The luxurious Pullman Grand Hotel Hai Phong, which will host the 2024 U Series of Poker (USOP) Grand Finale, is set to be a big one for poker in Asia. This year has seen 13 days of fierce competition and served to highlight the passion for ultimate across the region. And all the exciting poker action unfolded with Team India making a statement in between. The USOP Grand Finale was a series of events, part of the largest poker series ever hosted in Vietnam. Players coming from around the world. Ankit Bhansali too made a mark with his career-best VN₫ 724 Million (~₹24.15 Lakhs), which he took home along with the Event #27: VN₫ 10 Million Midweek Superstack title. Another big win but this time for India at the OPL online series circuit_OPN India.
Online Poker News: Ankit Bhansali’s Historic Win
Ankit Bhansali wins in the Midweek Superstack, capturing his fine poker skills. Bhansali looked forward to playing the USOP Grand Finale after having already tasted glory at the Deltin Poker Tournament Goa early in 2018. Recently, he won his first-ever live tournament title in Goa at the DPT Grand ₹35K NLH Bounty event that infused him with the confidence to take on the competition in Vietnam.
Wednesday was a busy day in the Midweek Superstack, and 465 entries were seen in this event to make for another massive prize pool! Throughout the tournament, Bhansali was on his A-game and leveraged great strategy, supported by fortune, to climb up the leaderboard. He had tasted success during the tournament, and when the final table began, he was raring to go.
The win, however, wasn’t going to be straightforward. The ultimate rivalry was consequently decreased to a heads-up battle between 2 of probably the most recognised Indian poker gamers: Vaneet ‘Vitamin1986’ Pournima Bhansali taking over Kunal ‘charbatya’ Patni. Patni, who had won the USOP Hanoi 2023 Event #34: VN₫ 66 Million High Roller—the Finale earlier in the series—was one of the strongest contenders considering his highly experienced tournament record. He had already made two other final tables and a couple of other deep runs in this series.
Ankit Bhansali: The Heads-Up Showdown
It was a close heads-up battle between Ankit Bhansali and Patni. The India-verse poker pros Bhola and Renu were respectively locking in their nerves against the other. Patni, unflappable and clinical, was certainly no pushover. Yet, Bhansali is a stiff opponent on the international poker front despite being quite fresh on it.
The air in the grand ballroom of the Pullman Hotel crackled as the chips flew back and forth. However, both of the Indian players arrived at a deal to lessen the variance in the heads-up play and end up taking big winnings back home. But in the end, it was Bhansali who won, taking a victory and the majority of that prize pool home for himself. His title marked the first career USOP Ultimate heads-up victory and made him the first Indian player to win a Grand Finale title of 2018.
So, Ankit Bhansali’s victory was a huge breakthrough not only for himself but also for the whole poker scene in India. It further consolidated India’s ground in the poker realm. This was the country’s fourth USOP title win in 2024, a testament to how India spearheads Asian poker.
Patni’s Strong Performance
Although Ankit Bhansali won the show, Patni was no less in terms of his performances. Combined with his successful USOP Grand Finale campaign, this score helped Kumar rake in a total of VN₫ 1.358 billion (₹45.30 lakhs) from the series so far, making him the top-earning Indian player at the event. Patni was consistent all through the series. More importantly, he ran deep in multiple WPT events, making numerous final tables, indicating both his skill and experience. While he was unable to take the championship this time, his impressive play announced him as one of the best players in his region.
Another Indian Win at the USOP
It wasn’t only Ankit Bhansali and Patni who stood out among Indians in the USOP Grand Finale. There were other members of Team India who also delivered great performances, showing Indian poker has a vast range of talent. Some of the highlights we give an overview.
- Aditya Sushant – Finished 10th in Event #16: VN₫ 20 Million Mini Main Event for VN₫ 241,000,000 (~₹8.04 Lakhs)
- Siddharth Karia- 14th Place- Event #16: VN₫ 20 Million Mini Main Event (VN₫ 181,630,000 – ~₹6.04 Lakhs)
- Ashish Munot: 4th- Event #29: VN₫ 14 Million Big Stack for VN₫ 102.50 Million (~ ₹3.42 Lakhs)
- Ritwik Khanna—9th place in Event #29: VN₫ 14 Million Big Stack, Buy In = VN₫ 40 million (~ ₹1.33 L)
- Kartik Ved: 4th in Event #25: VN₫ 22 Million Mini High Roller for VN₫98.20 Lakhs (~ ₹3.28 Lakhs)
These performances underline the increasing influence of Indian players in these global poker events. Team India once again proves its mettle on the global poker marquee, and with so many deep runs and successful finishes.
Conclusion
The 2024 USOP Grand Finale, taking place in Hai Phong, has been a game changer for the Indian poker community. India is back at it again!With Ankit Bhansali winning first place in Event #27: VN₫ 10 Million Midweek Superstack, the emerging powerhouse Udith A makes another resounding statement in the Asian poker scene. Bhansali winning this, along with other strong performances from players like Kunal Patni, Aditya Sushant, and Siddharth Karia, only reinforces the fact that India is a poker superpower.
With the USOP Grand Finale ongoing, Team India will be eager to pick up a few more titles and cashes to their name. Whether that future will see more Devesh or a player of comparable class remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: India has never been in better hands when it comes to talent, desire, and the love for the game. This win for Ankit Bhansali is just the start of an exciting poker journey and will hopefully serve as an inspiration for all other budding poker players in the country.
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