This Week in Poker: November 16 – 22

This Week in Poker: November 16 - 22
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  • RUPAM THAKUR November 24, 2022
  • 8 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!

 

As we near the year’s final month, the virtual felts are awakening with exciting action as Spartan Poker’s inaugural Legend Poker Series hit the floor today and will run till December 11. PokerStars India’s Bounty Builder Series November 28 to December 5, will commence next week, while Asian Poker Tour (APT) Online Series – India returns for its fifth edition from December 2 to 11 on PokerBaazi.

With the XXX Poker Series (Spartan Poker) and the Baazi Turbo Series 2.0 (PokerBaazi) culminating on Sunday and no other MTT series commencing, the action on the online felts was relatively slow this past week.

Shashank Shekhar, hunting for his maiden XXX Poker Series title, went on a tear on the final day. He clinched the XXX #75 Main Event for ₹27.35 Lakhs and XXX #74 for ₹4.63 Lakhs, netting a career-best ₹32.56 Lakhs in Sunday winnings. For his remarkable performance, Shashank Shekhar is our “PokerGuru Star of the Week!”

Ashish Munot shipped the BTS#45 Main Event for ₹11.64 Lakhs on Sunday and Spartan Poker’s Mega Stack for ₹3.48 Lakhs, banking ₹18.10 Lakhs in weekly winnings.

Young Gun Neel Joshi, Vishal Bajaj, and Goonjan Mall were the other big scorers this week.

PokerStars India is joining the sites offering mouth-watering MTT action from November to December. The India-facing arm of the online poker giant PokerStars, PokerStars India, will launch its globally popular ₹2.70+ Crores GTD Bounty Builder Series on November 29. Comprising 42 tournaments, the series will run till December 5.

While the Legend Poker Series, Bounty Builder Series, and APT Online Series 5.0 promise high-octane action for December, Gamezy’s #NoFoldNovember will close out the month in style. With 41 thrilling MTTs guaranteeing ₹76.20 Lakhs in prizes, it’s an excellent opportunity for players to build their bankrolls.

While MTT players have much to look forward to in the coming weeks, cash game lovers should not be disappointed. Pocket52’s Cash Leaderboard League promises ₹86 Lakhs in prizes across seven leaderboard races segregated according to stakes and time slots.

Meanwhile, MPL Poker, which just onboarded critically acclaimed Bollywood actor Jim Sarbh as their first celebrity brand ambassador, has been giving away ₹5 Crores in prizes through attractive MTTs and its popular Cash Bash 2.0 promotion!

Speaking of brand ambassadors, renowned poker pros Abhishek Goindi and Muskan Sethi were roped in by PokerBaazi as their latest Team Pros. The dynamic duo has joined Bollywood heartthrob Shahid Kapoor to represent India’s most trusted online poker site and the live and virtual felts.

The lone Indian (that we know of) to score on the South-Asian felts this week was Chirag Shah. He picked up three cashes in the ongoing Asian Poker Tour (APT) 2022 Philippines, namely Event #4: ₱20K Head Hunter (9th for ₱37,100), Event #17: ₱20K NLHE (7th for ₱70,800) and Event #21: ₱15,000 NLH Single Day (9th for ₱39,200).

Local player Moses Saquing championed Event #24: ₱50K Main Event for ₱4,915,100, while Christopher Mateo finished runner-up for ₱3,276,900.

In other news, the GoM, on November 22, finalized their long pending report on taxation of online gaming, casinos, and horse racing. In the meeting, the panel of state finance ministers proposed that the goods and services (GST) tax be hiked by 10% to 28%, which is the highest slab rate.

On November 16, the Madras High Court refused to grant an interim stay on the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Online Gambling and Regulation of Online Games Ordinance, 2022. The Court directed petitioners All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), PlayGames 24X7 Private Limited, and Head Digital Works Private Limited to withdraw their constitutional petitions, observing that the relief was sought even before the ordinance came into effect.

In an unprecedented move, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (WiPHoF) inducted four spectacular women, Angelica Hael, Terry King, Vanessa Selbst, and Jennifer Tilly, into the Class of 2022!

Omar Eljach championed over the record-shattering 763-entry field in Event #12: NLHE Main at the 2022 WSOP Europe, clinching his maiden gold bracelet and career-best €1.38 Million payday. Jonathan Pastore finished runner-up for €852,949.

888poker recently announced Spanish poker professional Lucia Navarro as its newest poker ambassador!

 

Online Railbird Report

The IOPC Jan 2022 – Super High Roller runner-up finisher Shashank Shekhar had one helluva week, netting 40.62 Lakhs overall. Shekhar went on a rampage in Spartan Poker’s recently concluded XXX Poker Series, posting four FT finishes this week (including two title wins). He captured two titles on Sunday, Spartan Poker’s XXX #75 Main Event (27.35 Lakhs) and XXX #74 (4.63 Lakhs). For his breakthrough run, Shekhar is our “PokerGuru Star of the Week!”

Shashank Shekhar
Shashank Shekhar

 

His top finishes include:

> 1st in Spartan Poker’s XXX #75 Main Event for 27,35,240

> 2nd in Spartan Poker’s XXX #45 Thursday Titan (6-Max) for 4,79,400

> 1st in Spartan Poker’s XXX #74 for 4,63,155

> 6th in Spartan Poker’s XXX #56 Friday Titan (6-Max) for 1,80,000

One of the top domestic poker pros, Ashish Munot, was the other trailblazer. He captured PokerBaazi’s BTS#45 Main Event for 11.64 Lakhs on Sunday and followed that up by shipping Spartan Poker’s Mega Stack title (3.48 Lakhs) on Tuesday. Overall, the poker pro made away with 18.10 Lakhs this week.

Ashish Munot
Ashish Munot

 

His top finishes include:

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s BTS#45 Main Event for 11,63,563

> 1st in Spartan Poker’s Mega Stack for 3,48,068

> 6th in Spartan Poker’s XXX #35 Wednesday Titan for 1,29,800

Young Gun Neel Joshi was the other weekly chartbuster. The EndBoss 2020 runner-up finisher took down two flagship titles and FT another, posting 17.78 Lakhs in weekly winnings.

Neel Joshi
Neel Joshi

 

His top finishes include:

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s (7-Max) BSS Championship for 8,06,680

> 1st in PokerBaazi’s BTS#31 HighRoller for 5,49,100

> 5th in Spartan Poker’s XXX #45 Thursday Titan (6-Max) for 2,08,116

MTT pro Vishal Bajaj also won two titles this week, cashing out for 17.18 Lakhs throughout the week.

Vishal Bajaj
Vishal Bajaj

 

His top finishes include:

> 4th in Spartan Poker’s XXX #75 Main Event for 8,56,520

> 1st in Spartan Poker’s Tuesday High Roller (6-Max) for 4,22,958

> 1st in Adda52’s The Mint for 2,58,004

> 8th in Spartan Poker’s XXX #72 Sunday Xperience for 1,08,612

Goonjan Mall ran up his scorecard by 17.17 Lakhs, 15.97 Lakhs of which came from his runner-up finish in Spartan Poker’s XXX #75 Main Event on Sunday.

Goonjan Mall
Goonjan Mall

 

Man Mohan Singh, Aditya Sushant, Rajat Sharma, Young Gun Anmol Mehta, and Utkarsh Vaish were the other top scorers of the week.

 

Notable Winners of the Week

PlayerPrize AmountEventPoker Site
Shashank Shekhar₹26.98 LakhsXXX #75 Main Event – ₹1.50 Crores GTDSpartan Poker
Ashish ‘OMG_spew’ Munot₹11.63 LakhsBTS#45 Main Event – ₹1 Crore GTDPokerBaazi
Neel ‘Worm33’ Joshi₹8.07 Lakhs(7-Max) BSS Championship – ₹50 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Rahul ‘JacK`spArrow’ Kumar M Jain₹7.51 LakhsXXX #72 Sunday Xperience – ₹40 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Maelwyn₹7.37 LakhsAdda52 Millions – ₹25 Lakhs GTDAdda52
C. Dickens₹5.47 LakhsXXX #68 ₹25 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
alwaysnutz₹5.03 LakhsMega Suits – ₹25 Lakhs GTDAdda52
Deepankur ‘dp179’ Gupta₹4.51 LakhsBSS HighRoller – ₹20 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Shashank ‘Goldfish097’ Shekhar₹4.63 LakhsXXX #74 – ₹20 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Vishal ‘SimSlave’ Bajaj₹4.23 LakhsTuesday High Roller (6-Max) – ₹15 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Vaibhav ‘GTO_LIFE_GG’ Sharma₹3.71 LakhsSunday Special (PKO) – ₹20 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
Ashish ‘0mg_spew’ Munot₹3.48 LakhsMega Stack – ₹16 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Siddharth ‘Sidash21’ Ojha₹3.24 LakhsBTS#43 Sunday Prime – ₹20 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
fartonuraces₹2.58 LakhsBSS#41 – ₹10 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Satyam ‘satyamverma25’ Verma₹1.85 LakhsBTS#44 After Party – ₹10 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Anurag ‘NormanBates’ Srivastava₹1.78 LakhsSunday Showdown – ₹10 Lakhs GTDAdda52
SSAHisoka₹1.75 LakhsPocket Kings – ₹15 Lakhs GTDPocket52
Devang ‘THENERDGUY’ Yadav₹1.70 LakhsXXX #71 Sunday Xtreme – Triple Chance – ₹10 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Akshay ‘akdolos’ Joshi₹1.41 LakhsBTS#42 (6-Max) – ₹8 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
Vivekk ‘Vivek25’ Dube₹1.18 LakhsBSS Value Boost – ₹10 Lakhs GTDPokerBaazi
merlion30₹99,727Sunday Storm – ₹5 Lakhs GTDPokerStars India
Vinay ‘Aapka Apna’ Choudhry₹90,019XXX #76 ₹5 Lakhs GTDSpartan Poker
Anshu ‘nope11’ Pandey₹10,500Sunday PLO6 – ₹50K GTDPokerDangal
Reverse88₹37,000Big Bang - ₹1 Lakh GTDKhelo365

 

Spartan Poker’s 25+ Crores GTD Legend Poker Series Starts on November 24

Spartan Poker’s 25+ Crores GTD in value Legend Poker Series runs from November 24 to December 11. The series highlights include 114 top-notch tournaments for players across stakes boasting 21.33 Crores in guarantees, 6 Leaderboards with 75 Lakhs in total prizes, Round-the-clock satellites guaranteeing 1.94 Crores worth of tickets, 70 Lakhs in tournament tickets through the Game of Tickets (GOT) – Legend Edition, 20 Lakhs worth of trophies, 15 Lakhs in freerolls & much more.

Spartan - Desktop

Read the complete report here

 

Pocket52’s Cash Leaderboard League Offers 86 Lakhs in Leaderboard Prizes (November 21 – 30)

Cash game players are in for a blast on Pocket52, with the Cash Leaderboard League running from November 21 to 30. A part of the “Super-Charged November,” the Cash Leaderboard League features 7 exciting Leaderboard races, promising a whopping 86 Lakhs in leaderboard prizes!

Pocket52 Cash Leaderboard League

Read the complete report here

 

MPL Poker Announced Bollywood Actor Jim Sarbh as Its Brand Ambassador

India’s biggest poker platform with over 25 Lakh registered players, MPL Poker, is back in a new avatar & a new band ambassador. Acclaimed Bollywood actor Jim Sarbh has been signed as the online poker portal’s first-ever celebrity brand ambassador.

For over a week, the site has been giving away ₹5 Crores in prizes through exciting MTTs and lucrative cash game promotions!

MPL Poker's ₹1.50 Crores in Tournament GTDs For November

Read the complete report here

 

PokerBaazi Signs Abhishek Goindi & Muskan Sethi As It’s Latest Team Pros

PokerBaazi’s newest Team Pros, Abhishek Goindi & Muskan Sethi, will join celebrity Brand Ambassador & Bollywood superstar Shahid Kapoor in representing India’s most trusted online poker site!

PokerBaazi Onboards the Dynamic Duo of Abhishek Goindi & Muskan Sethi

Read the complete report here

 

PokerStars India’s 2.70 Crore GTD Bounty Builder Series To Make Its Grand Debut (Nov 29 – Dec 5)

Gear up for PokerStars India’s debut launch of the globally popular Bounty Builder Series from November 29 – December 5. The series highlights include 2.70+ Crores GTD across 42 MTTs, BBS Main Event Ticket Challenge (Nov 23 – Dec 5) offers player’s a chance to win a free seat to the Main Event, the 3.5 Lakhs GTD Leaderboard (Nov 29 – Dec 5), and much more.

PokerStars India Bounty Builder Series

Read the complete report here

 

Seven Days Left to Join Gamezy’s No Fold November MTT Action

Last seven days left to join Gamezy’s 3.60 Crores #NoFoldNovember MTT action. There are 41 action-packed yet to play out, guaranteeing 76.20 Lakhs in prizes.

Gamezy Poker’s ₹3.60 Crores GTD No Fold November

Read the complete report here

 

APT 2022 Philippines

The Asian Poker Tour (APT) 2022 Philippines made a 13-day run at the Grand Wing Casino, Newport World Resorts, from November 15 to 27, with 24 events on the tap. Running to the culmination, in the end, was Event #24: ₱50K Main Event. Drawing 480 entries from three starting flights and late registrations on Day 2, the event obliterated its ₱15 Million guarantee by a huge margin, generating a ₱23,280,000 prize pool and paid out the top 48 finishers at least ₱99,200.

Local boy Moses Saquing eventually triumphed over the competition to grab the top honors for ₱4,915,100. The filipino-American Saquing had entered the final table as the chip leader, and his final clash over the title was against his decorated compatriot Christopher Mateo. Mateo, who holds four APT trophies, including the 2019 APT Philippines Main Event, banked ₱3,276,900 in second place.

Chirag Shah was the lone Indian who cashed the series, crossing the money line in three events. Shah, who was last reported by us picking cashes in the Road to PSPC Manila back in September, opened his scorecard for the series in Event #4: ₱20K Head Hunter, where he placed ninth for ₱37,100.

Subsequently, he sailed into the final table of Event #17: ₱20K NLHE, eventually placing seventh for ₱70,800. Shah picked his third cash at the stop in Event #21: ₱15,000 NLH Single Day, where he placed ninth for ₱39,200.

The Day 1A of the Asian Poker Tour (APT) 2022 Philippines Championships Event, running at the Grand Wing Casino, Newport World Resorts, saw 68 hopefuls vying for a spot on Day 2. While thirteen-time APT champion Lester Edoc of the Philippines amassed a massive stack of 348,000 ad leads the Day 1A survivors.

Australia’s Li Lok Ching (272,000) and Filipino Joseph Talamayan (189,000) were the other two big stacks preceding the Baguio City native, Edoc.

 

APT 2022 Philippines Winners

PlayerEventPrize Amount (PHP)
Joseroy JeremiasEvent 1 Php 15,000 Mystery BountyPHP 407,600
Yoshimura TaikiEvent 2 Php 8,000 Hyper Deep Stack TurboPHP 103,300
Budai DzimitryEvent 4 Php 20,000 Head HunterPHP 355,800
Katsuhito KawaiEvent 5 Php 8,000 Hyper Deep Stack TurboPHP 117,900
Lester TimoneraEvent 6 Php 10,000 Women's EventPHP 107,700
Ek JordanEvent 7 Php 15,000 Pot Limit OmahaPHP 169,400
Mike TakayamaEvent 8 Php 60,000 High Rollers Single DayPHP 366,700
Jung Seung MookEvent 9 Php 40,000 High Rollers 6 Max Hyper TurboPHP 190,100
Noel LlamedoEvent 10 Php 15,000 Super Deep Stack TurboPHP 298,100
Yoo SunhoEvent 11 Php 60,000 High Rollers Single DayPHP 378,400
Katsuhito KawaiEvent 12 Php 8,000 Hyper Deep Stack TurboPHP 151,400
Rothholz HalEvent 13 Php 15,000 No Limit Hold'em Single DayPHP 348,200
Emmanuel SegismundoEvent 14 Php 9,000 Deep Stack TurboPHP 181,600
Yuta IzumiEvent 15 Php 8,000 Hyper Deep Stack TurboPHP 114,500
Mike TakayamaEvent 16 Php 60,000 Hyper Single Day High RollerPHP 671,300
Baimendinov AlibeKEvent 17 Php 20,000 No Limit Hold'emPHP 461,200
Raqueno PatrickEvent 18 Php 9,000 Deep Stack TurboPHP 126,100
Sakurai BuyuEvent 19 Php 40,000 High Rollers 6 Max Hyper TurbPHP 331,700
Constanzo ChristopherEvent 21 Php 15000 No Limit Hold'em Single DayPHP 270,000
Orunov AzimEvent 22 Php 9,000 Deep Stack TurboPHP 158,800
Kurakami DaisukeEvent 23 Php 40,000 High Rollers 6 Max Hyper TurboPHP 379,600
Holley MatthewEvent 24 Php 20,000 No Limit Hold'emPHP 431,900
Jayden ZalacEvent 25 Php 70,000 High Rollers Single DayPHP 631,000
Lester EdocEvent 26 Php 40,000 High Rollers 6 Max Hyper TurboPHP 398,600
Okuda AkitoshiEvent 27 Php 15,000 No Limit Hold'em Single DayPHP 314,500
Richard NakilaEvent 28 Php 8,000 Hyper Deep Stack TurboPHP 133,200

 

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.

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