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2023 is bearing the hallmark to become a fantastic year for live poker in India. In what comes as a BIG shot of adrenaline for live tournament enthusiasts, the premier global poker brand, World Poker Tour (WPT), has announced another edition of its India chapter. Marking its fourth installment, WPT Prime India will be making its grand return to India’s vibrant and dynamic poker scene after a nearly four-year-long absence.
The prestigious series will be run onboard the floating Casino Deltin Royale in Goa from April 12 to April 18, 2023, bringing the excitement and energy of the world’s most extensive poker tour to India’s coastal waters!
2023 WPT India Schedule
Date & Time Event Buy-in (₹)
April 12, 1 PM SuperStack NLH (RE) - Day 1 ₹13,650+₹1,350
April 12, 5:30 PM ₹50K Freezeout - Day 1 ₹45,500+₹4,500
April 12, 8:30 PM Satellite to WPT Prime India ME (RE) ₹9,100+₹900
April 13, 1 PM SuperStack NLH (RE) - Day 2 -
April 13, 1 PM ₹50K Freezeout - Day 2 -
April 13, 1 PM WPT Prime India Main Event - Day 1A ₹59,100+₹5,900
April 13, 5:30 PM PLO (RE) ₹36,400+₹3,600
April 13, 8:30 PM Satellite to WPT Prime India ME (RE) ₹13,650+₹1,350
April 14, 1 PM WPT Prime India Main Event - Day 1B ₹59,100+₹5,900
April 14, 1 PM PLO - Day 2 -
April 14, 6 PM Teams NLH Freezeout ₹27,300+₹2,700
April 14, 7 PM Flips to WPT Prime ME ₹6,500
April 15, 1 PM WPT Prime India Main Event - Day 1C ₹59,100+₹5,900
April 15, 6 PM Ship It Round 1 13,650+₹1,350
April 15, 7 PM Ladies NLH (2 RE) ₹11,370+₹1,130
April 15, 8 PM Satellite to High Roller (RE) ₹18,200+₹1,800
April 16, 1 PM Main Event - Day 2 -
April 16, 2 PM Maini Main Event Freezeout - Day 1 ₹27,300+₹2,700
April 16, 6 PM High Roller Day 1 (Day 2 entry ok) ₹1,16,150+₹8,850
April 17, 1 PM Main Event - Day 3 -
April 17, 1 PM Maini Main Event Freezeout - Day 2 -
April 17, 1 PM High Roller (RE) Day 2 ₹1,16,150+₹8,850
April 17, 2 PM Big Bounty NLH - 15K Bounty (RE) - Day 1 ₹27,300+₹2,700
April 17, 6 PM 50K Re-entry Day 1 (Day 2 entry ok) ₹45,500+₹4,500
April 18, 1 PM Big Bounty - Day 2 -
April 18, 1 PM 50K Re-entry - Day 2 -
April 18, 1:30 PM Megastack Closer (1 RE) ₹22,750+₹2,250
April 18, 5 PM Turbo Closer (RE) ₹18,200+₹1,800
The upcoming series comprises 13 tournaments, and the biggest draw at the comeback festival will be the WPT Prime India Main Event. The Main Event features three starting days, taking off on April 13 and making a five-day run-up to April 17. With a buy-in of ₹65,000, the WPT Prime India Main Event might just set a new attendance record in the country.
Adding a zing to the Main Event fever are three cheaper gateways into the tournament – a ₹10K buy-in Satellite (April 12, 8.30 PM), ₹15K buy-in Satellite (April 12, 8.30 PM), and ₹6,500 buy-in Flips (April 14, 7 PM).
The regs will love the ₹1.25 Lakhs buy-in High Roller that sounds off proceedings on Sunday, April 16. For those looking to get in for less, there`s a ₹20,000 buy-in Satellite starting at 8.30 PM on Saturday, April 15.
Other attractions include ₹50K buy-in Freezeout (April 12 – 13), ₹30K buy-in Mini Main Event Freezeout (April 16 – 17), ₹40K buy-in PLO (April 13 – 14), ₹30K buy-in Teams NLH Freezeout (April 14), ₹12,500 buy-in Ladies NLH (April 15), and the ₹30K buy-in Big Bounty NLH – 15K Bounty (April 17 – 18).
Have we caught your attention yet? Here are the top reasons why you should make your travel plans for Goa to participate in WPT Prime India:
> The Main Event champion receives tournament buy-in (part of the prize pool) for the 2023 World Championship, airfare, travel stipend, and/or hotel accommodations to the WPT World Championship.
> The Main Event winner is also eligible for the Player of the Year (POF) award tracked throughout the year.
> ITM finishes in all the events except for the Teams NLH Freezeout and Ladies NLH will be counted towards the WPT Player of the Festival (POF) race. The top-ranked player will win the POF trophy, a $5,000 passport that can be used at any WPT Main Event in 2023.
Whether a seasoned pro or a newcomer to the game, WPT Prime India is the perfect opportunity to showcase your skills and make your mark on the global map without traveling abroad. So, grab your cards and get ready to play your hand in one of the most energetic and exciting poker events of the year!
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2023 WPT Prime India: What to Expect?
PokerGuru recently spoke with Danny McDonagh, the Live Events Specialist for the World Poker Tour (WPT), about the upcoming WPT Prime India series.
McDonagh expressed his excitement for the return of WPT to India after almost four years and shared his expectations for the event. He noted that the poker scene in India was thriving before the COVID-19 pandemic and has made a strong comeback, as evidenced by the DPT events in Goa and the solid Indian representation at WPT stops in Vietnam and Cambodia last year.
“It sure doesn’t feel like four years as my trips to Goa for WPT Events aboard the Deltin Royale are so memorable. Poker was really thriving in India in 2019 prior to Covid and has bounced back, as indicated by the domestic DPT events aboard the Deltin Royale and strong Indian representation at WPT events in Vietnam and Cambodia in 2022. The 2018 WPT India Main Event entry record of 697 is likely under threat, even with the increase in buy-in to ₹65,000.”
McDonagh went on to discuss what players can expect from the series. He explained, “Our partners Adda52, really wanted to make WPT Prime India accessible to as many Indian players as possible. The opening day has a ₹15,000 re-entry Superstack NLH paired with a ₹50,000 NLH Freezeout in the evening. At the same time, the High Roller buy-in has been increased 25% to ₹1.25 Lakhs to satisfy the regs, and there are two ₹50,000 buy-in side events.”
“Following on from the success of the first-ever televised Ladies event at the WPT World Championship last December, India will be one of four Asia WPT events in 2023 with a Ladies NLH event. Finally, the Series will contain the most individual events and variety in the history of WPT Events in India. The 13-event schedule includes PLO, a Tag Team event, Ship It (one hand flip to progress to the ITM stage and then a standard structure), and very generous and value-for-money SuperStack and MegaStack NLH structures. It will be great to see an Indian poker festival back on the world stage again,” he added.
Road to WPT Prime India
Get ready for an action-packed journey to WPT Prime India! From February 4 to April 2, Adda52 is hosting the Road to WPT Prime India, a thrilling competition that offers tickets to WPT Prime India events through cash game promotions, satellites, and mega satellites.
Road to WPT Prime India – Cash Promotion
Win tickets to Road to WPT Prime India marquees by playing on the Adda52 cash tables and accumulating PGPs (Poker Game Points). The promotion runs from February 4 through April 1, and players can either aim for cumulative or weekly PGP targets. Progress can be tracked on the Adda52.com website.
Prize Packages
> Three prize packages are up for grabs: Gold, Silver, and Platinum.
> To win the Platinum Package, earn 400,000 PGPs or 45,000 PGPs weekly for eight weeks. The prize includes a round trip to Goa, accommodation, airport pick-up and drop, Adda52 merchandise, and WPT Prime India tickets worth ₹4.20 Lakhs.
> To win the Gold Package, earn 300,000 PGPs or 33,750 PGPs every week for eight weeks. The prize includes a round trip to Goa, accommodation, airport pick-up and drop, Adda52 merchandise, and WPT Prime India tickets worth ₹2.70 Lakhs.
> To win the Silver Package, earn 200,000 PGPs or 22,500 PGPs weekly for eight weeks. The prize includes a round trip to Goa, accommodation, airport pick-up and drop, Adda52 merchandise, and WPT Prime India tickets worth ₹1.20 Lakhs.
Weekly PGP Targets
Online Satellite & Mega Satellites
From February 10 to April 2, Adda52 will host a series of Online Satellites, Mega Satellites, step satellites, and Freerolls that will award tickets to WPT Prime India tournaments.
This is your chance to make a small investment and reap big rewards. Participate in these satellites and freerolls to win your ticket into the Main Event and High Roller.
WPT India: From 2017 to 2020
The partnership between World Poker Tour and India-facing online poker site Adda52 marked WPT’s entry into India in 2017. Since then, the two brands have jointly hosted three successful live WPT India stops onboard the Casino Deltin Royale, operated by Adda52’s parent company, Delta Corp.
The first-ever WPT India took place from November 7 to 13, 2017, and the Main Event was won by Vikash Mantri, who took home a cash prize of ₹60.03 Lakhs.
2017 WPT India Winners
Player Event Prize Amount
Main Event Vikash Mantri ₹60.30 Lakhs
High Roller Rajnish Kumar ₹36.38 Lakhs
PLO Deepak Bothra ₹4.88 Lakhs
Superstack Sandeep Tulsyan ₹19 Lakhs
Kickoff Kanishka Samant ₹9.12 Lakhs
Bounty Sameer Tavanandi ₹5.47 Lakhs
PLO Deepak Bothra ₹4.88 Lakhs
Deep Turbo Rahul Melwani ₹4.20 Lakhs
Ship It Neeta Banker ₹1.32 Lakhs
The following year, the WPT India Main Event registered a record-breaking 697-player field, with Nikunj Jhunjhunwala emerging as the champion and earning ₹66.35 Lakhs.
2018 WPT India Winners
Player Event Prize Amount
WPTDS Main Event Nikunj Jhunjhunwala ₹66.35 Lakhs
High Roller Kalyan Chakravarthy ₹37.53 Lakhs
Superstack Abhishek Jalan ₹17.29 Lakhs
Kickoff Aditya Sushant ₹9.35 Lakhs
Big Bounty Alok Birewar ₹7.80 Lakhs
Megastack Turbo Siddarth Singhvi ₹5.71 Lakhs
Shootout Pratik Goel ₹3.87 Lakhs
Ship It Sacheen Ramchandani ₹2.35 Lakhs.
In October 2019, Ashish Munot won the WPT India Main Event title for ₹63.48 Lakhs after outlasting 630 other entrants.
2019 WPT India Winners
Event Winner Prize Money
₹55K Main Event Ashish Munot ₹63.48 Lakhs
₹100K High Roller Yasheel Doddanavar ₹34.64 Lakhs
₹35K Superstack Asif Anis ₹14.70 Lakhs
₹20K Kickoff Gurukumar G ₹8.05 Lakhs
₹25K Big Bounty Sriharsha Doddapaneni ₹6.63 Lakhs
₹20K MegaStack Madhav Gupta ₹5.33 Lakhs
₹7K Ship IT Pratik Mehta ₹2.07 Lakhs
However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted live venues like Deltin Royale, and even tournament brands like WPT had to adapt by moving many of their live events to the virtual realm.
In response, WPT held its WPT Online India series in 2020, which ran from November 5 to 22 on Adda52 and was a raging success. Kumar Sahaj took first place in the ₹2.50 Crores GTD WPT India Main Event, earning ₹50 Lakhs for his victory.
The WPT returned to India in its online form for a second consecutive year, from August 1 to 30, 2021. Kushal Sogani emerged as the winner of the ₹3 Crores GTD WPT Main Event, earning the first-place cash prize of ₹47.45 Lakhs, as well as a WPT trophy, a Hublot watch, and a $5,000 WPT Passport.
WPT hosted several live tournaments across Asia last year. However, they skipped India. But the global brand is set to return to Goa this April with an offering bigger and better than before.
Keep following PokerGuru for more updates from the 2023 WPT Prime India!