With PokerBaazi’s ₹60 Crore GTD Indian Poker Masters (IPM) and Junglee Poker’s ₹12+ Crore GTD Azadi Series (AS), August 11 2024 proved to be a historic day in the August 11 2024 poker landscape. Virtual tables ablaze. Nine players, rare for Sunday events, crossed the million-rupee milestone on that day, not one or two.
Advait Rajguru Claims Title for Big Value IPM#57
Advait Rajguru led the charge and performed exceptionally in IPM#57 Big Value at Poker Baazi. Attracting a large field of 7,571 entrants, this tournament offered a 4 Crores prize fund. Following a heads-up transaction, Rajguru emerged triumphant from this large audience, collecting his maiden IPM title and a life-changing ₹45.18 Lakhs. Thanks to outstanding results in three more IPM events, his Sunday income jumped to a fantastic ₹45.49 Lakhs.
Key Achievements
- #2 in the 2024 Player of the Year (POY) race
- Crossed ₹9 Crores in lifetime winnings
- Surpassed ₹3 Crores in lifetime profits
- Broke ₹50 Lakhs in monthly winnings
- Topped August rankings
- #1 in weekly rankings
- #6 on the ₹1 Crore GTD IPM Leaderboard
Stellar Runner-Up Finish from Praveen Rana
Though he missed the top mark in the IPM#57 Big Value, Praveen Rana still had a day to remember and left with a career-best ₹34.82 Lakhs from the same heads-up deal. Reaching #2 in the August rankings, this performance was about 3.5 times his previous best win.
Rana’s Online Stats:
- Lifetime Winnings: ₹1.19 Crores
- Lifetime Profits: ₹44.76 Lakhs
- Titles Won in August 11 2024: #4
- Monthly Winnings: ₹35.85 Lakhs
- Monthly Profits: ₹32.57 Lakhs
Puneet Mishra and Sahil Mahboobani shine
Puneet Mishra, too, made a big impression, ranking third in the IPM#57 Big Value and earning ₹20 Lakhs. Sahil Mahboobani kept up his outstanding performance, gathering ₹21.40 Lakhs from four deep runs, including a runner-up result in AS#52 Mini Main Event and a fourth-place finish in IPM#57 Big Value.
Mahboobani’s Notable Results:
- 4th in PokerBaazi’s IPM#57 Big Value for ₹15 Lakhs
- 6th in Junglee Poker’s AS#52 Mini Main Event for ₹6.10 Lakhs
The Big Comeback of Yash Gupta
Winning Poker Baazi’s ₹1.50 Crores GTD IPM#55 Mini Main Event, Yash Gupta returned remarkably in form. Following an extended break, Gupta’s victory in this event brought him ₹22.50 Lakhs, the biggest win of his career. His entire Sunday gains from his extra money in the IPM#58 (6-Max) Turbo came to ₹22.58 Lakhs.
Gupta’s Achievements:
- 1st in PokerBaazi’s IPM#55 Mini Main Event for ₹22.50 Lakhs
- 179th in PokerBaazi’s IPM#58 (6-Max) Turbo for ₹7,981
- Saurabh Rohila and Raghavendra Hada Make Waves
Renowned for his prowess in public events, Saurabh Rohila came in second-place in the IPM#55 Mini Main Event with a huge ₹13.13 Lakhs. Celebrated for his IPC 2019 Head Hunter win, Raghavendra Hada transformed a ₹1,150 satellite entry into a career-best ₹9.83 Lakhs third-place result in the same event.
Hada’s Notable Results:
- 3rd in PokerBaazi’s IPM#55 Mini Main Event for ₹9.83 Lakhs
- 780th in PokerBaazi’s IPM#57 Big Value for ₹17,200
The dominance of Rubin Labroo on IPM#52 Afternoon Value
Fresh off his triumph at the IPM#1 Kick-Off, Rubin Labroo proved his mettle by winning IPM#52 Afternoon Value. Labroo fought through 1,832 candidates to take ₹9 Lakhs from a reward fund of ₹60 Lakhs. This victory ranked fourth-best of 2024 and his eighth-highest career score.
Labroo’s Sunday Achievements:
- 1st in PokerBaazi’s IPM#52 Afternoon Value for ₹9 Lakhs
- 52nd in PokerBaazi’s IPM#57 Big Value for ₹44,661
- 107th in PokerBaazi’s IPM#56 Monsterstack for ₹10,272
Rising Star Ritwik Khanna and Notable Artists
Bagging ₹9.13 Lakhs from five deep runs, Ritwik Khanna almost missed the Sunday millionaires’ club but still had a major influence. Winning Poker Baazi’s IPM#56 Monsterstack for ₹9.63 Lakhs, Shobhit Jaju also had a great night.
Notable Results by Khanna:
- 7th in PokerBaazi’s IPM#57 Big Value for ₹6 Lakhs
- 6th in PokerBaazi’s IPM#56 Monsterstack for ₹1.78 Lakhs
- Adda52 and Junglee Poker Standout Performers
While Satya Pal Verma won the Sunday Showdown for ₹2.72 Lakhs, Adda 52’s Sunday Head Hunter saw Shivam Shukla triumphing for ₹4.76 Lakhs. AS#53 Sunday Special Knockout Mini from Junglee Poker saw Bharath Kumar bring home ₹1.86 Lakhs.
Other Notable Finds:
- Vinay B took home Sunday Supreme from Spartan Poker for ₹1.88 Lakhs.
- Ashish Nailwal placed second in the IPM#58 (6-Max) Turbo for ₹4.54 Lakhs.
Conclusion
In the Indian poker scene, August was a historic success, with notable wins and career-best scores across several events. The best performers were Advait Rajguru and Praveen Rana; other players, including Yash Gupta, Saurabh Rohila, and Rubin Labroo, showed remarkable ability. The day underlined the active and competitive character of the Indian poker scene, so raising great expectations for the next tournaments.
