It was truly a sensational week on the virtual felts with PokerBaazi’s INR 35 Crore GTD WPT India Online series and several other massive guaranteed tournaments gracing the online felts. While we saw over a dozen players walk away with massive online scores throughout the week, the biggest winner of the week once again emerged from Natural8 India where Shreyansh Sharma conquered the Bounty Hunters HR Main Event 525 to win a career-best INR 1.54 Crores. The second biggest score of the week belonged to poker prodigy Nitin Rawat, who shipped PokerBaazi’s WPT#88 Main Event, earning a massive INR 63.50 Lakhs and the coveted WPT trophy. Here is a quick look at the top three stories of the mega week.
Shreyansh Sharma Clinches INR 1.54 Crore Victory On Natural8 India
A rising star in India’s poker scene, Shreyansh Sharma has been in sublime form of late. Sharma, who made headlines for his INR 51.45 Lakhs mystery bounty haul in the Sunday Showdown 108 last November, once again showcased his strategic brilliance this past Sunday night, topping a monstrous field of 2,870 players in the Bounty Hunters HR Main Event 525 and bagging a staggering INR 1.54 Crores – his career-best score.
Not content with just victory, Sharma went on to record cash finishes in two more tournaments, adding another INR 1.76 Lakhs and taking his Sunday earnings to a mind-blowing INR 1.57 Crores to make him the top scorer of the week. After the latest epic performance, Sharma’s yearly winnings on Natural8 India reached a whopping INR 2.71 Crores, while his total online winnings across all platforms for 2024 soared to over INR 4.33 Crores.
Nitin Rawat Wins WPT Main Event For A Life-Changing INR 63.50 Lakhs
Over to PokerBaazi, the 35 Crore GTD WPT India Online series concluded in style, paying out a whopping INR 7.45 Crores in prizes across five flagship events on its final day. The crown jewel of the day was the 5 Crore GTD WPT#88 Main Event, which drew in a colossal field of 2,425 entries over eight flights and saw 240 players compete for the title on Day 2. Following several hours of fierce battles, Nitin Rawat emerged as the champion. He overcame Divanshu Khurana in a gripping heads-up, claiming a life-changing INR 63.50 Lakhs and the coveted WPT trophy.
Along with deep runs in two more tournaments, Rawat raked in a huge INR 64.27 Lakhs, making him the second-biggest scorer of the week. Khurana took home INR 35.54 Lakhs for his runner-up finish in the INR 25k buy-in tourney. The event also saw Prithviaditya Singh make it to the podium. He took home a career-best INR 23.46 Lakhs for his 3rd-place finish.
The WPT#88 Main Event’s final table was a star-studded affair, featuring the likes of Shrikant ‘Baphomet’ Sanjay Pradhan (4th for INR 19.08 Lakhs), seasoned pro Raghav ‘thatssosick’ Bansal (5th for INR 15.34 Lakhs), and Vikhyat ‘supersaiyan57’ Ahlawat (6th for INR 12.65 Lakhs).
Munjal, Purohit & Malik Among Other Prominent Scorers of The Week
Among other big winners of the week crowned on Sunday was Avneesh Munjal, who capped off his stellar run in PokerBaazi’s WPT India Online series with a victory for INR 17.28 Lakhs in the WPT#87 Championship. The win also earned the prestigious WPT Player of the Series title and a hefty 10 Lakhs bonus, soaring his Sunday earnings to INR 27.97 Lakhs.
On Thursday, it was online MTT crusher Anant Purohit who stole the show with a massive INR 20.04 Lakhs for his 4th-place finish in Natural8 India’s Bounty Hunter HR 525. He also notched a podium finish in Poker Baazi’s WPT#67 Super High Roller, earning him a hefty INR 10.95 Lakhs and capping off the day with a jaw-dropping INR 30.98 Lakhs in winnings. Another player who made heads turn was none other than the long-time pro Akash Malik. Battling against a 6,588-entry field in Sunday Showdown 108 on Natural8 India, Malik notched up a runner-up finish and took home an impressive 27.37 Lakhs – his largest score on the platform so far.
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