Yesterday was a big day for Indian poker as Team India at the 2019 International Federation of Match Poker (IFMP) Asian Nations Cup outlasted all the other teams in competition to become the latest Asian Nations Cup champions! Team India comprising of Tanmay Bagga, Rishab Jain, Aditya ‘Bitti’ Agarwal, Prateek Mishra, Krina Gala, Taran Mundkar and Gaurav Gala (Captain) was a strong contender right from Day 1 and all through Day 3. When the team topped the leaderboard at the end of Day 2, they had ensured their way to the World Championship in Peru just next month. The journey was topsy-turvy though, the Indians eventually came out on top leaving Taiwan behind.
A total of 9 teams participated in this tournament running from 5-8 November in Taiwan to battle it out for the top 5 spots in the World Championships to be held in Peru. These 9 teams included India, Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, Korea, Israel, Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan. Finally, it was Team India that came out on top to bring home the title of the Asian Nations Cup Champions!
Commenting on the success of Team India, President of the Indian federation – Varun Goenka said “This is a dream come true and I’m still struggling to wrap my head around what this incredible team has achieved. All credit goes to the players and captain Gaurav Gala for doing something absolutely monumental for poker in India. They are all superstars – this is a day we will all remember and cherish forever. They have made history and are now fully focused on doing their best and representing India with pride at the Nations Cup Final in Peru next month. I couldn’t be more proud.”
Team India had qualified 2 days earlier, but they battled it out for the title yesterday. The top four teams – India, Taiwan, Australia, and Singapore were fighting for the Asian Nations Cup, while the bottom five teams – Korea, Israel, Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan were competing for the seat on the “Road to Peru.” While Team Israel fought hard, it was Team Korea who eventually shined and they will be joining the top four teams in Lima (Peru) for the World Championship next month.
The top four teams – India, Singapore, Australia, and Taiwan played five sessions of 60 hands each.Team India’s road to victory was a roller-coaster ride. After first session, Team India was in the third spot, while the host nation Team Taiwan was on the top of the table with 172.5 points. The second session was played and Team India was still third, with Australia being on top with 166 points.
The third session saw Australia maintain their top spot with 157.5 points, with Team India making a strong comeback and improving to a second place with 154.5 points. During the fourth session, Team India got ahead and finally snatched the top spot from Team Australia, securing 175 points. Team India continued their momentum and dominated their rivals to end the final session with 763.5 points. And this sealed the victory for them. Taiwan gave India a tough fight, but ultimately ended as runner-up with 756.5 points, while Team Australia secured the third spot with 750 points.
| Rank | Team | Chips | Points |
| 1 | India | -67420 | 763.5 |
| 2 | Taiwan | +67885 | 756.5 |
| 3 | Australia | +20353 | 750 |
| 4 | Singapore | -20818 | 730 |
Player of the Tournament!
Korea’s Lim Yohwan who dominated Individual rankings for a majority of Day 2 and was spectacular on Day 3 as well was awarded the “Player of the Tournament’. From Team India, Prateek Mishra was one of the best performers as he finished 8th in the individual rankings with 75,521 chips.