The first-ever WPT Cambodia Championship has crowned its champion in Germany’s Konstantin Held, who eventually defeated Australia’s Joshua McCully to win the coveted title. Meanwhile, India’s Amit Kaushik left an indelible mark, securing an impressive fifth place finish for a career-best live score.
Running from January 25 to 29, 2024 at NagaWorld Phnom Penh, the inaugural World Poker Tour (WPT) Cambodia Championship registered 760 entries over two starting days. The strong turnout resulted in a record-breaking prize pool of USD 2,432,760, almost the highest WPT pot in the region. The top 95 finishers shared the prize pool, with Held claiming the lion’s share, a remarkable $361,310.
Held’s journey in the tournament was nothing short of extraordinary. He entered the final table as the chip leader and played some top-notch poker, consistently featuring among the top stacks. During the three-handed play, Held agreed to a three-way deal with Joshua Mccully and Florent Remi. As the chip leader, he earned the largest share worth $361,310 for his victory and a seat at the season-ending WPT World Championship. Additionally, he etched his name on the coveted WPT Mike Sexton Champions Cup.
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The first to fall among the final three players was France’s Florent Remi whose 8-4 of hearts failed against the A-10 of hearts of Joshua Mccully, leading to his elimination in third place for $211,819.
The heads-up began with Mccully holding 29.725 Million against Konstantin Held’s 8.275 Million stack. Given his massive chip lead, it looked like an easy win for Mccully. However, the German pro battled his way back and had snatched the lead by the time the final hand arrived. On the final hand, Mccully moved all-in for 4.80 Million, and Held called with Kh 5s. Mccully tabled 9d 7c . The board ran out Jh 4h 2d 10d 6d, leaving Mccully with a gutshot draw and crowning Held the champion of the event.
While Held emerged victorious, India’s Amit Kaushik’s performance also deserves a round of applause. Kaushik, who had qualified starting flight Day 1A, ended Day 2 with a 723,000 (48 BB) stack. Following the roller-coaster ride on Day 3, the IIT Roorkee graduate made it to the final table with the third largest stack. He skillfully navigated through a volatile day, ultimately securing a fifth-place finish for $118,906 (INR 98.88 Lakhs), his career best and the highest payout by an Indian in this WPT Cambodia event. Notably, this was his fifth cash finish in the series and his second final-table score, taking his earnings from the series to a staggering $134,891 and reinforcing his status as a rising Indian star.
Apart from Kaushik, there were several other Indian pros who cashed in the WPT Cambodia Championship, including Sriharsha Doddapaneni (74th for $6,641), champion Ankit Ahuja (79th for $6,641), Kaushal Vasa (81st for $6,054), Apoorva Goel (83rd for $6,054), Aditya Agarwal (88th for $6,054), Pocket52 Team Pro Dhaval Mudgal (90th for $6,054), and Abhijith Cheruku (93rd for $6,054).
Final Table Payouts (USD)
- Konstantin Held – $361,310*
- Joshua McCully – $277,291*
- Florent Remi – $211,819*
- Motoyoshi Okamura – $157,858
- Amit Kaushik – $118,906
- Kyle Bao Diep – $90,532
- Jianfeng Sun – $69,678
- Kou Vang – $54,212
- Anthony Cierco – $42,647
Image Credit: WPT & SMP
