Records Fall as Nikunj Jhunjhunwala Wins WPT India Main Event

November 21st, 2018 | by Kaycee James

The second World Poker Tour (WPT) India main event has surpassed expectations and allowed Nikunj Jhunjhunwala to walk away with a top prize worth $92,660.

Nikunj Jhunjhunwala has won the second WPT India main event for more than $92,000. (Image: World Poker Tour/Flickr)

Taking place on the Deltin Royale cruise liner docked in the bay of Goa, the $770 tournament attracted a record field of 697. By beating 2017’s total number of entires by 170, the prizepool was pushed to a previously unmatched $506,237.

With more people anteing up than ever before, Jhunjhunwala’s route to victory was anything but smooth. Heading into the final table, the Indian player found himself in the middle of the pack and needing to produce something special.

Jhunjhunwala Secures WPT India Title

After finding his way through the early stages of the finale, Jhunjhunwala moved himself in a position to take on Sahil Mahboonbani heads-up. However, with a 3:1 chip deficit during the final showdown, the eventual champion was forced to use his opponent’s weakness to get the upper hand.

“I just wanted to give it some time, get a feel for the player, and then start making some moves. It’s better for me to be playing post-flop than preflop as compared to these online players where his forte is, he is out-and-out an online player,” Jhunjhunwala told the WPT’s live reporting team after his win.

The final hand of the WPT’s latest venture in India saw Mahboobani move all-in from the small bling with K♣8♠. With the pot odds on his side, Jhunjhunwala called with 9♠5♠ and watched as the board ran out Q♦10♦5♥9♦8♣.

In closing out the 2018 WPT India main event, Jhunjhunwala banked his biggest ever tournament win and almost $1,000 more than 2017’s winner, Vikash Mantri.

WPT Indian Main Event Result

1^st Nikunj Jhunjhunwala – $92,660

2^nd Sahil Mahboobani – $64,981

3^rd Vidur Singhal – $41,896

4^th Deepak Singh – $30,821

5^th Hidangmayum Somesh – $23,504

6^th Akshay Nasa – $18,728

7^th Amit Jain – $15,515

8^th Kanishk Upreti – $12,345

9^th Harsh Dembla – $9,273

WPT Looking Ahead to 2019

As the main event wrapped up in Goa, the tournament team at WPT HQ were busy publishing 2019’s H2 schedule. Following on from the recent announcement regarding its Partypoker Live collaboration, the organization outlined next year’s marquee events.

In addition to stops in the UK, Russia, Spain and Canada, the WPT will travel across the US, ending its 16^th season with the Tournament of Champions inside the Aria, Las Vegas, on June 1.