GPI India POY: Top 5 Players Of 2018 & Where Were They In 2017?

Poker is consistently growing in India with numerous men and women joining the game. Indian players have been performing really well, not only in domestic tournaments but also in international poker events. This year in particular has been amazing, as many of our players have been able to climb up the GPI India POY. While there were many who achieved big this year, we have picked up only top 5 players, who include Nipun Java (1st), Raghav Bansal (2^nd), Aditya Agarwal (3rd), Kunal Patni (4^th) and Kalyan Chakravarthy (5^th). Here is a look at their current 2018 GPI India POY ranks:

1# Nipun Java – 1,782.47 Points

Originally from Delhi and currently living in the US, Nipun Java continues to top the chart this year as well. Currently, the player holds 1,782.47 points to lead GPI India POY 2018. This year has been all good for Java, as the player has achieved some notable cashes across various world-famous tournaments. Currently sitting at the 2nd place in India’s All Time Money List, he started the year in style by finishing 5^th for $13,612 in the A$1,025 + 125 PLO event at the 2018 Aussie Millions Poker Championship, Melbourne in January. His biggest cash of the year came when he finished 12^th for a hefty $69,926 in the $ 25,500 NLH High Roller at the 2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, Hollywood in August. His second biggest score of the year came in the $1,500 + 100 NLH Championship at The Wynn Summer Classic, Las Vegas where he finished 14^th for $28,143. Java’s biggest score till date is $270,509, while his total live earnings are estimated upto $2,483,794.

2# Raghav Bansal -1,724.46 Points

Currently holding 4^th place in India’s All Time Money List, Bansal ranks 2^nd in GPI India POY. He has achieved several notable scores this year. In February, he finished 4^th in the HK$ 76k + 4k NLH High Roller at the APPT Macau Poker Cup 2018, earning his biggest score of the year – $108,124. His second biggest cash of the year came when he finished 21^st for a hefty $40,898 at the 2018 WSOP Millionaire Maker. While Bansal’s total live earnings amount to $977,233, his biggest score is $335,910, which he got for his 2^nd place finish in the 2017 PokerStars Championship High Roller, Macau.

3# Aditya Agarwal – 1,679.75 Points

Poker Stars Team Pro – Aditya Agarwal retains his 3^rd place in the GPI India POY 2018 with a total of 1,679.75 points. Agarwal has been impressive all through this year. He started the year by cashing out for $ 2,046 in the HK$ 7,200 + 800 NLH Baby Dragon at the Macau Poker Cup 28 and then went on to notch up his career-best $242,211 in the APPT Macau Main Event where he finished runner-up in March this year. His second biggest cash came when he finished 27^th for $35,819 in the 2018 WSOP Monster Stack. Some other notable scores he achieved at this year’s WSOP included a 717^th finish for $19,900 in the WSOP Main Event and a 73^rd finish for $ 6,365 in WSOP’s The Closer event. His best live score till date is $242,211, while his total live earning amount to $1,035,124.

4# Kunal Patni – 1,476.33 Points

Adda52 Team Pro – Kunal Patni ranks 4^th in the GPI India POY with a total of 1,476.33 points this year. Currently sitting at 7^th place in India’s All Time Money List with $419,220 in total live earnings, the player started the year with a bang by finishing runner-up in the € 1,350 + 150 NLH WPTDeepStacks – Berlin for his biggest live cash of $115,819. Some of his other key scores this year included a runner-up finish for $ 2,313 in the DPT Colossus 25K NLH Bounty in April, a 196^th place finish in the WSOP Millionaire Maker and a 16^th place finish for $10,740 in the WPT500 Aria. His most recent scores include $18,064 for a 2^nd place finish in the ₱ 22,500 + 2,500 No Limit Hold’em – 6 Handed Shot Clock at the APPT Manila and $5,388 for his 3^rd place finish in the WPT India Kickoff.

5# Kalyan Chakravarthy – 1,433.70 Points

Kalyan Chakravarthy, who was not even in top 50 last year, has jumped to 5^th place in GPI India POY rankings this year. Currently sitting at 8^th place in India’s All Time Money List, the young gun has been in amazing form in 2018. He started the year with a 24^th place finish in the HK$ 1,800 + 200 NLH Kickoff at the APPT Macau Poker Cup 28 in January and then followed up that score with a 2^nd place finish in the Doupai Cup Main Event to claim $76,680, his second biggest score of the year. His career-best $147,233 came in June this year when he won the MonsterStack at the DeepStack Championship Poker Series, Las Vegas. His most recent score was $52,503, which he got recently by shipping the WPT India High Roller and took his total live earnings to an impressive $350,779.

Where Were These Players In The 2017 GPI India POY Rankings? Here Is A Quick Look: