Florida native Mukul Pahuja has established an exceptional head-up in the live poker tournament circuit over the span of two years. Pahuja has made to nine final tables, cashing more than $2.6 million on the road. This week Pahuja out-shined by winning the 2014 World Series of Poker Circuit Harrah’s Atlantic City $1,675 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event. Pahuja made a headway out of 460 entries to win his second WSOP Circuit gold ring and the $148,345 first-place prize.
Mukul Pahuja told WSOP.com “I’ve been feeling great about everything I’ve been doing lately. But a lot of things have to go well as you saw today. A lot of guys got it in really good today and it didn’t work out. There were a lot of good players at this final table, a lot of high-level play and there were some crazy swings.”
Pahuja also secured 720 Card Player Player of the Year points in addition to the title and the money. Though this was Pahuja’s first title of 2014, he also attained a runner-up finish in the World Poker Tour SHR Poker Showdown $5 million guaranteed event, a third-place finish in the WPT Montreal main event and a fourth-place finish in the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star main event. His recent win positioned Pahuja at sixth place in the overall POY standings, with 4,146 points and year-to-date earnings of $1,395,891.
After knocking out five players, Pahuja reached the final table of nine in eighth chip position to make it down to heads-up play against Jake Toole. Pahuja’s head hunting helped him took a 5-to-1 chip advantage into the final showdown. In the last hand of the tournament, Pahuja raised to 120,000 from the button and Toole moved all-in with the club of King and diamond of J. Pahuja made the call with his heart of 5 and club of 5. Both of them played like a classic race till the flop. Ultimately, the board ran out spade of Q, heart of 8, heart of 2, diamond of 4 and spade of 8 thereby earning the pot and the title to Pahuja and sending Toole to the rail as the runner up.