This Week in Poker: January 5 – 11

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 circuit. Here are this week’s top stories!

We are nearing the midway mark for January, and so far, it’s been an action-packed month for online poker, thanks to the PokerBaazi Classics.

The year’s first mega-series had a plethora of big guaranteed tourneys, and unsurprisingly, this week’s “PokerGuru Star of the Week!” is the fifth Game Changer champion Sonu Shejpal! The relatively lesser-known players barged into the spotlight after overcoming a 3,870-strong entry field to capture a personal-best ₹25.45 Lakhs! He cut a four-way deal with Akshay Joshi (2nd for ₹20.34 Lakhs), Avish Sharma (3rd for ₹19.40 Lakhs), and Shivam Khandelwal (4th for ₹18.35 Lakhs), all of them featuring among the week`s chartbusters.

Young Gun Anuj Yadav, Siddharth Gangwar, and Vinayak Bajaj were the other top scorers of the week.

Even with the PokerBaazi Classics now in the rear-view mirror, players have much to look forward to throughout January, starting with PokerStars India’s Winter Series that went underway on January 11 and will run until January 16. On the heels of the Winter Series comes the 12th edition of Spartan Poker’s IOPC that will take the virtual felts by storm from January 20. In all, it’s going to be an exhilarating month for online poker!

Adding to the excitement is the brand-new MPL Poker Showdown – a ₹15 Lakhs guaranteed event with 30 celebrities going head-to-head for five rounds of poker starting today at 8 PM. A sixth-round open to MPL Poker will also take place. Don`t forget to tune in to watch the live-streamed action on FilterCopy (YouTube) and across our social media channels.

Moving over to the promotional announcements, IndiaPlays has two free-buy tournaments scheduled this month. For a minimum deposit of ₹500 using the deposit code DEP50K, players can win tickets to both the ₹50K GTD Free-buy tournaments scheduled on January 15 and 29.

In other news, Abhinav Iyer was named the 2021 GPI India Player of the Year for a second consecutive time. Ali Imsirovic won the overall 2021 POY title, while Nadya Magnus (female POY) and David Mzareulov (first-ever Mid-Stakes GPI POY) won the other POY titles.

After a year that saw the online gaming industry rejoicing and then despairing over the slew of online gaming bans, comes more disturbing news from Tamil Nadu. CM MK Stalin on January 7 said that the government would be altogether banning online gaming in the state soon.

In one of the first major collaborations of the year, well-known poker operator Vikram Kumar joined hands with high stakes cash game player & former Rockets Poker Room (Bengaluru) operator Santosh Suvarna to begin poker operations in the Cadillac Casino at DoubleTree by Hilton, Goa.

The only listed Indian company in the casino business, Delta Corp., is reportedly exploring an IPO to expand its online gaming business. The company posted impressive Q3 results, reporting a robust ₹70 Crores in profits on the back of strong growth in its core casino business.

Online Railbird Report

In a week dominated by PokerBaazi’s inaugural ‘PokerBaazi Classics,’ Sonu Shejpal walked away with the single-biggest paycheque. On Sunday, Shejpal trounced a 3,870-strong entry field in the ₹2 Crores GTD PBC#15 Game Changer, eventually agreeing to a four-way deal. Emerging as the fifth Game Changer champion, Shejpal pocketed a career-best ₹25.45 Lakhs payday, also becoming our “PokerGuru Star of the Week!”

Akshay Joshi placed runner-up in the Game Changer, banking a personal-best ₹20.34 Lakhs.

The former BSS SuperStack champion Avish Sharma placed third in the ₹2 Crores GTD PBC#15 Game Changer for ₹19.40 Lakhs.

Shivam Khandelwal was the fourth player who pocketed a seven-figure payday in PBC#15 Game Changer, earning ₹18.35 Lakhs, courtesy of the four-way deal.

The three-time The Millionaire champion Young Gun Anuj Yadav had another smashing week. Yadav’s exploits include finishing fifth in the PBC#15 Game Changer for ₹9.18 Lakhs and winning the Super Highroller for ₹2.83 Lakhs. He added ₹14.60 Lakhs to his tally.

His top finishes include:

> 5th in PokerBaazi`s PBC#15 Game Changer for ₹9.18 Lakhs

> 1st in PokerStars India`s Super Highroller for ₹2.83 Lakhs

> 7th in Adda52 Millions for ₹87,900

Siddharth Gangwar went on a rampage, earning over ₹13.93 Lakhs.

His top finishes include:

> 2nd in Spartan Poker`s Sunday Superstack for ₹6.23 Lakhs

> 4th in PokerBaazi`s PBC #8 The Summit for ₹2.83 Lakhs

> 2nd in Spartan Poker`s ReCharge for ₹1.24 Lakhs

Vinayak Bajaj cumulatively added ₹13.39 Lakhs this week, headlined by his victory run in PBC #10 Weekly Highroller and Godfather.

His top finishes include:

> 1st in PokerBaazi`s PBC #10 Weekly Highroller for ₹6.28 Lakhs

> 1st in Adda52`s Godfather for ₹5.89 Lakhs

Manish Lakhotia (Weekly winnings – ₹12.13 Lakhs, Siddhanth Kripalani (Weekly winnings – ₹9.94 Lakhs, PokerGuru Ambassador Arjanveer Singh Chadha (Weekly winnings – ₹8.73 Lakhs) and Young Gun Gaurav Sood (Weekly winnings – ₹8.59 Lakhs) were the other top scorers.

Notable Winners of the Week

MPL Poker Showdown With ₹15 Lakhs in Cash Prizes Starts Today!

MPL Poker has come out with the perfect mix of glitz, glamor & entertainment in the electrifying new MPL Poker Showdown. The live-streamed extravaganza features an eclectic lineup of 30 celebrities who will compete over five rounds of poker for a share of the ₹15 Lakhs prize pool. There will be a sixth-round open to MPL Poker, selected through a leaderboard promotion (January 10 – 30).

The excitement starts on January 12 and will continue until March 9. You can watch the live stream (on delay) on the FilterCopy YouTube channel or across our social media channels.

Read the complete report here

Deposit ₹500 to Win Tickets to Two ₹50K GTD Free-buy Tournaments on IndiaPlays

Interested in free money?! Deposit a minimum of ₹500 on IndiaPlays using the deposit code DEP50K to receive tickets to two ₹50K GTD Free-buy tournaments on the site scheduled to start at 8 PM on January 15 and 29, respectively.

Read the complete report here

Abhinav Iyer Names GPI POY India For The Second Consecutive Time; Ali Imsirovic, Nadya Magnus & David Mzareulov Wing Other POY Titles

The 2019 GPI POY India WSOP bracelet winner Abhinav Iyer successfully defended his Global Poker Index Player of the Year India title for a second consecutive time.

The 2021 PokerGO Tour Player of the Year Ali Imsirovic claimed the bragging rights of topping the overall 2021 GPI POY standings. Two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Nadya Magnus won the female POY title, while David Mzareulov was announced as the first-ever Mid-Stakes GPI POY winner.

Read the complete report here

Vikram Kumar & Santosh Suvarna Join Cadillac Casino Goa

The long-time industry veteran Vikram Kumar has partnered with high stakes cash game player & former Rockets Poker Room (Bengaluru) operator Santosh Suvarna to start poker operations in the Cadillac Casino at DoubleTree by Hilton, Goa.

Read the complete report here

Delta Corp Reports Steep Rise in Q3 Profit, Exploring Public Issue of Online Gaming Arm

On Tuesday, casino and hospitality giant Delta Corp reported a blockbuster Q3 result, announcing a significant rise in profits in the financial quarter ending December 2021.

According to the regulatory filings, the company is also considering an IPO of its wholly-owned subsidiary Gaussian Networks (GNPL) that owns and operates its online skill gaming businesses like Adda52 and Adda52Rummy.

Read the complete report here

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