted championship berths is heating up!

PokerStars Launches New Tour, PokerGO Acquires PokerGFX

In other poker news, PokerStars is shaking things up by uniting regional tours like the UKIPT and Eureka Poker Tour under the new PokerStars Open banner in 2025. With six stops planned, including exciting new destinations like Campione, Dublin, and Cannes, the series will feature €1,100/£1,100 Main Events with €1 Million/£1 Million prize pool guarantees. Linked to iconic EPT stops, the PSO promises packed schedules, accessible qualifiers, and unforgettable poker experiences for both recreational and professional players.

In another bold move, PokerGO has acquired PokerGFX, the leading provider of real-time poker graphics. This acquisition will enhance broadcasts of the PGT, WSOP live streams on PokerGO, and studio events, ensuring smoother live stats, sharper visuals, and even more innovation in poker entertainment. PokerGO continues to solidify its position as the premier destination for immersive poker content.

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