Indian pros are making waves at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Cambodia 2024, which kicked off on January 17 and is scheduled to conclude on January 30. Currently in the spotlight is India’s Aayush Arya. The 26-year old poker prodigy secured his first WPT title at Naga World Integrated Resorts in Phnom Penh. The last year’s DPT High Roller champion emerged victorious in the $550 buy-in Event #18: Deepstack 20/15/10/5, triumphing over a field of 51 entries and claiming a prize of $9,152(INR 7.61 Lakhs). Notably, the victory came on the historic day of Ram Mandir’s consecration in Ayodhya.
This marked India’s first triumph at the ongoing WPT Cambodia, following an impressive 12th-place finish by Amit Kaushik in the Championship WarmUp. Kaushik has also made Day 2 of Event #15: 8 Max Survivor 2K Bounty, having accumulated 170k chips on Day 1A. The event drew in 85 entries for its opening flight, with Malaysia’s Win Meng Tan (702,000 chips) leading the 11 survivors into Day 2.
ALSO READ – WPT CAMBODIA:DHAVAL MUDGAL & SHIVAM SHUKLA MAKE DAY 2 IN MYSTERY BOUNTY
Event #18: Deepstack 20/15/10/5 amassed a total prize pool of $24,735, which was eventually distributed among the top 7 finishers. Securing the runner-up position was Qiuyao Dong, who claimed $5,442, while Van Tuan Nguyen clinched the third spot, earning $3,339. Apart from Arya, India’s Asish Kumar Ghosh also scored, finishing in fifth place and receiving $1,484 for his efforts.
Final Table Payouts (USD)
| 1 | Aayush Arya | $9,152 |
| 2 | Qiuyao Dong | $5,442 |
| 3 | Van Tuan Nguyen | $3,339 |
| 4 | Tola Keo | $2,350 |
| 5 | Asish Kumar Ghosh | $1,855 |
| 6 | Zhun Wang | $1,484 |
Indo-Australian Abhishek Goyal Takes Down Event 16: Megastack
Indo-Australian Abhishek Goyal shone brightly in Event #16: Megastack. He overcame a field of 189 players, winning the title for a massive $12,543. Runner-up Dmitrii Gnusaev walked away with $8,556. India’s Ramprasad Arunagiri (10th for $1,084) also secured a deep finish in the tournament.
The event had a modest buy-in of $300 and generated an impressive $49,499 in prize pool, which was distributed among the top 24 finishers with a min-cash being $458. Here is a quick look at the payouts:
| 1 | Abhishek Goyal | $12,543 |
| 2 | Dmitrii Gnusaev | $8,556 |
| 3 | Brett Kurkjian Sherffler | $5,074 |
| 4 | Guillem Segarra Lopez | $3,086 |
| 5 | Raymond Miego | $2,383 |
| 6 | Oleg Titov | $1,975 |
| 7 | Kei Okutani | $1,683 |
| 8 | Jae Kyung Sim | $1,468 |
| 9 | Ayato Shibata | $1,259 |
| 10 | Ramprasad Arunagiri | $1,084 |
| 11 | Samath Lor | $1,084 |
| 12 | Lars Jurgens | $1,084 |
| 13 | Drasko Boskovic | $916 |
| 14 | Alkhazov Elan | $916 |
| 15 | Pyeonggyu Jin | $916 |
| 16 | Miguel Angel Aguero | $760 |
| 17 | Ivan Chev Tabucal | $760 |
| 18 | John Carlo Sayo | $760 |
| 19 | Christopher Donald H Barclay | $606 |
| 20 | Anh Tai Do | $606 |
| 21 | Xiao Yi Loo | $606 |
| 22 | Markus Albisser | $458 |
| 23 | Steeven Vargas Tan | $458 |
| 24 | Jessie Leonarez | $458 |
Image Credit: SMP and WPT
