WPT Prime Cambodia: Deepankur Gupta Clinches Maiden Live Title in Event #25: $300 NLH Turbo For $8,000 Bringing India Her 2nd WPT Trophy of the Series

The penultimate day of the 2023 WPT Prime Cambodia was a rewarding one for the Indian contingent as Deepankur Gupta (cover image) got the country her second WPT trophy of the series! The day was jampacked with action as India registered ten more cashes, including five final table finishes.

Deepankur Gupta championed a 121-player field in Event #25: $300 NLH Turbo to win $8,000. Not only was this Gupta’s first cash of the series, but it was also his maiden live title and his first score in a live tournament in ten months!

It was an all-India showdown, with Gupta going up against Young Gun Anmol Mehta in the heads-up finale before capturing his first WPT title. Mehta, also in the hunt for his maiden live title, pocketed $6,895 in second place.

Adding more firepower was Dhaval Mudgal, who finished fourth in the event for $2,139, his second cash of the series.

The other tournament with a big title sweat for Team India was Event #24: $3K High Roller, where Pratibh Saluja had entered Day 2 with the second biggest stack. The Rising Star busted third for $39,103, banking the biggest score for the team in the series.

Australia’s John Perry won the $3K High Roller for $105,487 after defeating Germany’s Daniel Smiljkovic (2nd for $65,475) heads-up.

Ankit Jajodia (9th for $10,549) and Young Gun Siddharth Karia (12th for $9,276) also cashed the tournament.

The third tournament where Indians reigned supreme was Event #23: $500 Bounty Event. Korea’s Minkyu Kim shipped the event for $14,745.

From India, Romit Advani (8th for $2,022), J Raju (11th for $1,411), Gunisha Sinha (17th for $1,018), Amit Kaushik (21st for $834), and Shreyas Suresh Shinde (29th for $497) crossed the money line.

India’s Deepankur Gupta Brings India Her Second WPT Trophy of the Series; Champions Event #25: $300 NLH Turbo For $8,000

Buy-in – $300

Entries – 121

Prize Pool – $31,690

Places Paid – 16

As the saying goes, “Better late than never.” It could not have been more apt for Deepankur Gupta. The Indian online reg opened his scorecard in the series on the penultimate day by taking down Event #25: $300 NLH Turbo for $8,000!

Gupta’s last live cash had come in the 2022 IPC Megastacks, where he finished 30th in the Main Event for ₹1.26 Lakhs. This win was a triple whammy for the young pro who grabbed his maiden live title, his career-first WPT title, ending a ten-month-long dry spell!

It was an India vs. India heads-up as Gupta battled fellow compatriot Young Gun Anmol Mehta for the title. The latter settled for a runner-up finish worth $6,895, picking up his third cash of the series, pulling up his scorecard to $11,291.

Well-known circuit reg Dhaval Mudgal also FT-ed the event, placing fourth for $2,139, his second score of the series.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Deepankur Gupta – $8,000
2. Anmol Mehta – $6,895
3. Joshua Kai En Tan – $3,407
4. Dhaval Mudgal – $2,139
5. Calvin Tan – $1,584
6. Peng Zheng – $1,363
7. Konstantin Generalov – $1,180
8. Ting-Yi Tsai – $1,046
9. Kanta Matsuo – $919

Australia’s John Perry Wins Event #24: $3K High Roller For $105,487; India’s Pratibh Saluja Finishes 3rd for $39,103

Buy-in – $3,000

Entries – 125

Prize Pool – $363,750

Places Paid – 16

The two-day-long Event #24: $3K High Roller attracted 125 entries, creating a $363,750 prize pool. Australia’s John Perry came out on top, winning the WPT trophy and the $105,487 top prize. Germany’s Daniel Smiljkovic finished runner-up for $65,475.

Three Indians cashed the $3K High Roller, and Young Gun Siddharth Karia (12th for $9,276) was the only one not reaching the final table.

Ankit Jajodia was the first player to be eliminated from the nine-handed final table when his ran into Perry’s . The board brought , and Perry flopped pair of tens, eliminating Jajodia in ninth place for $10,549. This was Jajodia fourth score of the series and his second final table finish, taking his overall winnings to $14,187.

Rising Star Pratibh Saluja had entered Day 2 with the second-biggest stack, and by the time the nine-player final table was formed, he was ranked fourth in stacks. Saluja finished third for $39,103, currently the single biggest score by an Indian in the series. This was Saluja’s third score of the series, with his total winnings touching $41,614.

Saluja’s elimination hand saw him jamming from the button with , and Perry called from the small blind with . The board opened , and Perry’s Ace high sent Saluja packing.

Final Table Results (USD)

1. John Perry – $105,487
2. Daniel Smiljkovic – $65,475
3. Pratibh Saluja – $39,103
4. Monika Zukowicz – $24,553
5. Manuel Braunhofer – $18,188
6. Dylan Wayne Foster – $15,641
7. Justin Chu – $13,550
8. Leo Soma – $12,004
9. Ankit Jajodia – $10,549

Korea’s Minkyu Kim Stages a Perfect Heads-Up Comeback to Win Event #23: $500 Bounty For $14,745

Buy-in – $500

Entries – 252

Regular Prize Pool – $72,198

Bounty Prize Pool – $37,800

Places Paid – 32

Korea’s Minkyu Kim obliterated a 252-player field in Event #23: $500 Bounty, bagging away the top payout of $14,745. Minkyu overcame a massive chip deficit against his heads-up rival and fellow countryman Woojin Kim, who collected a profitable $13,500 in second place.

A host of Indian contenders boarded the money bus, with Romit Advani (8th for $2,022) registering his maiden final-table appearance in the series. Other team members, including J Raju (11th for $1,411), Gunisha Sinha (17th for $1,018), Amit Kaushik (21st for $834), and Shreyas Suresh Shinde (29th for $497), fell short of reaching the final table.

Romit Advani bagged his third score in the ongoing series, with his first two scores coming in the $500K GTD Main Event (70th for $2,570) and Event #5: Mystery Bounty (31st for $930).

J Raju was another Tricolour bearer who scored for the third time (including a third-place finish). His first two scores came in Event 14: Bounty (3rd for $11,214) and $500K GTD Main Event (81st for $2,160).

Both Gunisha Sinha and Amit Kaushik made it in the money for the second time. Sinha had ITM-ed Event 20: NLH (14th for $1,096). Kaushik ITM-ed the Main Event (108th for $1,860).

Final Table Results (USD) (Excluding Bounties)

1. Minkyu Kim – $14,745
2. Woojin Kim – $13,500
3. Gabriel Carter – $7,400
4. Amir Abbas – $4,502
5. Stanislav Kovalenko – $3,476
6. Kai Perng Heng – $2,881
7. Firat Basbaydar – $2,419
8. Romit Advani – $2,022
9. Tuan Anh Nguyen – $1,659

Content & Images Courtesy: So Much Poker

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