As the Indian poker scene continues to flourish, several new and upcoming poker players making their mark, promising a bright future not just for themselves but for the entire poker community in the country.
One such upcoming and emerging rising star in the Indian poker fraternity is Karan Sitlani. He has managed to emerge as a rising star, and grab the eyeballs of enthusiasts and professionals alike. With his sharp strategic mind and consistency, Sitlani has made significant achievements in both national and Asian tournaments.
He started his journey from local poker games and now is representing the country outside its borders with a series of notable finishes.
He recently made headlines and made his achievement scream his name out loud at WPT Cambodia 2024 series held in Cambodia.
Karan Sitlani’s historic WPT Cambodia win
Karan Sitlani made big noises in his very first international outing at the recent WPT Cambodia. Karan Sitlani is a well known name in the online circuit, however, with the WPT victory showed he is no joke in the live arena either. Karan Sitlani took down Event #10: 8 Max Survivor 1.5K Bounty at the series making his way to the top through a crowded field of 439 entrants to gracefully lift his maiden live title and a career-best score of $40,330 (~₹33.72 Lakhs). An impressive $10,500 of this came from his lethal bounty haul of seven eliminations.
The tourney ended in a heads-up deal with fellow Indian pro Amit Kaushik. It was a nail-biting heads-up that saw Karan Sitlani starting with a 1.6:1 chip lead. After 30-minutes of intense battle, the two friends settled on an ICM (Independent Chip Model) deal. Both agreed to chop the prize money in equal amounts among them both, leaving the coveted WPT trophy and the $1,100 WPT World Prime Championship seat for the ultimate winner.
Interestingly, at the time of the deal, Kaushik had a slight advantage in terms of chips, hence locking in $30,460 (excluding bounties), while Sitlani licked $29,830. Nonetheless as the gameplay resumed, Sitlani dug deep to ultimately be the last man standing, claiming the title and the benefits.
What made Karan Sitlani’s journey to this victory more special is the fact that this was his first live outing outside the country and he managed to win a title. Although he has been a crusher online, his live tournament experience has been limited. This win not only marked his career first live title but also got him a seat worth $1,100 in the prestigious WPT World Prime Championship to be held in Las Vegas this December.
Talking about his win, Sitlani said, “It’s unreal! This is my first international poker trip. I had to make some adjustments to my game, even though I play online 24/7. At the final table, I focused on putting ICM pressure on everyone, especially when I had the chips. I knew that’s what I had to do. I guess it was my day!”
He added, “I was hesitant at first. The WPT is a big deal, and I wasn’t sure if I could compete with all the seasoned pros and sharks. I’ve only been studying and playing professionally for two years. But I came in with the right mindset, focused on playing my A-game and trusting the process. I’m here to play poker, not chase results.”
Karan Sitlani’s live poker stats
Karan Sitlani played his first-ever live poker game back in 2019. He participated in the India Poker Championship (IPC) and even cashed. He finished 12th at the ₹15K Head Hunter event and took home a paycheque of ₹62,300. Ever since, he had only one other live cash from 2019 until the start of this year.
This year he arrived with much more zeal and started building momentum with two deep and notable runs in the DPT May 2024 edition in Goa. He first made it to the final table and finished fourth in the Mini High Roller for a handsome₹5.93 Lakhs. This was followed by an 18th place finish in the High Roller for ₹2.59 Lakhs.
He carried his form to Cambodia too, wherein he recorded one more cash before nailing the top spot. His first cash at the WPT Cambodia 2024 series was his 11th place finish in Event #7: $350 Bounty. Here he bagged an impressive earning of $41,125 (~₹34.39 Lakhs).
Notably, including the victory, Karan Sitlani has only six recorded live tournament scores. Nevertheless, they are significant enough to flaunt his live tournament earnings to over ₹45 Lakhs.
Karan Sitlani’s online exploits
Karan Sitlani is primarily an online player, having started his poker journey on the virtual poker felts. Interestingly, Karan Sitlani is also often regarded as the “High Roller Specialist” of the Indian online poker scene.
Through his online poker exploits, Karan Sitlani has accumulated over ₹3.50 Crores in winnings, mostly accumulated in the last 20 months. This itself proves his increasing command and prowess over the game.
In just 2024 he has claimed a staggering 13 online poker titles, including some of the biggest and staple one’s in India such as Godfather, The Endeavour, and others.
Talking of his online stats, Karan Sitlanu has earned a lifetime total of ₹3.56 Crore from his online poker exploits. This includes as many as 146 titles to flaunt under his name. His highest online cash has been ₹12,11,760 which he pocketed after finishing at the second runner-up spot from 182 entries at Masters#65 HIGH ROLLER 80 LAC GTD (RE) on PokerBaazi in 2023.
After achieving great results online and making headlines in his first live series in the Asian circuit, Karan Sitlani has proven he can transition seamlessly to live poker.
Karan Sitlani’s rapid rise in the poker world is a testament to his hard work and relentless passion to excel in the game. As he continues to achieve new heights, Karan Sitlani is definitely a name to watch out for as he represents the next generation of Indian poker talent.
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