This Week in Poker: November 7 – 13

In the PokerGuru feature ‘This Week in Poker’ we bring to you the weekly round-up of the biggest online scores by Indian MTT players along with the top stories from both the live and online poker circuit.

Here are this week`s top stories

The growth and popularity of poker in Asia have attracted some of the top global brands to the region. With India becoming a hotbed of seasoned and rising poker talents it is not surprising that the country is fast becoming the hunting grounds for domestic and international poker. In this context, the ball has already started rolling. Right after we saw PokerStars partnering with Global Poker League (GPL) India Season 1, which culminated towards the end of October, International Federation of Match Poker (IFMP) returned for Season 3 of Match IPL where the Team Pune Kings emerged victorious.

The stage is now set for one of the most popular international brands that is making a comeback to India. The second edition of the World Poker Tour (WPT) India hits the floors today, at the Casino Deltin Royale in Goa and will conclude on November 19. With a full platter of eight thrilling events on the schedule, the 2018 WPT India has created quite a buzz in the domestic circuit and seems poised to break the attendance records that were set at the 2017 WPT India series that witnessed an unprecedented 1,400 total entries through the series. It is safe to say that in all likelihood, this will be the biggest-ever live tournament series to be hosted in the country.

In anticipation of the soon-to-begin WPT India, the online felts were glittered with action and saw some big names posting big scores including the First Lady of Indian Poker Shuchi ‘pescatarian8’ Chamaria, Young Gun Nadeem ‘Downtownplaya’ Basha, Team PokerStars India pro Muskan Sethi and the latest PSPC Pass winner Sharad ‘sordykrd’ Rao. Claiming the top seat on this list was Zarvan ‘MomSaid5Bet’ Tumboli, who decimated the 295-entry field in the Baazi Super Sunday (BSS) SuperStack ₹15 Lakhs GTD on PokerBaazi and raked in the lion’s share of the prize pool for ₹3 Lakhs. This trailblazing performance by Tumboli makes him our “PokerGuru Star of the Week”.

The online excitement promises to continue as MadOverPoker (MoP)’s Cash Run November Edition gets rolling today. The program offers unlimited milestone-based giveaways, cash-based bonuses and tickets to the Indian Bounty Championship and players have till December 4 to win prizes.MTT grinders also have plenty to choose from at the ongoing35-event Baazi Grinder Series ₹60 Lakhs Special Edition on PokerBaazi.

Industry leader PokerStars has been up and at it recently. Right after announcing its new social game, PokerStars VR, the site also launched another poker variant, Fusion that merges the gameplay of the two popular variants PLO and NLHE.

The company recently announced the schedule for its popular Red Dragon series that will be visiting Jeju, Korea for the very first time from November 30 to December 9 this year.

Additionally, Zynga poker reported a surprise decline in its gaming revenue through Q3 of 2018.

On the domestic front, Indian digital gaming startup Mobile Premier League (MPL) raised₹36.24 Crores ($5 Million) in a Series A funding round while casino vessel Argosy IV bought by Pride Group of Casinos and Hotels from Illinois, US entered Goa waters. The vessel will be used as a temporary replacement for Casino Pride I and II that will undergo repairs.

The question of the legality of poker in India resurfaced once again, as a Mumbai police team raided a Diwali bash hosted by Indian Poker Face (IPF) at the Sea Princess Hotel in Juhu on November 6 and nabbed 135 people who were allegedly gambling and playing card games including poker.

Political standoffs continue in Goa where the Pradesh Congress President Girish Chodankar leveled serious charges against the ruling BJP government, alleging that the government had lost ₹4,000 -₹5,000 Crores in revenue leaks from casino industry and demanding that casino licenses should be auctioned.

With three events at the partypoker Caribbean Poker Party (CPP) currently underway in Nassau, the international live felts are blazing with action. Other series lined up to hit the international poker circuits include the 888poker LIVE London (November 22-December 3), European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague (December 7-18) and partypoker Grand Prix Gala in Rozvadov (December 9-31).

We wrap up this week’s recap with tournament reports from 2018 Aria Fall Madness, WPTDeepStacks Brussels, 2018 Malta Poker Festival (MPF) and the 2018 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) stops at Harveys Lake Tahoe and Choctaw Durant.

Online Railbird Report

The ever-consistentZarvan ‘MomSaid5Bet’ Tumboli overcame a 295-strong entry field in theBSS SuperStack₹15 Lakhs GTD on PokerBaazi, and collected an impressive ₹3 Lakhs in prize money. For this, he is our “PokerGuru Star of the Week”.

Other notable scores of the week include –

Arsh ‘BigggTymeR’ Grover won ₹2.55 Lakhs for 1st place in the 9stacks ‘Sunday Stacks ₹10 Lakhs GTD’

Aditya ‘gangajal’ Sushant won ₹2.40 Lakhs for 1st place in the PokerBaazi ‘The Bout ₹10 Lakhs GTD’

‘serendipity789’ won ₹2.31 Lakhs for1st place in the PokerStars India ‘Highroller ₹10 Lakhs GTD’

‘P$_FI$H’ won ₹1.54 Lakhs for 1st place in the PokerStars India ‘Sunday Special – Progressive KO ₹15 Lakhs GTD’

‘Rick’ won ₹1.25 Lakhs for 1st place in the PokerBaazi‘BSS PLO ₹5 Lakhs GTD’

Shekhar ‘shakyshark’ Singh won ₹1.20 lakhs for 1st place in the PokerBaazi ‘BSS MegaStack₹5 Lakhs GTD’

‘Luckpoker’ won ₹1.05 Lakhs for 1st place in the MadOverPoker‘Rehab ₹5 Lakhs GTD’

‘NightFury5’ won ₹50,809 for 1st place in the PokerStars India ‘The Classic NLHE ₹2 Lakhs GTD’

‘Dr4gonW4rrior’ won ₹47,496 for 1st place in the PokerStars India ‘Sunday Stars ₹2 Lakhs GTD’

Amarjit ‘ninjakar’ Singh won ₹45,000 for 1st place in the MadOverPoker ‘Dyamite’

Rony ‘GoGetters1’ Chowdhury won ₹37,603 for 1st place in the PokerStars India ‘The Classic Progressive KO ₹2.5 Lakhs GTD’

Sriharsha ‘DonkeyCommitted’ Boneni won ₹31,936 for 1st place in the PokerStars India ‘Sunday Storm ₹2 Lakhs GTD’

‘xqwxqw’ won ₹30,750 for 1st place in the PokerStars India ‘Sunday Warm-Up ₹1.5 Lakhs GTD’

Sandeep ‘effuno007’ Varma RS won ₹29,685 for 1st place in the PokerStars India ‘Sunday Supersonic –₹1.25 Lakhs GTD’

Himadri ‘Black Cat’ Pal won ₹28,870 for 1st place in the MadOverPoker ‘Grenade’

‘Madhudacchu’won ₹26,000 for 1^st place in the PokerRaj ‘Nations Cup Qualifier ₹1 Lakh GTD’

Vishal ‘HeyItsme’ Madan won ₹19,477 for 1^st place in the MadOverPoker ‘Recovery ₹1 Lakh GTD’

Hriday ‘Sigma’ Mondal won ₹11,702 for 1st place in the MadOverPoker ‘NightCrawler’

MadOverPoker Cash Run November Edition

Premier online poker portal MadOverPoker (MoP) has announced its Cash Run November Edition, offering unlimited milestone-based giveaways including cash-based bonuses and tickets to the upcoming Indian Bounty Championship. Cash Run November Edition began on November 13 and will continue till December 4.

Read the complete story here.

PokerBaazi Baazi Grinders Series₹60 LakhsGTD Special Edition

The festivities just don’t stop at India’s most trusted online poker site PokerBaazi that has launched its revamped 35-tournament Baazi Grinder Series ₹60 Lakhs Special Edition, to run from November 12-18.

Read the complete story here.

PokerStars Launches New Poker Variant, Fusion Poker

Online gaming giant PokerStars has officially launched a new poker variant, Fusion Poker that combines the game play of two popular variants, PLO and NLHE. Fusion Poker is currently available only in cash game format in global markets, with betting limits ranging from $0.02/$0/$0.05 with a $3 buy-in right up to $25/$50 with a $5,000 buy-in.

Read the complete story here.

Indian Digital Gaming Startup MPL Raises ₹36.24 Crores in Funding

Indian digital gaming startup Mobile Premier League (MPL) has raised ₹36.24 Crores ($5 Million) in a funding round that was led by Venture Capital firm, Sequoia Capital.

Read the complete story here.

Pride Group of Casinos Acquire MV Argosy IV From Illinois

Casino vessel Argosy IV from Illinois, U.S. that has been purchased by the Pride Group of Casinos and Hotels has entered the Goa waters. It will be used as a spare vessel while the company sends its two offshore casino vessels i.e. Casino Pride I and Casino Pride II for repairs.

Read the complete story here.

Goa Congress Demands Auctioning of Casino Licenses

Drawing attention to the casino licensing issue, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president, Girish Chodankar has stated that the government was losing revenue by not holding an auction for the licenses.

Read the complete story here.

Mumbai Police Raid Indian Poker Face (IPF) Diwali Party in Juhu Hotel

Raiding a Diwali bash hosted by Indian Poker Face (IPF) at the Sea Princess Hotel in Juhu on November 6, Mumbai Police detained 135 people for allegedly gambling and playing poker. Police seized ₹3.5 Lakhs in cash, poker chips worth ₹25 Lakhs and booked the arrested under relevant sections of the Bombay Prevention of Gambling Act, 1887.

Read the complete story here.

Congress Alleges Goa Losing ₹4,000 Crores Yearly in Casino Revenue Leaks

Goa Congress President Girish Chodankar has charged the state government of losing ₹4,000-₹5,000 Crores every year due to revenue leakages from the casino industry.

Read the complete story here.

PokerStars Rolls Out PokerStars VR

The much-awaited virtual reality free-to-play social game offering of PokerStars, i.e. PokerStars VR was officially announced. The game seamlessly recreates the live poker environment on the virtual platform.

Read the complete story here.

Melco International Backs Casino Resort Project in Cyprus

Hong-Kong casino giant Melco Resorts and Entertainment is backing an ambitious, $630 Million casino resort project, City of Dreams Mediterranean that is under construction in Cyprus.

Read the complete story here.

Zynga Poker Posts Revenue Drop

Popular free-play online poker site, Zynga Poker has reported disappointing revenue figures in Q3 of 2018, with online gaming revenue sliding down 13% year-on-year.

Read the complete story here.

Israel to Implement New Legislation for Legalizing Poker

After the introduction of a new bill by Israeli parliamentarian Sharren Haskel, Israel is on the path to implement legislation to recognize poker as a game of skill.

Read the complete story here.

Eventus International to Organise Gaming, Entertainment & Tourism Summit (GETS) In Nepal in 2019

Hong Kong-based Eventus International has announced a first-of-its-kind tourism and gaming-focused event, ‘Gaming, Entertainment and Tourism Summit’ (GETS) at the Tiger Palace integrated casino and resort in Bhairahawa, Nepal, scheduled for September 24-25, 2019.

Read the complete story here.

Popular Red Dragon Series Coming to PokerStars LIVE (Jeju) Korea in December

Global poker giant PokerStars has announced the return of the Red Dragon series but this time the popular series will be debuting at PokerStars LIVE in Jeju, Korea on November 30 and will play out a total of 20 events till December 9. The signature Red Dragon event will take place from December 5 to 9.

Read the complete story here.

David Peters Wins Aria $100K Super High Roller

The eight-day long 2018 Aria Fall Madness being hosted at Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas culminated with the $100,000 Super High Roller that was taken down by David Peters for $1,104,000.

David Peters

Read the complete story here.

Danny van Zijp Captures WPTDeepStacks Brussels Main Event

Outlasting a 535-strong field at the WPTDeepStacks Brussels €1,200 Main Event that was hosted at the Grand Casino Village, Danny van Zijp won his career-first WPT title to score his best live cash of €110,000 including a WPTDeepStacks season-ending event package worth €2,000.

Read the complete story here.

Emanuele Onnis Wins the Malta Poker Festival Grand Event

The 2018 Malta Poker Festival (MPF) €500 Grand Event drew 1,366 entries and was won by Italy’s Emanuele Onnis for €150,000.

Read the complete story here.

Scott Sanders Wins 2018 WSOPC Harveys Lake Tahoe Main Event

Outlasting a field of 442 entries, 30-year old San Jose resident Scott Sanders won the 2018 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Harveys Lake Tahoe $1,700 buy-in NLHE Main Event to claim his second WSOPC gold ring and a career-best $147,314.

Read the complete story here.

Josh Vizcarra Wins $400 NLHE at 2018 WSOPC Choctaw Durant

The 2018 WSOPC Choctaw Durant $400 NLHE attracted 164 entries generating a prize pool of $154,120. Taking top honors at the event was Texas native Josh Vizcarra, who won his second Circuit ring along with $14,612 in prize money.

Read the complete story here.

Schuyler Thornton Wins $250 NLHE Double Stack at 2018 WSOPC Choctaw Durant

The $250 WSOP Kickoff event at the 2018 WSOPC Choctaw Durant stop pulled in 507 entries, creating a prize pool of $101,400. Schuyler Thornton emerged victorious and picked up his maiden WSOPC gold ring along with $21,806 in prize money.

Read the complete story here.

Maxwell Young Wins 2018 WSOPE Harveys Lake Tahoe $400 NLHE

Besting 143 entries, Oregon native Maxwell Young won the $400 NLHE (1-Day) at the 2018 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Harveys Lake Tahoe stop for his fourth WSOPC gold ring, and $13,213.

Read the complete story here.

And with this, we conclude this week’s round up of the latest news updates and developments from the world of poker. We will return again next week with our weekly report, stay tuned.