This Week in Poker: May 17 – 23

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 week was abuzz with intense activity in the live international tournament sphere, paralleled by PokerBaazi’s Baazi Turbo Series 4.0 and Adda52’s Nano Poker Series (NPS) domestically.

Our spotlight shines on Dubai-based Indian pro, Santhosh Suvarna, who’s making waves at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in Cyprus. Suvarna clinched his fifth cash at the series, pocketing a hefty $376,000 cheque. His consistent high performance earns him our “PokerGuru Star of the Week” for the second week running!

In the South-Asian arena, Indian players have been turning heads at the 2023 WPT Prime Vietnam. The team has scored thirty two cashes, including seventeen final table finishes and two notable victories by Avneesh Munjal (Won WPT Opener for VN₫ 770 Million) and Amit Kaushik (Won 8 Max Main Event Warm Up for VN₫ 1.006 Billion), each clinching a prestigious WPT trophy.

On the virtual tables, ‘tanmaylodha’ reigned supreme in The MoneyMaker 35.0, raking in an impressive ₹13.20 Lakhs. Ankit Jajodia, however, stole the show with an outstanding ₹14.75 Lakhs earnings via a winning streak that included a standout victory in Adda52’s The Ballers, contributing ₹4.43 Lakhs to his total.

Vaibhav Sharma, the two-time POY, Young Gun Gaurav Sood, Vinayak Bajaj, Anurag Srivastava, Ankit Wadhawan, Satyam Verma, Shashank Shekhar, Sankalp Marwah, Arjanveer Singh Chadha, Karan Malhotra, and Gaurav Bhandari, were the other top scorers of the week.

There has been a lull in online action this week, but from June 1, things will get crazy as Spartan Poker launches the 15th edition of the India Online Poker Championship, promising ₹47 Crores in guaranteed prizes!

Get ready for more excitement as MPL Poker extends its Cash Bash event until May 29, offering an extraordinary 67% Rakeback. With individual leaderboards for NLH and PLO players, the Cash Bash Extended ramps up the total rakeback to an astounding ₹20 Lakhs! Keep the thrill alive with this phenomenal offer.

Prepare to raise your game as PokerStars India is all set to dazzle with a staggering ₹2.50 Crores in prizes and an impressive up to 60% rakeback. Polish your poker tactics for an enticing array of Daily Cash Game Leaderboards, Rakeback Challenges, Star Rewards, and tempting Deposit Offers!

PokerMatch India unveiled its latest promotion, ‘Combomania,’ on May 22, and is slated to run till June 19. Engage in the Boost Hold ’em cash game tables for an opportunity to seize daily prizes and stand a chance to win a whopping grand prize of $5,000.

In an important update, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has released new guidelines (Circular No. 5, dated 22.5.2023) regarding Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) on online gaming earnings. As of this financial year, winnings above ₹100 will incur TDS deductions, executed directly by gaming platforms, to bolster transparency and fairness in online gaming.

If industry bodies fail to establish a Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) by the July 6 deadline, the Union Government is prepared to intervene. Disagreements over the SRO’s constitution, structure, and representative selection have slowed progress. Forming an SRO is vital for regulating India’s online gaming sector, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) remains committed to eliminating any regulatory obstacles in this rapidly growing industry.

Online Railbird Report

The Ballers champion Ankit Jajodia emerged as the week’s top scorer across the online tournament action. Jajodia made multiple deep finishes, adding a whopping ₹14.75 Lakhs to his kitty.

His top finishes include:

> 1st in Adda52’s The Ballers for ₹4,43,457 Lakhs

> 3rd in PokerBaazi’s BTS#25 Thursday Prime for ₹1,67,701 Lakhs

> 5th in Spartan Poker’s Wednesday High Roller (6-Max) for ₹1,38,600 Lakhs

> 2nd in PokerBaazi’s Daily Value Boost for ₹1,11,305 Lakhs

> 5th in Adda52’s The Min for ₹72,800 Lakhs

Vaibhav Sharma collected The Godfather title, besides making three other FT appearances, all for ₹13.50 Lakhs in weekly cashes.

His top finishes include:

> 1st in Adda52’s Godfather for ₹6,12,500

> 6th in PokerBaazi’s BTS#30 HighRoller for ₹1,97,750

> 5th in PokerBaazi’s WTF for ₹1,33,200

> 3rd in PokerBaazi’s BTS#42 After Party for ₹99,330

Young Gun Gaurav Sood is strongly positioned for claiming his third annual POY title. This week Sood almost won The MoneyMaker 35.0, finishing runner-up instead for ₹8.10 Lakhs. Sood’s tally for the week amounted to ₹11.33 Lakhs.

His top finishes include:

> 2nd in PokerBaazi’s The MoneyMaker for ₹8,10,000

> 2nd in Spartan Poker’s Wednesday High Roller for ₹1,08,000

Vinayak Bajaj added the coveted BTS#40 Main Event to his scorecard, netting seven-figure winnings of ₹11.13 Lakhs through the week.

His top finishes include:

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s BTS#40 Main Event for ₹6,29,426

> 4th in Adda52’s Maverick for ₹1,12,500

Anurag Srivastava was another reg who locked up seven-figure winnings of ₹10.26 Lakhs.

His top finishes include:

> 1st in Spartan Poker’s Tuesday High Roller for ₹3,36,543

> 4th in PokerStars India’s Bounty Builder HR for ₹1,01,590

> 3rd in Adda52’s Godfather for ₹2,50,000

Ankit Wadhawan, Satyam Verma, Shashank Shekhar, Sankalp Marwah, Arjanveer Singh Chadha, Karan Malhotra and Gaurav Bhandari were the other top scorers of the week.

Notable Winners of the Week

MPL Poker’s Cash Bash Extended Offers a Whopping ₹20 Lakhs in Rakeback Until May 29

MPL Poker has decided to prolong the thrill of its Cash Bash promotion, extending it till May 29. The adrenaline rush continues in the Cash Bash Extended, with an outstanding 67% Rakeback offer. An even more exciting development is the introduction of two separate leaderboards for NLH and PLO players, enhancing the total rakeback to a staggering ₹20 Lakhs!

Read the complete report here

PokerStars India Rolls Out ₹2.5 Crores in Giveaways and Up to 60% Rakeback

As the summer heat intensifies, PokerStars India is all set to raise the stakes with a striking offer of ₹2.50 Crores in giveaways and a generous rakeback of up to 60%. Gear up your poker skills for an enticing array of Daily Cash Game Leaderboards, Rakeback Challenges, Star Rewards, and enticing Deposit Offers!

Read the complete report here

Enter ‘Combomania’ by PokerMatch India and Battle for ₹23 Lakhs in Prizes on Hold’em Boost Cash Tables (May 22 to June 19)

PokerMatch India has recently unveiled its latest promotion, ‘Combomania,’ scheduled to run from May 22 to June 19. By competing at the Boost Hold ’em cash game tables, you could seize daily rewards and potentially secure a grand prize of $5,000.

Read the complete report here

Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Cyprus Updates

The Triton Poker Super High Roller Series made its thrilling fourth pitstop of the year with the 2023 Triton Poker SHRS Cyprus, commencing with grandeur at the plush Merit Royal Diamond Hotel, Kyrenia, Northern Cyprus, on May 10. This extravaganza includes 17 action-packed tournaments on the roster, and already, 13 champions have claimed their crowns.

Maintaining his commendable streak in the series, India’s Santhosh Suvarna, the former operator of Rockets Poker Room, reported his fifth score of the series. The Event #1: $25K NLH GG Super Millions Live champion was a whisker away from capturing his second title of the series. Suvarna came in second in Event #12: $50K NLH GG 8-Handed Turbo, walking away with $376,000 and earning himself the “PokerGuru Star of the Week!” accolade for the second consecutive week.

Meanwhile, Danny Tang championed Event #12, netting $545,000 – marking his second Triton title.

Read the complete report here

Emerging as the most triumphant in the series so far is Ramin Hajiyev, a businessman with a background in professional tennis and not professional poker. Hajiyev won Event #9: $200K NLH Luxon Invitational for $4,122,554 and the glistening Triton Poker trophy. A heads-up deal saw Tobias Duthweiler banking an equally impressive $3,606,446 as the runner-up.

Read the complete report here

While GGPoker Ambassador Jason Koon, seized victory in Event #11: $100K NLH Main Event, walking away with a staggering $2,451,082. He defeated Canadian pro Sam Greenwood, who took second place with $1,923,918, in a gripping heads-up showdown.

Read the complete report here

Triton Poker co-founder Richard Yong triumphed in the series’ first short-deck event, Event #15 – $25,000 Short Deck Ante-Only where he overcame a field of 38 entries to capture his career-second Triton trophy and a $323,000 payday.

Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Cyprus Winners So Far

WPT Prime Vietnam Updates

The 2023 World Poker Tour Prime Vietnam, the seventh WPT Prime stop of Season XXI, is currently underway at the prestigious Crown Poker Club in Hanoi from Tuesday, May 16. This 38-tournament festival boasts guaranteed prize pools totalling VN₫ 30 Billion (~$ 1.28 Million) and is scheduled to run until May 29.

A significant Indian contingent is currently participating in the series, and they have already achieved 23 cashes, including 13 finishes at the Final Table and a title victory.

The team scored its first win on Thursday, with Mumbai-based poker pro Avneesh Munjal topping a field of 510 entrants in the VN₫ 2 Billion Guaranteed WPT Opener for VN₫ 770 Million. Ta Nhat Vu placed runner-up for VN₫ 540 Million.

Read the complete report here

Munjal has scored in two more events – VN₫ 3 Billion GTD Event #6: Mystery Bounty (36th for VN₫ 40.50 Million) and VN₫ 6.60 Million Event #12: Bounty Event (15th for VN₫ 10.50 Million), banking VN₫ 811 Million (~$34,547) in the series so far.

Winning India its second trophy was Amit Kaushik who took down the VN₫ 2 Billion GTD 8 Max Main Event Warm Up for his maiden WPT trophy and VN₫ 1.006 Billion.

Vietnam’s Minh Duc Phan gave up his massive heads-up chip lead in favor of a bigger ICM payout, securing VN₫ 1.212 Billion in second place in the 8 Max Main Event Warm Up.

Apart from Kaushik another 11 Indians cashed the Main Event Warm Up with Ashish Munot (3rd for VN₫ 650 Million) and Siddharth Jolly (8th for VN₫ 165.05 Million) posting FT finishes.

India’s Romit Advani earned his third series score in the VN₫ 3.30 Million Hyper Turbo NLH, placing 13th for VN₫ 7.50 Million.

Read the complete report here

Other big Indian winners include the country’s first solo WSOP bracelet winner, Abhinav Iyer, who opened his series scorecard in VN₫ 77 Million Event #15: Megastack Single Day High Roller, placing seventh for VN₫ 250 Million.

His compatriot, Abhishek Jalan, also made it to the final table in Event #15, finishing ninth for VN₫ 198 Million.

Read the complete report here

Dhaval Mudgal is leading the pack among Indian competitors in the series so far, with the highest number of cashes. He has crossed the money line in five events, including reaching the final table thrice. His notable performances include Event #3: Deepstack NLH (2th for VN₫ 49.25 Million), Event #10: Deepstack Cheap Freeze (4th for VN₫ 23.40 Million), Event #7: Megastack NLH (9th for VN₫ 14.38 Million), Event #14: Superstack (16th for VN₫ 16.20 Million), and Main Event Warm Up (10th for VN₫ 129 Million) collectively winning VN₫ 232 Million.

Team India Scores at WPT Prime Vietnam So Far

Thus far, the WPT Prime Vietnam has witnessed the crowning of 25 winners in the series. Topping the list is Vietnam’s Trung Toan Chan, who emerged victorious in Event #9: Billionaire Club High Stakes Challenge, bagging an impressive VN₫ 2.415 Billion. He successfully overcame Australia’s Anton Lu in a heads-up duel, who finished second with a hefty VN₫ 1.610 Billion.

Read the complete report here

Adding to the roster of significant winners is China’s Yun Zhang, who clinched the top spot in Event #15: Megastack Single Day High Roller following an ICM chop with Vietnam’s Huu Tuan Nguyen, who took the second spot and secured VN₫ 1.375 Billion.

Read the complete report here

WPT Prime Vietnam Winners So Far

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