Meet Ankit Ahuja, a 34-year-old tech consultant from India, who has etched his name among the luminaries of the poker circuit. A rising star in global poker, he began his live poker journey in 2011 with a victory in the $ 120 No Limit Hold’em at 2011 Mega Stack Series, Las Vegas.
While the initial years were marked by challenges and a steep learning curve, Ahuja’s relentless dedication and passion for the game steered him towards unprecedented success in the fiercely competitive arena of global poker. Early in his career, he displayed glimpses of his innate talent, making his presence felt across various prestigious international tournaments across the world.
ALSO READ: ANKIT AHUJA CLINCHES 2023 INDIA GPI PLAYER OF THE YEAR
2015-2018: Building His Momentum
During this period, Ankit Ahuja steadily built his momentum in the poker circuit, navigating through tough fields in live tournaments. He notched over six final table finishes, including a 5th place at WSOP 2016 (Event #58), followed by a win at PokerStars Festival Dublin for $11,342 in 2017.
While he had several challenges along the way, Ahuja continuously improved his game with each passing year and grew his presence in the international live poker community.
2019-2021: Shining On The Global Stage
The years 2019 to 2021 witnessed Ankit Ahuja’s rise in the world of poker. He demonstrated his prowess, securing significant victories and deep runs in prestigious tournaments. His strategic brilliance and competitive spirit earned him respect among peers and admirers in the poker community. He started 2019 with a 5th place for $ 13,764 in the €570 NLH European Deepstack Main Event (Event 21) at 2019 D4 Events Dublin Poker Festival, Dublin and followed it up with a victory for $ 44,684 in the € 550 + 50 NLH Thor Hansen Memorial at Norwegian Championships 2019, Dublin. The same year, he won another live title, securing a victory for $ 330,134 in the MonsterStack (Event #75) at DeepStack Championship Poker Series, Las Vegas, which was followed by a 7th place finish for $ 12,276 in the 6-Handed (Event #47)at EPT Prague.
He kicked off his 2020 campaign with a victory for $120,729 in the Red Dragon High Roller (Event #20) at Red Dragon Manila 2020 and followed it up with more than six WSOP cashes , which were followed by cash finishes across five or more tournaments at the WSOP 2021. One of his most notable cash in 2021 was $10,930, which he earned for 21st place finish in the 8-Max Deep Stack (Event #30) at WPT Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open, Hollywood.
2022-2023: Breakthrough Moments
In 2022 and 2023, Ankit Ahuja achieved some major breakthroughs,solidifying his position as a formidable force in the international poker arena. He claimed several titles and made impressive deep finishes in high-profile events. In 2022, he finished 5th for $ 10,020 in the Deep Stack Six-Max (Event #14) at 2022 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open, Hollywoodand followed it up with another 5th place finish at $ 8,460 in Deep Stack (Event #27) of the same WPT series. He then posted a couple of final table scores, before clinching a victory for $ 189,013 in the Ultimate Stack (Event #2) at Venetian DeepStack Showdown Poker Series, Las Vegas.
He continued his momentum and notched a couple of other final table finishes before cashing over a dozen of events at the WSOP 2022 events. He ended the year 2022 in style by clinching a victory for $ 23,511 for in the EpicStack (Event 19) at DeepStack Extravaganza, Las Vegas. The Delhi-born Ahuja’s stellar performances across various prestigious events during 2022 earned him the coveted 2022 GPI India POY title.
Ankit Ahuja’s most prominent live scores of 2022:
> 1st in Venetian DeepStack Showdown Poker Series Event #2: NLHE Ultimate Stack for $189,013
> 1st in DeepStack Extravaganza NYE Event #19: NLHE EpicsStack for $23,511
> 13th in WPT World Championship Mystery Bounty NLHE for $32,650
> 33rd in WSOP Event #21: Monster Stack NLHE for $31,033
>3rd in Irish Poker Open Event #40: PLO (8-Max) for €12,100
> 9th in WSOP Online Bracelet Event #16: Ultra Deepstack NLHE for $14,952
2023 was another blockbuster year for Ahuja at the live poker felts, bagging him the Global Poker Index (GPI) Player of the Year India title for the second year in row. He claimed several titles and posted plenty of final table finishes. The year was highlighted by his victory in the $1.1K Eureka Main Event at the EPT Cyprus for $362,365, which remains his best score till date.
Some of his most notable scores of 2023:
1st in $1.1K Eureka Main Event at the EPT Cyprus for $362,365
5th in Event #1: €1.1K ESPT Main Event at the EPT Barcelona for €177,810
6th in Event #19: $2.5K NLHE – Freezeout at the 2023 World Series of Poker for $76,357
3rd in $2.2K NLHE – Warm Up at the Merit Poker Gangster Series for $75,500
2nd in A$5K NLHE – 8-Max Action Clock at the WPT Australia for A$77,618
2nd in £2.2K NLHE – High Roller at the UKIPT Nottingham – Grand Final for £36,700
8th in WPT Rolling Thunder Main Event for $43,800
6th in $3K NLHE at the Wynn Millions Poker Series for $27,004
2024: A Year To Watch Out For Ankit Ahuja
As of March 2024, Ahuja has $2,627,746 in live earnings and is ranked 4th on India all-time money list. 2024 has emerged as a crowning chapter in his journey so far with a string of notable performances, including a 4th place finish for $20,846 in the € 1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Event #2) at EPT Paris in February and another 4th place in the Eureka Main Event (Event #11) for $ 85,111 on March 10. His most recent cash finish came at Irish Open High Roller 8-Max (Event #8) where he finished 14th for $ 9,433.
Ahuja’s triumphs in prestigious tournaments coupled by recent deep finishes underscore his exceptional talent and unwavering dedication to the game. As he continues to dominate the poker felts, he is definitely a rising star in global poker. He has won plenty of admirers for his strategic brilliance and competitive spirit, earning him deep respect among his peers and establishing him as a player to watch out for in 2024 on the international circuit.
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