DPT Xpress 2019: Abhishek Sharma Leads 9-Handed Final Table in ₹15K Main Event, Defending Champion Bhola Sharma in Contention  

Abhishek Sharma & Bhola Sharma
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  • Attreyee Khasnabis March 16, 2019
  • 4 Minutes Read

The second edition of the Deltin Poker Tournament Xpress (DPTX) Sikkim was off to a successful start with the ₹5K Burn N Turn Event pulling in more entries than the previous edition.

On March 15, the ₹15K Main Event took center stage at the picturesque Casino Deltin Denzong. In 2018, the event had attracted 67 entries, this year the total number of entries fell marginally short at 64 entries (including 13 re-entries).

Several familiar faces were seen in the fray including defending champion Bhola Sharma, Shivam Shukla, 2018 DPTX Burn N Turn winner Vivek Anand Baskey, Jasdeep Nagpal, Manjit Jajoo, Anant Purohit, Uttara Mehta, Bollywood actress Minissha Lamba, Babita Agarwal, Rajeev Sachdeva, and the Burn N Turn winner Debashis Bal.

With ₹3.25 Lakhs reserved for the Main Event champion and only the top nine receiving a min-cash of ₹33,840, the race to reach the final table was extremely competitive.

By the time the last hand of the night was dealt, Abhishek Sharma had bagged the overnight chip lead and will be coming back to the nine-player final table later today with an impressive stack of 401,000. Close on his coattails are DPT February ₹15K NLH Bounty winner Sajjan Barnwal (303,000) and seasoned pro-Ankit Jajodia (152,000). Last year’s Main Event winner Bhola Sharma has once made it to the final table with a workable stack of 39,000.

The nine finalists will return later today to play down to a champion.

 

15K Main Event Day 1 Recap

The ₹15,000 buy-in Main Event hit the floors of the Deltin Denzong yesterday. With a starting stack of 20,000, each player could re-enter twice with late registration open till level 6.

By level 2, 42 entries had been registered, and by level 6 a total of 64 entries were clocked in the event. Many notables had also been eliminated along the way, including actress and DPT regular Minissha Lamba. Lamba’s were cracked by Jasdeep Nagpal’s which bettered to two pairs of sevens and fives on the runout .

Minissha Lamba
Minissha Lamba

By level 8, with only 25 runners left in contention, the payouts were announced. The top nine finishers have all assured a payday with a min-cash worth ₹33,840. The eventual winner was to take home ₹3,25,000 in prize money!

Following the elimination of Pema Ladakhi during level 12, the nine-handed final table was formed. Ladakhi fell at the hands of the overnight chip leader Abhishek Sharma when the former’s ran into Sharma’s . The board ran , and Sharma picked up a pair of aces on the turn, as Ladakhi bubbled the tournament and the final table.

Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek Sharma

Sharma amassed a stack of 401,000, taking on the pole position at the end of Day 1, however; he will face fierce competition on the final table which features quite a few well-known names. Right on Sharma’s coattails is online phenom and recent DPT title winner Sajjan Barnwal. Though Barnwal is mostly noted for his online escapades, he more than proved his mettle when he took down the ₹15K NLH Bounty event in the DPT February edition held at the Casino Deltin Royale in Goa. He bagged a stack of 303,000 in the Main Event and will be looking to win his second DPT title of the year.

Behind Barnwal is yet another veteran pro – Ankit Jajodia. Jajodia recent exploits on the live felts include his sixth-place finish in the Kickoff ₱3M GTD Event at 2018 Manila Megastack 10 for ₱46,100 (₹60,514). With a stack of 152,000, he too will be a player to watch out for.

Ankit Jajodia
Ankit Jajodia

Defending champion Bhola Sharma also made the cut for the final table. Last year, he had battled a field of 67 entries to take down his maiden live title for ₹3.40 Lakhs. This time though he is one of the shorter stacks in the field with only 39,000 in chips, he may be able to stage a comeback and collect his second title win.

Bhola Sharma
Bhola Sharma

It was exciting to see several female poker players at the event, including the likes of Minissha Lamba, Babita Agarwal, and Uttara Mehta, indicating the rise in popularity of poker among women players. However, the lone female player to reach the final table was Radhika Shankar who will come in later today with the shortest stack of 18,000.

The nine finalists will make a final attempt to capture the coveted Main Event title when play resumes later today. The ₹10K Bounty event is also slated to kick-off today.

DPT Xpress ₹15K Main Event Final Table
DPT Xpress ₹15K Main Event Final Table

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Abhishek Sharma – 401,000

2. Sajjan Barnwal – 303,000

3. Ankit Jajodia -152,000

4. Jasdeep Nagpal – 143,000

5. Anish Kumar – 88,000

6. Anish Suri – 75,000

7. Sanchit Pandey – 59,000

8. Bhola Sharma – 39,000

9. Radhika Shankar – 18,000

Content & Images Courtesy: Online Poker News, India

Keep following PokerGuru for more exciting updates from the 2019 DPTX Sikkim!

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