Weekly Update April 7 – 14
Following the record-breaking National Poker Series India 2025, all eyes are now on Goa, where the First-Ever National Poker Champion (NPC) showdown is in full swing. This poker spectacle features the Top 12 finishers of NPS India 2025, battling it out for ultimate bragging rights. History is being written as each hand reveals the firepower, flair, and fierce competitive drive of India’s elite.

Haven’t tuned in yet? Catch all the live action now streaming on JioHotstar!

Meanwhile, Week 2 of April saw minimal shake-up at the top of the 2025 Player of the Year (POY) rankings — and that’s because Advait Rajguru aka ‘ExploitativeGTO’ is holding his ground like a true boss!

The Bengaluru-based pro continued to flex his consistency and skill, playing 10 events this past week and cashing in 6. He added 2.97 LAC to his growing tally, taking his 2025 scorecard to a stellar 82.84 LAC, keeping him firmly as The POY Top Gun.

His standout highlights:

  • 2nd in Big PLO-5 for 1.76 LAC on April 10.
  • 3rd in Daily Last Chance for 88K on April 13.

Among the other top-ranked contenders in the 2025 POY Leaderboard race are Delhi’s Ashit Sharma ‘nexus010’ and Rajasthan’s Aman Parakh ‘KarmaPoker’, both sitting strong with 997 points. Close behind them is Haryana’s Mayank Taluja ‘starbhai’ and Tamil Nadu’s Aditya Sushant ‘Gangajal’, each holding 996 points, keeping the competition razor-tight at the top.

The Mega Crusher of the Week is Arsh Grover aka ‘Button_Hai_Bro’ from Ghaziabad Uttar Pradesh, who delivered a red-hot run across the week.

A seasoned live and online pro with titles across Baazi Poker Tour Online (BPTO), Indian Poker Masters (IPM), and PokerBaazi Premier League (PPL), Grover played 18 tournaments, cashed in 8, and final-tabled twice. While his weekly haul of 8.07 LAC makes him the week’s top scorer, Grover’s 2025 winnings range at 51.12 LAC.

His standout highlights:

  • 3rd in The Summit for 3.85 LAC on April 10
  • 3rd in Blockbuster for 3.83 LAC on April 12

The Ace Shot of the Week goes to Muhit Ali ‘Coverkumar’, a 36-year-old filmmaker from Madhya Pradesh who turned his Poker hobby into a headline moment. Ali played his first-ever online tournament on Sunday — the BSS SuperStack — and shipped it for a massive 7.71 LAC, making it the week’s biggest single score. One tournament, one title — a dream debut from behind the camera to the centre of the virtual spotlight!

His week’s standout highlight:

  • Won The Pride for 5.18 LAC on April 9.

Rounding out the highlights is our Poker Supernova, Vikram Jaiswal ‘Supernovaaa’ from Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, who made one of the week’s most explosive leaderboard climbs. Fresh off winning a silver medal at NPS India 2025, Jaiswal shipped The Pride on April 9 for a personal best of 5.18 LAC, jumping 139 ranks to land at POY Rank #30. That’s what you call a true Supernova surge!

The POY TOP 5:

Rank Player Name POY Score
1 ExploitativeGTO Advait Rajguru 998
2 nexus010 Ashit Sharma 997
3 KarmaPoker Aman Parakh 997
4 starbhai Mayank Taluja 996
5 Gangajal Aditya Sushant 996

The following seven factors determine your POY Score:

  • Return on Investment (ROI): Your profits relative to buy-ins, adjusted for the log value of your average buy-in.
  • In the Money (ITM): The number of times you finish in the money, multiplied by the log value of your average buy-in.
  • Tournaments Played: The total number of tournaments you play in 2025.
  • Winnings: Total prize money won in tournaments throughout the year.
  • Final Tables: Number of times you make the final table, multiplied by the square root of participants in those tournaments.
  • 1st Rank: Number of tournament victories, multiplied by the square root of participants.
  • Biggest Score: Your highest single tournament score of the year.

(Disclaimer: Rankings are accurate as of midnight)

Player of the Year