This Week in Poker: February 5 – 11

Welcome to the 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!

The second week of February saw live poker explode across the globe! From the vibrant shores of Goa to the bustling cities of Manila and Cambodia, there was no shortage of action. Goa was the epicentre for Indian players, with the DPT Xpress drawing a massive crowd. Regulars and newcomers alike flocked to the national poker capital for six days of intense play. Meanwhile, the PokerStars Manila Super Series 21 (now concluded), the APT Manila Poker Classic and WPT Championship Cambodia attracted many of India’s top players to the international stage. Across the globe, the PokerGO Cup kicked off in Las Vegas, featuring some of the biggest names in the game. It was a week where the live poker scene truly came alive!

The virtual felts were also buzzing with their own energy. Natural8 India and PokerBaazi hosted some of the biggest tournaments, while Junglee Poker’s ₹1+ Crore Lakhpati Legends continues to offer exciting opportunities for mid-stakes grinders. Pocket52 is also keeping the tournament fires burning with over ₹5.50 Crores in guaranteed prizes this month. And the excitement is only set to escalate with PokerBaazi’s colossal ₹100 Crores GTD National Poker Series India 2025 just around the corner, promising even more epic poker battles.

Tarun Goyal Dominates the Headlines

This week’s report was initially poised to celebrate the incredible success of Indian players in live tournaments. However, a stunning online performance by one individual forced a dramatic rewrite. Tarun Goyal, the former IT professional turned poker pro, has etched his name into poker history. His late surge last year was nothing short of extraordinary, racking up an unprecedented ₹12.39 Crores in annual winnings and nearly ₹10 Crores in profit in just five months – almost entirely on Natural8 India. And after weeks of picking up small scores, Goyal unleashed a Tuesday night run for the ages, dominating the headlines with a monstrous ₹3.54 Crores haul on Natural8 India.

Goyal, who lapped up an unbelievable five eight-figure scores on Natural8 India last year, added a sixth on Tuesday. Battling an elite 1,226-entry field in the ₹10.30 Lakhs buy-in GGMillion$ Main Event, he finished eighth and pocketed a jaw-dropping ₹2.74 Crores – his second-biggest score ever, trailing only his ₹5.05 Crores mystery bounty windfall in the Mystery Millions Online 2750 in December. It also ranks as the fourth-highest online score ever achieved by an Indian player.

And the story doesn’t end there. In an almost unbelievable twist of fate, Goyal flopped a royal flush on a $100/$200 All in Or Fold PLO cash table on the same night (Tuesday), scoring an insane ₹79.83 Lakhs jackpot. With ₹3.20 Crores in total winnings this year (excluding that cash game jackpot), he has already built what seems to be an insurmountable lead in the 2025 POY race, putting firmly in the driver’s seat as he chases a repeat run for the POY crown. For this outstanding performance, Tarun Goyal is hands down our “PokerGuru Star of the Week!”

His top finishes include:

> 8th in Natural8 India’s GGMillion$ Main Event 10300 for ₹2,74,29,007

> 10th in Natural8 India’s Saturday Night Fever 2100for ₹7,25,991

While Goyal commanded the spotlight, other players also achieved impressive results online, including Mitesh Gupta, Pratik Manjrekar, ‘ayemi1122,‘ Rubin Labroo, Rishabh Gupta, Mukesh Surana, Anurag Srivastava, Anish Arora, Devvrat Singh Kaurav, Vishal Ojha, Shivam Dubey, and Aniruddha Joshi.

Notable Online Winners of the Week

DPT Xpress Wraps Up an Electrifying Run in Goa

India’s longest-running and only live poker series, the Deltin Poker Tournament (DPT), concluded its first edition of the year at Casino Deltin Royale in Goa this past Monday. The seventh edition of DPT Xpress, which has evolved from a budget-friendly series into a full-fledged poker festival, packed in ten tournaments (including an Adda52 freeroll), across six action-packed days!

The series’ headliner, the ₹30K Xpress Main Event, saw the 25-year-old Samyak Sethi topple a 340-entry field (across three flights) to win his first-ever live poker title. The primarily online MTT player pocketed a career-best ₹16.90 Lakhs and the DPT Xpress Main Event trophy. With another deep run, Sethi`s total for the series hit ₹17.06 Lakhs, making him the overall top scorer! Sudarshan Ravi, who finished runner-up in the Main Event, also notched up his biggest career payday, taking home ₹12.46 Lakhs.

The other top scorer was poker veteran Raghav Bansal, who roared back to form by conquering a 124-entry field in the ₹50K Xpress Highroller to win ₹12.81 Lakhs—picking up his fifth live title and fourth DPT trophy after almost ten months without a live score although he had decent success in big-ticket online tournaments. Rising Star Aman Parakh came close to his maiden live win but had to settle for ₹9.42 Lakhs as the runner-up, echoing his near-miss at the APT Hanoi Billions Vietnam Sunday Superstack in December 2023.

Another standout was Ridhav Chawla, who achieved a remarkable feat, winning two titles in just three days. He first took down the ₹20K Xpress NLH Bounty, outlasting a 138-entry field to win ₹3.84 Lakhs, including ₹1.05 Lakhs in bounties. Days later, he closed out the series by shipping the ₹11,500 Xpress Closure for another ₹3.24 Lakhs. This impressive double made Chawla only the fourth player in recent memory to win two titles in a single series in Goa.

DPT Xpress February 2025 Winners

Indian Contingent Roars at APT Manila Poker Classic

The Asian Poker Tour (APT) Manila Poker Classic 2025 has exploded onto the scene at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, kicking off the 2025 APT season with a bang. Hosted in partnership with Metro Card Club, this second New Era APT stop in the Philippines (following the record-breaking APT Manila 2024) is a mammoth affair, boasting a staggering 100 tournaments and a ₱143 Million (~$2.40 Million) prize pool guarantee.

With five days of action already in the books, 45 champions have been crowned, and four APT trophies (including one from an India-exclusive event) are making their way back to India. The Indian contingent has already racked up 24 cashes, proving its mettle against a tough international field.

Patni Adds Another APT Title to His Collection

Natural8 India Executive Director and Ambassador Kunal Patni added a fifth APT trophy to his impressive collection. He conquered Event #9: ₱20K Mystery Bounty Hunter – Sponsored by Natural8, battling through a field of 377 entries (154 unique). Patni pocketed ₱1.115 Million (~₹16.78 Lakhs), including ₱300,000 in bounties, along with the coveted Silver Lion Silhouette trophy, keeping his hot streak from last year burning strong!

Jaruplavath Breaks Through for His First APT Win

Live circuit veteran Raju Jaruplavath, also a martial arts expert with a black belt in Taekwondo, finally captured his first APT title in Event #1: ₱12K Philippines National Cup. He outlasted a 398-entry field in the first featured tournament of the series, walking away with ₱797,765 (~₹12.07 Lakhs) and the beautiful Gold Lion Silhouette Trophy.

Gambhir Makes a Dream APT Debut

Making his APT debut, Birangat Singh Gambhir couldn’t have asked for a better start. He took down Event #27: ₱12K Hyper Turbo, charging past the 85-entry field (77 unique) to claim ₱236,696 (~₹3.56 Lakhs).

Deshmukh’s Fairy Tale Victory

In a true underdog story, Jayant Deshmukh, a casual weekend grinder on Natural8 India, also made a fantastic debut by winning the Natural8 India APT Manila Classic – India Exclusive Tournament. This online/live hybrid event saw 283 players compete on Natural8 India, with the final eight players winning an all-expenses-paid trip to Manila for the live finale (one player was unable to attend). Deshmukh not only made it to the final table but went all the way, claiming ₹2.13 Lakhs, the APT trophy, and a free entry (worth ₹90,000) into the APT Manila Classic Main Event.

Main Event Shatters Records

With the early tournaments wrapped up, the stakes have risen as the ₱60,000 (~$1,000) buy-in Main Event is now in full swing. All four starting flights are complete, and including direct entries on Day 2, the Main Event has drawn a record-breaking 1,202 entries. This massive turnout generated a ₱62.312 Million prize pool, exceeding its ₱60 Million (~$1 Million) guarantee and setting a new record as the tour’s largest-ever field in the Philippines. A total of 377 players advanced to Day 2 from the starting flights, with 56 additional players buying in before play resumed. Among them, 17 Indian players were in the thick of the action on Day 2.

𝗔𝗣𝗧 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗹𝗮 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀
While #APTManila2024 shattered records, the #APTManilaClassic2025 has now set the record for the tour’s largest Main Event field size in the Philippines, marking a… pic.twitter.com/oN0IksHQhi

— Asian Poker Tour (@AsianPokerTour) February 12, 2025

Among those who bagged stacks, Bharath Jayaram (229,100 ~ 143 BBs), Somasekhar Sanampuri (148,000 ~ 93 BBs), WSOP bracelet winner Abhinav Iyer (124,000 ~ 78 BBs), and Rajeev Kanjani (86,700 ~ 54 BBs) advanced from Day 1A.

Raju Jaruplavath (114,100 ~ 71 BBs), PokerStars India ambassador Siddharth Karia (91,100 ~ 57 BBs), Bhavik Khatsuria (77,300 ~ 48 BBs), and Akash Malik (69,800 ~ 44 BBs) made it through from Day 1B.

Natural8 India Executive Director and Ambassador Kunal Patni (184,500 ~ 115 BBs), Ish Agarwal (153,400 ~ 96 BBs), Shiva Shenbagaraj (113,000 ~ 71 BBs), Rahul Darak (105,700 ~ 66 BBs), and Deepak Vansil (43,300 ~ 27 BBs) got through from Day 1C.

Anant Purohit, Avinash Tauro, Chirag Shah, and Rishi Mehra joined the Day 2 action directly with a 40,000 (40 BBs) starting stack.

Team India Scores at APT Manila Poker Classic

APT Manila Poker Classic 2025 List of Winners

Team India Making a Strong Showing at WPT Championship Cambodia

The World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship Cambodia 2025 is underway at NagaWorld, Phnom Penh. Kicking off on February 6, the series boasts an action-packed schedule of 63 events and a $3 Million guaranteed prize pool. Running until February 24, the series has already crowned 18 champions in its first six days.

Team India, continuing its dominant streak on the Asian live circuit, has arrived in force and has already notched up 25 cashes. Indian players have already made it to 13 final tables, with four runner-up finishes and one prestigious title victory!

Arjun Agrawal Leads the Charge

Arjun Agrawal has emerged as the lone Indian title winner so far, taking down Event #4: $1,650 Single Day Megastack Mini HR for a whopping $33,524 (~₹29.12 Lakhs) and his first-ever live title. He followed up this impressive win with another deep run in Event #12: $3,000 Single Day HR, finishing fourth for $15,646 (~₹13.59 Lakhs). With these two strong performances, Agarwal has already locked in $49,170 (~₹42.71 Lakhs) in series winnings, leading the charge for the Indian players.

Amit Kaushik’s Near Misses

While Agarwal has been the standout performer, Amit Kaushik has come close to a win on three separate occasions. The Kurukshetra-based pro, a force to be reckoned with on the South Asian live circuit, has already accumulated $37,933 (~₹32.95 Lakhs) from three final table appearances, placing him second in overall winnings among Indian players. His deep runs include a second-place finish in Event #6: $550 Deepstack Turbo 20 sec for $3,405 (~₹2.96 Lakhs), another runner-up finish in Event #9: $800 Mystery Bounty for $30,760 (~₹26.72 Lakhs), and a fourth-place run in Event #16: $1,000 Hyper Turbo 20 sec for $3,768 (~₹3.27 Lakhs).

Team India Scores at WPT Championship Cambodia

WPT Championship Cambodia List of Winners

PokerStars Manila Super Series 21 Concludes With a Flourish; Anant Acharya Wins First Spadie

The PokerStars Manila Super Series 21 wrapped up another exciting edition on February 19 at Okada Manila. This action-packed festival spanned nine days, featuring 44 tournaments and awarding over ₱21 Million in prize money. By the time the dust settled, 29 champions were crowned, with a small but mighty Indian brigade locking in nine scores, including four final table appearances and one impressive victory!

Main Event Crowns a Champion

The ₱20K Main Event was the highlight of the series, attracting 705 entries across four starting flights and easily surpassing its ₱10 Million (~$170,560) guarantee with a ₱10.936 Million (~$186,500) prize pool. Local hero Emmanuel Florendo emerged victorious, capturing his first live title and a career-best ₱2.066 Million (~$35,238), along with an APPT Main Event package worth ₱125,000. Japan’s Ko Okubo finished as the runner-up, earning ₱1.259 Million (~$21,473).

Anant Acharya Claims Maiden Spadie

The biggest success story for India came from Anant Acharya, who triumphed in Event #10: ₱12,500 Deepstack, capturing his first-ever PokerStars spadie. Acharya navigated a 134-entry field to claim his maiden live title and a personal-best ₱356,780 (~₹5.33 Lakhs). Ashley Patterson from the UK finished second, pocketing ₱223,500 (~$3,825).

Team India Scores at PokerStars Manila Super Series 21

PokerStars Manila Super Series 21 List of Winners

Tamil Nadu Introduces Strict New Gaming Regulations

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the industry, the Tamil Nadu government has introduced strict new regulations on real-money gaming, reaffirming its anti-gaming stance. After two previous attempts to ban gaming in the state failed, the government has imposed several strict restrictions, including mandatory “blank hours” prohibiting all forms of real-money gaming between 12 AM and 5 AM. Platforms must also implement strict KYC checks with Aadhaar verification, along with spending limits and real-time alerts. A total ban on minors will need to be enforced, and gaming platforms are now required to display prominent addiction warnings.

The Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (TNOGA) has been empowered to regulate, suspend, and handle grievances related to games of chance, directly impacting platforms offering poker, rummy, and fantasy sports. Industry reactions to these sweeping changes have been mixed, with some calling them arbitrary and predicting that many platforms might temporarily block players from the state to avoid the complexities of implementing these measures for a single region. Others anticipate legal challenges to these new regulations.

Ethan Klein Wins Celebrity Poker Tour Game Night V

Moving over to international news, the first Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT) event of the year in Las Vegas was a resounding success! Content creator Ethan Klein outshined a field of stars to take down Celebrity Poker Tour Game Night V, claiming the winner-takes-all $10,000 grand prize!

Poker Legend John Cernuto Passes Away

In sad news, Poker Hall of Fame nominee and legendary tournament player John ‘Miami’ Cernuto passed away at the age of 81. The former air traffic controller turned poker pro succumbed to colon cancer after a short but courageous battle. Surrounded by loved ones, Cernuto breathed his last on Monday evening, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the poker world and countless cherished memories.

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.