Indian poker pros are making waves on the international stage. After Sriharsha Doddapaneni’s historic run at the EPT Barcelona Main Event and Santhosh Suvarna’s stellar showings, including a fifth-place finish in the €100,000 Super High Roller and a runner-up spot in the €10,200 Mystery Bounty, the momentum continued at the London Poker Festival. This time, Goonjan Mall, Jitin Dhawan, and Chirag Khanduja stepped into the spotlight, shining brightly for India on the global poker scene.
Goonjan Mall Final-Tables The London Poker Festival Main Event
Highlighting Indian performances at the festival was PokerStars India ambassador Goonjan Mall, who turned his casual trip to London into a memorable final table performance in the £400,000 guaranteed Main Event, finishing in a commendable seventh place and pocketing £12,600 (INR 13.86 Lakhs). This marked his second final table finish of 2024, following a third place finish earlier this year in the DPT May Main Event, where he banked a massive INR 25.81 Lakhs, his biggest live cash so far.
Mall’s impressive run in the main event came to an end when he shoved ace-five into the pocket aces of Tommy Bingham. A five landed on the river, but it was not enough for Mall to crack aces.
Running from 4th to 8th September, the London Poker Festival Main Event was eventfully won by Germany’s Matthias Kribben, who bested the 526-entry field to take home the coveted trophy and £61,712, following a 3-way deal with UK’s Lei Wang (2nd for £65,416) and Craig Sweden (3rd for £45,870). This win marked his third title of 2024, boosting his live tournament earnings to $486,606.
The top 54 finishers were paid out of the £400,000 prize pool, with top ten of them walking away with hefty five-figure prizes. Here is a quick look at the top 10 finishers of the main event!
London Poker Festival Main Event Top 10 Payouts (USD)
1st Matthias Kribben $80,963
2nd Lei Wang $85,817
3rd Craig Sweden $60,176
4th Stephen Brown $34,109
5th Stephen Barnes $26,238
6th Tommy Bingham $20,990
7th Goonjan Mall $16,530
8th George Achillea $13,775
9th Van Pham $11,938
10th Steven Macleod $10,102
Jitin Dhawan Wins The London Poker Cup For £6,000
While Goonjan Mall made waves in the main event, Indo-British poker pro Jitin Dhawan stole the show by taking down the £500 London Poker Cup on the final day of the London Poker Festival. He overcame a field of 67 tough competitors, taking home the trophy and £6,000 (INR 6.60 Lakhs) in prize money, following a heads-up deal with Neil Benardout who banked the same amount. This was his second live title of 2024 and third overall, adding to his two previous victories at Aspers Casino.
Like the main event, this event too missed its specified guarantee, collecting £ 25,822 in total prize pool. The top 13 players were paid out with min-cashes starting at £600 ($788).
The London Poker Cup Final Table Payouts (USD)
1st Jitin Dhawan $7,880
2nd Neil Benardout $7,880
3rd Jen-Yue Chiang $4,137
4th Lei Chen $2,889
5th Mazalahedwa Bako $2,167
6th Bogdan Jaworski $1,773
7th Joel Baxter $1,473
8th George Warnock $1,248
9th Jack Benson $1,083
Chirag Khanduja Secures A Podium Finish in London Festival Opener
Team India’s momentum continued with Chirag Khanduja, who recently won the PokerStars UKIPT London Bounty event, notching up a third-place finish in the £150 NLHE London Festival Opener. Following a five-way deal, he walked away with £2,150 (INR 2.36 Lakhs). With only three prior live cashes, Khanduja is relatively new to the live poker scene but he is already making a name for himself. This marked his third final table finish, marking a significant milestone in his budding career.
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Images Courtesy: Live Poker Updates/International Poker Events Facebook Page
