This Week in Poker: January 4 – 10

TWIP Cover 11-1-23
  • Profile picture
  • RUPAM THAKUR January 11, 2023
  • 7 Minutes Read

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!

 

It`s been a busy start to 2023, thanks to PokerBaazi’s 1000X Series 2.0 and PokerStars India’s Winter Series 5.0.

The year’s first mega-series dished out massive cash prizes, and unsurprisingly, this week’s “PokerGuru Star of the Week!” is the 1000X Main Event champion Young Gun Gaurav Sood. The two-time POY winner thrashed out ₹18.02 Lakhs in weekly winnings (including two titles), asserting himself as a strong contender for the 2023 POY title.

Vishal Bajaj, Young Gun Sanat Mehrotra, Tarush Gupta, and Himanshu Arora were the week`s other top online scorers.

Breaking away from the online domain, Indians continued their domination in Vietnam by reeling in breakout scores in the ongoing WPC Loyal Hanoi! The country’s most respected poker stalwart Aditya Agarwal found early success in the series by finishing fourth in the WPC Kick-Off for a hefty VN₫ 225 Million!

Amit Kaushik (three ITM finishes), Jasven Saigal (two ITM finishes), Rahul Melwani, Yash Khandelwal, Anshul Rajput, and Akshay Nasa are some other Indian players to have notched up scores in WPC Loyal Hanoi.

Moving over to the promotional announcements, Eastern Europe’s leading online poker room, PokerMatch, recently launched in India as PokerMatch India. And they announced their entry into the country with a bang by joining hands with the world’s first professional Match Poker league, Match IPL, and are the title sponsors for Season 5 of the MIPL.

PokerStars India is currently hosting its first flagship MTT festival of 2023 – the Winter Series. The popular series returned for its fifth & biggest-ever edition on January 5 and runs till January 15, guaranteed over ₹3 Crores in cash prizes across 59 tournaments.

IndiaPlays’ brand-new ₹15 Lakhs GTD Resolution Series is also off the mark. The one-of-a-kind series promises unmatched value for all 14 tournaments on the schedule are RAKE-FREE. The series will run until January 18.

In other news, Global Poker Index (GPI) unveiled the GPI Player of the Year (POY) winners of 2022, ranking the top-ranked players across 79 countries. Ankit Ahuja (2,140.10 points) topped the 2022 GPI India POY rankings, followed by bracelet winners Abhinav Iyer (2,107.33 points) & Kartik Ved (2,107.33 points).

Stephen Song (3,543 points) won the 2022 GPI POY title while also topping the GPI Mid-Major rankings (2,580 points). Cherish Andrews (2,835 points) bested a fiercely contested race against Angela Jordison (2,612 points) to bag the 2022 GPI Female POY title.

The Union Minister of State (MeitY), Rajeev Chandrasekhar, disclosed last Thursday that the draft rules for online gaming released by MeitY earlier this week would be discussed with relevant stakeholders to get their input starting this week.

In an inexplicably refreshing development, the Chhattisgarh government passed the Chhattisgarh Gambling (Prohibition) Bill 2022, banning online gambling and betting but exempting games of skill such as poker, rummy, and fantasy sports.

A few weeks after releasing the schedule for the first quarter of the 2023 PokerGO Tour (PGT) season, PokerGO released an official statement announcing that is doubling up the prize pool for the 2023 season-ending extravaganza, the PGT Championship, offering a whopping $1 Million in freeroll guarantees.

Online Railbird Report

Young Gun Gaurav Sood was the week’s top scorer, making him our “PokerGuru Star of the Week.” The two-time POY winner thrashed out ₹18.02 Lakhs in weekly winnings (including two titles), asserting himself as a strong contender for the 2023 POY title. His best finish was conquering PokerBaazi’s ₹50 Lakhs GTD 1000X#32 Main Event for ₹7.89 Lakhs.

Gaurav Sood
Gaurav Sood

 

His top finishes include:

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s 1000X#32 Main Event for ₹7,89,096

> 1st in Adda52’s The Ballers for ₹5,76,290

> 6th in Spartan Poker’s Thursday High Roller (6-Max) for ₹1,51,200

 

Another top poker talent, Vishal Bajaj, added a hefty ₹17.67 Lakhs to his weekly tally, including two titles. The 26-year-old MTT phenom picked up scores across sites and won Spartan Poker’s Sunday Superstack for the third time for ₹8.98 Lakhs.

Vishal Bajaj
Vishal Bajaj

 

His top finishes include:

> 1st in Spartan Poker’s Sunday Superstack for ₹8,98,240

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s The Weekly HighRoller for ₹4,00,619

> 4th in Adda52’s Godfather for ₹1,89,750

> 7th in Spartan Poker’s Thursday High Roller (6-Max) for ₹1,19,700

 

Several top pros won two tournaments this past week, and one of them was Young Gun Sanat Mehrotra. He added ₹16.82 Lakhs on the back of two standout scores and a litany of deep runs.

Sanat Mehrotra
Sanat Mehrotra

 

His top finishes include:

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s BSS HighRoller for ₹4,91,300

> 1st in Spartan Poker’s Wednesday High Roller (6-Max) for ₹4,39,090

> 2nd in PokerStars India’s Winter Series-02 [High Roller], 6-Max for ₹3,55,766

 

Tarush Gupta walked away with the week`s single-biggest paycheque, winning the ₹50 Lakhs GTD Adda52 Big Game for ₹16.25 Lakhs.

Tarush Gupta
Tarush Gupta

 

His top finishes include:

> 1st in Adda52’s Big Game for ₹16,25,000

 

The first The MoneyMaker champion of the year, Himanshu Arora, lapped up ₹11.79 Lakhs across his weekly run.

Himanshu Arora
Himanshu Arora

 

His top finishes include:

> 2nd in Spartan Poker’s Tuesday High Roller (6-Max) for ₹2,89,000

> 3rd in PokerStars India’s Winter Series-21 [Sunday High Roller], 6-Max for ₹2,52,144

> 3rd in PokerBaazi’s The Summit for ₹2,44,673

> 8th in PokerBaazi’s BSS HighRoller for ₹1,06,930

> 4th in Adda52’s Sunday Showdown for ₹84,556

 

Vinay Rajpal, Avneesh Munjal, Rising Star Ritwik Khanna, Pradip Ghosh, Goonjan Mall, Ashutosh Balodhi, and Akhilendra Chauhan were the week`s other top online scorers.

Notable Winners of the Week

PlayerPrize AmountEventPoker Site
Tarush Gupta₹16.25 LakhsAdda52 Big Game ₹50 Lakhs GTD
Adda52
Vishal Bajaj
₹8.98 LakhsSunday Superstack ₹35 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Gaurav Sood₹7.89 Lakhs1000X#32 Main Event ₹50 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Anuj Yadav
₹6.71 LakhsThe Elite (6-Max) ₹30 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Aayush Arya
₹6.61 LakhsThursday High Roller (6 Max) ₹25 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Gaurav Sood₹5.76 LakhsThe Ballers ₹20 Lakhs GTD
Adda52
Neel Joshi
₹5.24 Lakhs(7-Max) BSS Championship ₹35 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Rajneesh Thakur
₹4.97 Lakhs1000X#16 Mini Main Event ₹35 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Ashutosh Balodhi
₹4.94 LakhsUltron ₹20 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Sanat Mehrotra₹4.91 LakhsBSS HighRoller ₹20 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Nitin Rawat
₹4.90 LakhsGodfather ₹25 Lakhs GTD
Adda52
Pradip Ghosh₹4.89 Lakhs1000X#24 Friday Prime ₹35 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Vinay Rajpal₹4.82 LakhsWinter Series-02 [High Roller] ₹25 Lakhs GTD
PokerStars India
Vinay Rajpal₹4.63 LakhsWinter Series-21 [Sunday High Roller - Boosted GTD] (6-Max) ₹20 Lakhs GTD
PokerStars India
Sanat Mehtora
₹4.39 LakhsWednesday High Roller ₹20 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Ritwik Khanna₹4.28 LakhsTuesday High Roller ₹15 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Rishabh Gupta₹4.12 LakhsThe Summit ₹20 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Vishal Bajaj₹4.01 LakhsThe Weekly HighRoller ₹12 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Anmol Mehta
₹3.95 LakhsArmageddon ₹15 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Raghav Bansal₹3.94 LakhsDeepStack Turbo ₹15 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
“Sahni1509”
₹3.66 LakhsWinter Series-20 [Mini Main] ₹25 Lakhs GTD
PokerStars India
Uttam Gope
₹3.25 Lakhs1000X#20 Thursday Prime ₹30 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Buhr Advirkar₹3.19 LakhsDestiny 25.0 ₹25 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Vikram Mishra
₹3.13 LakhsThe Endeavour ₹20 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Sunil Arora₹3.03 LakhsThe Mint ₹14 Lakhs GTD
Adda52
“ridsofthrstorm”
₹3.03 LakhsMaverick ₹15 Lakhs GTD
Adda52
Suraj N Yadav
₹3.01 LakhsMega Stack (IOPC Bubble) ₹17 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Pradip Ghosh
₹2.93 LakhsThe Pride ₹15 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Gokul Raj₹2.91 LakhsWinter Series-08 [Uppercut] ₹15 Lakhs GTD
PokerStars India
Faiz Alam₹2.54 Lakhs1000X#33 MegaStack ₹15 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Karan Radia
₹2 LakhsIron Man ₹8 Lakhs GTD
Adda52
Parag Shah₹1.97 Lakhs(7-Max) SPRINT ₹12 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Ashit Sharma₹1.90 LakhsWinter Series 26 [6-Max, Deep] ₹10 Lakhs GTD
PokerStars India
Anuj Yadav
₹1.85 LakhsDaily Value Boost ₹10 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Adarsh Jha
₹1.76 LakhsThe Big Show ₹10 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Shrvan Amlekar₹1.66 Lakhs1000X#34 AfterParty ₹10 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
“Giraldik”
₹1.56 LakhsFuturistic ₹8 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Anshul Bagai₹1.46 Lakhs1000X#21 ₹9 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
“mangubansal”₹1.31 LakhsDaily Value Boost ₹10 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Sanjay Khanna₹1.31 Lakhs1000X#17 ₹5 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Pratibh Saluja₹2.28 LakhsThe Rainmaker ₹10 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Abhijeet Kumar₹1.26 LakhsWinter Series-04 [Uppercut Mini] ₹5 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
Ujjwal Narwal
₹1.24 LakhsMaster Minds [8-Max] ₹6 Lakhs GTD
PokerStars India
Karan Thakker₹1.20 LakhsMoney Heist ₹8 Lakhs GTD
Spartan Poker
Abilash Bala₹1.08 Lakhs(7-Max) Afternoon Boost – ₹5 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Allen Romeo₹1.04 Lakhs1000X#19 ₹7.5 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Akhand Shukla
₹1.04 LakhsWinter Series-10 [Battle Royale] ₹5 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
“classic2908”
₹1.02 LakhsEliminator [8-Max] ₹5 Lakhs GTD
PokerStars India
“RageAce”₹1.01 Lakhs1000X#15 ₹10 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
“princelorenzo90”
₹1.01 Lakhs1000X#14 ₹7 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Gurpal Singh
₹1.01 Lakhs(7-Max) SPRINT ₹5 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
“manish jangid”₹1.01 LakhsWinter Series-28 [The Classic] ₹5 Lakhs GTD
PokerStars India
“VikramJaiswal7”
₹99K1000X#25 ₹8 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Kamal Joshi
₹90K1000X#23 ₹7 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Kritagya Sharma₹86K(7-Max) Afternoon Boost ₹5 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Ankit Jajodia
₹81K(7-Max) Daily SPRINT ₹5 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Aman Parakh₹75K(7-Max) Daily SPRINT ₹5 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
“Seedhemautt”₹69K1000X#18 ₹5 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Sanchit Anand
₹68K(7-Max) Daily SPRINT ₹5 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi
Pranay Chaudhry
₹55K(7-Max) Daily SPRINT ₹5 Lakhs GTD
PokerBaazi

 

Eastern Europe’s Leading Online Poker Room PokerMatch Launches in India; Becomes the Title Sponsor of MIPL Season 5

Eastern Europe’s leading online poker room, PokerMatch, has launched in India as PokerMatch India.

Eastern Europe’s Biggest Gaming Platform PokerMatch Makes its India Debut
Eastern Europe’s Biggest Gaming Platform PokerMatch Launches in India With Playtech

 

Read the complete report here.

Announcing its entry into the country with a bang, PokerMatch joined hands with the world’s first professional Match Poker league, Match IPL, becoming the title sponsor for Season 5 of the MIPL.

Standing by its promise of offering the best experience to players, PokerMatch India has been awarding free entry tickets into the prestigious Match IPL. Join the daily qualifiers running on the site until January 15 with 12 seats to Match IPL Season 5 up for grabs.

PokerMatch India Makes a Splash in the Indian Poker Scene
PokerMatch India Makes a Splash in the Indian Poker Scene

 

Read the complete report here.

 

Rake-Free 15 Lakhs GTD Resolution Series Kicks Off on IndiaPlays (January 10 – 18)

IndiaPlays raised the bar by announcing the ₹15 Lakhs GTD Resolution Series – which has all 14 tournaments on the schedule entirely rake-free. The series runs from January 10 until January 18 and offers a mix of Texas Hold’em, PLO6 & Bounty tournaments.

IndiaPlays - Resolution Series
IndiaPlays – Resolution Series

 

Read the complete report here.

 

2023 WPC Loyal Hanoi Updates

Sounding off the live tournament action in Asia was the World Poker Championship (WPC) Loyal Hanoi, which got underway at the Grand Loyal Poker Club on January 3. With a combined prize pool guarantee of $1 Million, this is the biggest-ever live poker festival held in Vietnam, and the action continues till January 15.

Vietnamese players have been a formidable force in the series, taking down several headliner tournaments. Do Anh Tai was one of them, and he tamed a guarantee-crushing field in the series-opener Event#1: Kick-Off, striking a heads-up deal with American pro Peter Kiem to win the trophy. Both players locked in an equal VN₫ 565 Million payday.

Do Anh Tai
Do Anh Tai

 

The Indian contingent is already off to a solid start in the series, with the country’s most renowned poker stalwart, Aditya Agarwal, finishing fourth in the WPC Kick-Off for a hefty VN₫ 225 Million.

Aditya Agarwal
Aditya Agarwal

 

There is a title sweat brewing for Team India in Event#15: Super High Roller, where Akshay Nasa is running hot on the final table.

Read the complete report here.

Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Que championed the WPC Loyal Hanoi VN₫ 3 Billion GTD HSOP Main Event following a heads-up deal with compatriot Dung Anh Trinh – both netting an equal VN₫ 756 Million.

Nguyen Van Que
Nguyen Van Que

 

India’s Jasven Saigal posted a 14th-place finish for VN₫ 66 Million.

Jasven Saigal
Jasven Saigal

 

Read the complete report here.

Vietnam’s Ngo Long won the WPC Loyal Hanoi Event #13: Mystery Bounty for VN₫ 479 Million after defeating fellow countryman Dinh Van Tien heads-up.

Ngo Long
Ngo Long

 

Three Indians, Jasven Saigal (19th for VN₫ 24 Million), Rahul Melwani (20th for VN₫ 24 Million), and Akshay Nasa (35th for VN₫ 15 Million), made ITM finishes in the Mystery Bounty.

The series showstopper, VN₫ 10 Billion GTD WPC Loyal Hanoi Main Event, is currently running its second starting flight.

Read the complete report here.

 

Team India Scores in the WPC Loyal Hanoi

RankPlayerEventPrize Amount
4thAditya AgarwalEvent #1: Kick OffVN₫ 225 Million
14thJasven SaigalHSOP Main EventVN₫ 66 Million
18thAmit KaushikEvent #1: Kick OffVN₫ 36 Million
19thJasven SaigalEvent #13: Mystery BountyVN₫ 24 Million
20thRahul MelwaniEvent #13: Mystery BountyVN₫ 24 Million
9thAmit KaushikEvent #7: SuperstackVN₫ 29.86 Million
5thAmit KaushikEvent #5: Bounty HunterVN₫ 22.50 Million
3rdYash KhandelwalEvent #5 Turbo EventVN₫ 21.60 Million
19thAnshul RajputEvent #11: MegastackVN₫ 20 Million
35thAkshay NasaEvent #13: Mystery BountyVN₫ 15 Million

 

List of Side Event Winners

PlayerEventPrize Amount
Yu Seung MinEvent #8: Single Day High RollerVN₫ 882 Million
Kim Gab YongSuper Star ChallengeVN₫ 861 Million
Nguyen Van QueHSOP Main EventVN₫ 756 Million
Do Anh TaiEvent #1: Kick OffVN₫ 565 Million
Tam Hoi WaiEvent #11: MegastackVN₫ 450 Million
Kim Kyoung HunEvent #7: SuperstackVN₫ 290 Million
Nguyen Manh TuEvent #2: High Roller – Single DayVN₫ 186 Million
Suk KimEvent #12: Short DeckVN₫ 104.440 Million
Ahn SungminEvent #6: Bounty HunterVN₫ 80.70 Million
Vu Thai BaoEvent #4: Deepstack FreezeoutVN₫ 67 Million
Tran Duc ChinhEvent #5: Turbo EventVN₫ 59.20 Million
Song Hyeong YuEvent #10: Hyper TurboVN₫ 52 Million
Yuta IzumiEvent #3: Hyper TurboVN₫ 36.45 Million

 

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.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Top Online Poker Rooms

Top
PokerGuru