Jonald Garcia Wins WPT Cambodia Warm Up; Amit Kaushik Takes 12th Spot

The World Poker Tour (WPT) Cambodia is currently underway at NagaWorld Integrated Resorts in Phnom Penh for its 22nd season, marking the first Main Tour appearance in Southeast Asia. The series, which runs from January 17 to January 30, includes 44 events with a combined prize pool of $1.70 million, thus offering players plenty of opportunities to win WPT trophies and massive up top prizes.

ALSO READ: INDIA’S AMIT KAUSHIK LEADS INTO WPT CAMBODIA WARM UP DAY 2

The series has already crowned more than a dozen of winners since its inception on January 17. One of the key events concluding this Sunday was the $800 buy-in WPT Cambodia Championship Warm Up with a $150K GTD. Running from January 18 to 21, the marquee event drew in a field of 489 entries across three starting flights, generating a prize pool of $340,518 and more than doubling its guarantee. Following four days of play, Jonald Garcia from Philippines emerged victorious, winning his first WPT trophy and a career-high $55,989 after a heads-up deal with Marc Joseph (2nd for $54,000).

Final Day Recap

The final day began at Level 27  and saw seven players returning with Choi Hun Tae (6,000,000 ) in the lead. Garcia held the second spot with 4,275,000, and Koen Breed followed him with 3,375,000. Despite starting strong, Breed  exited in 7th place as his pocket queens fell to Joseph’s pocket nines. Joseph’s next victim was Choi Hun Tae who exited in sixth place after his Ac 5c lost to Joseph’s Qc 10 on a 3s 5h 7c Qh 9h runout.

Garcia scored his first knockout of the day during level 28 where his pocket jacks dominated Xin Zhao’s pocket sixes on a 8h Jh Kd 10d 5s board, railing the latter in fifth place. Garcia continued his momentum and picked up another two pots, taking the lead during the four-handed play.

Up next,  the eventual runner-up Joseph showcased his skills by winning several key pots, including the one during level 29 where he eliminated Yuwen Pan in fourth place. He then sent Samuel Adams packing in third place, entering the heads-up as the chip leader holding 66 bb against Garcia’s 56 bb.

After winning a few early pots, Garcia clinched a key hand where Joseph folded to Garcia’s 5h 6s straight to take the lead. Subsequently, Joseph recovered, leading to both players agreeing on an even deal of $54,000 each. Following the even deal, they continued to battle for the trophy and the remaining $1,989.

Post-deal, the heads-up match concluded in just two hands. Garcia started strongly, doubling up initially and sealing the victory on the final hand. On the final hand, Joseph held Kh 9d against Garcia’s Jd 10d, with the board running out 10h 3h Qh Ac 4d and giving Garcia the coveted title.

 India’s Amit Kaushik Finishes 12th for $5,092.

India’s Amit Kaushik, the initial chip leader on Day 2 of the warm-up event, unfortunately couldn’t make it to the final day. Despite starting with a robust 103 bb stack, the Indian poker pro fell short a few spots from the final table, concluding his run in 12th place for $5,092. He was followed by Christopher Mateo in 11th place for $5,092. Adrien Berger finished in 10th place for $6,421, setting the stage for the final table. Day 2 ended after two more eliminations in Diego Uechi (8th for $ 8,183) and Mark Kavalev (9th for $ 6,421). The final seven players returned to battle for the title on January 21. After several hours of intense battles on the final day, Jonald Garcia emerged victorious, winning the title for $55,989.

Among other Indian players to cash on Day 2 of the Warm Up event were Maulik Bharatkumar Shukla (27th for $2,107), Raja Sekhar Puttamsetty (35th for $1,848), and WSOP bracelet winner Aayush Arya (46th for $1,653). Shukla is a fresh off a commendable sixth-place finish in Event #6: Deepstack Turbo for $1,601, while Puttamsetty and Arya snagged their initial scores of the series.

Final Table Payouts (USD)

Image Credit: WPT & SMP