The inaugural Asian Poker Festival (APF) 2023, hosted at the Royal Poker Club in Hanoi, Vietnam, concluded on December 13. Team India made an impactful statement, securing 37 cash finishes that included 11 final table appearances and three trophies. India’s Amit Kaushik secured runner-up finish in the APF Main Event and walked away with VN₫ 1.879 Billion ( INR 64.52 Lac), which happens to be his best live score. The event was shipped by Vietnam’s Minh Anh Nguyen for VN₫ 2.681 Billion.
Young talent Pratibh Saluja, a former DPT champion, took down Event #25: Hyper Turbo III Closer after outplaying a field of 19 competitors. The win marked his second live title and he took home VN₫ 31.684 Million (INR1.08 Lakhs) for the same. Finishing runner-up to him was another Indian player in Samyau Jain who finished second and walked away with VN₫ 27.315 Million (INR 93,442).
Another noteworthy performance came from DPT November 2022 Main Event champion Abhishek Paul, who shined in Event #18: Mini Main Closer, finishing fifth for VN₫ 159 Million (INR 5.44 Lakhs).
Shivam Shukla (18th for VN₫ 12.20 Million), Jasven Saigal (20th for VN₫ 12.20 Million), USOP Da Nang Mystery Bounty Rush winner Vinay B (38th for VN₫ 7.80 Million), Raju Jaruplavath (44th for VN₫ 6.80 Million), and the Hyper Turbo III Closer champion Pratibh Saluja (51st for VN₫ 5.80 Million) were the other Indian challengers to notch up in the money finishes at the recently-concluded series.
Pocket52 Team Pro Raghav Bansal finished third in Event #21: Crazy Pineapple, winning VN₫ 15.76 Million (INR 53,913). The event was won by China’s Li Jaming for a prize of VN₫ 42.90 Million.
India`s Harsh Bubna (18th for VN₫ 17.50 Million), Rubin Labroo (19th for VN₫ 17.50 Million), and Shivam Shukla (22nd for VN₫ 14 Million) scored ITM finishes in Event #22: Superstack Closer.
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Images Credit: Asian Poker Festival
