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National Poker Series 2025: Zarvan Tumboli Leads Maharashtra to a Historic 120-Medal Sweep!
“A man with money is no match against a man on a mission.” – Late Doyle Brunson
Aptly said by the legendary 10-time bracelet winner.
The just-concluded National Poker Series India 2025 was the BIGGEST EVER online Poker spectacle in India and kudos to the Indian Poker talents, who played through the 29-day marathon like players on a mission!
The mission for medals, the prestige of victory, and the sheer joy of playing their best hands!
The 2025 edition of the “Olympics of Indian Poker” delivered an unmatched tournament experience, handing out 573 medals, and 108 CR+ through a 29-day schedule of 191 events.
The competition was intense and as the series progressed, more players jumped into the action, winning medals for themselves and their states.
By the time the show ended, a total of 24 states posted medal victories, including Meghalaya and Mizoram that picked one medal each!
Amid the heated competition, one state cast a dominating shadow – Maharashtra, led by none other than the Indian Poker Czar, PokerBaazi Team Pro Zarvan Tumboli!
Maharashtra’s run through the National Poker Series India 2025 was competitive, spirited and spectacular. The state has dominated all the past 4 editions, and it extended its legacy to 2025, breaking its own previous record of 104 medals to ultimately secure a record 120 medals!
The new historical high not just earns Maharashtra the bragging rights of being the most successful state at every National Poker Series India edition, it has set a tall benchmark for years to come.
The intra-state rivalry was also talk of the Poker town. Three days into the series, Zarvan who most thought to be adept primarily in live Poker rose to the challenge. Where players struggle to win a single medal, Zarvan grabbed 3 in 3 days – delivering an unbelievable hat-trick that will be talked about for days to come!
While Zarvan later moved out of the India Leaderboard, he continued his medal spree adding another 3 to his repertoire. Saving the best for the last, the Parsi boy achieved the unthinkable on the final day – he snatched the lead in the Maharashtra Leaderboard after winning a Bronze in the National Poker Series India Golden Rush tournament, once again taking a well-deserved spot on the National Poker Champion (NPC) Leaderboard!
Let’s dive into the medal performances by the Top 3 states!
Maharashtra’s Record-Breaking Performance at the National Poker Series India 2025
“I’m absolutely gonna win it, because I’m ruthless. I sit at the Poker table and my job is to destroy people.” – James Woods
This fierce statement by the dual Emmy and Academy Award winner perfectly embodies Team Maharashtra’s stellar performance at the National Poker Series India 2025 edition where the state’s players dominated the tables in a historic fashion.
35 Gold, 45 Silver, 40 Bronze – 120 medals no less!
Armed with the arsenal of skill, competence and determination to success, Team Maharashtra ruthlessly destroyed the competition on the tables.
Over 51+ players from the state won medals – 19 of them picking at least 2 in the series.
Leading the charge was the exceptional Zarvan Tumboli, who disproved the notion that he was more adept at live Poker. Zarvan bagged his career-first National Poker Series India Gold in the NPS#6 Marathon on February 23, followed by two Silvers in NPS#14 (PLO-6) Megadive and NPS#20 (PLO-5) on consecutive days.
This remarkable achievement made him the only player in the 2025 edition to claim a medal hat-trick. His impressive run continued, culminating in 6 medals and securing 32 points, ultimately pushing state-mate Gopal Bajaj ‘AiDarwin’ off the top spot on the India Leaderboard.
While Zarvan stole the spotlight, other players like Gopal (4 medals), his brother Vishal Bajaj ‘Vishzz’ (3 medals), Tarush Gupta ‘Busterr’ (5 medals), and former WSOP champion Kartik Ved ‘TheInternetKid’ (4 medals) also played pivotal roles, contributing crucial points to Team Maharashtra’s total.
As the series drew to closure, Maharashtra shone on the final Sunday, i.e. March 23rd, sweeping off 2 Gold, 2 Silver:
- Thane’s Karan Sitlani ‘collingwood’– 🥇 Gold – NPS#187 Sunday Smash – 3.23 LAC
- Pune’s Hrishikesh Kulkarni ‘Balanar’ – 🥇 Gold – NPS#188 Sunday Marathon – 11.47 LAC
- Mumbai’s Sriharsha Doddapaneni ‘ivey2’ – 🥈 Silver – NPS#189 Afterparty – 2.20 LAC
- Mumbai’s Pranav Khandalkar ‘MeenakshiSundareshwar’– 🥉Bronze – NPS#189 Afterparty – 1.62 LAC
Another star performer was Pratik Manjrekar who collected the Bronze in the National Poker Series India Main Event, on the final day, banking a solid 60.64 LAC.
Together, they created an unforgettable campaign, solidifying Maharashtra’s place as a powerhouse in the National Poker Series India 2025!
Maharashtra’s Top 5
| Player | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘MomSaid5Bet’ Zarvan Tumboli | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 32 |
| ‘AiDarwin’ Gopal Bajaj | 2 | 2 | – | 4 | 30 |
| ‘Busterr’ Tarush Gupta | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 29 |
| ‘vishzz’ Vishal Bajaj | 2 | 1 | – | 3 | 22 |
| ‘TheInternetKid’ Kartik Ved | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 19 |
Delhi Shines with 86 Medals at National Poker Series India 2025!
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billie Jean King
And that’s exactly what Team Delhi did — standing true to the American former world no.1 Tennis player’s statement – playing like true champions throughout the National Poker Series India 2025!
Delhi made an early mark on the leaderboard with Vinay Rajpal ‘vinay09’ securing the #1 spot after clinching the NPS#7 (7-Max) SPRINT for 3.57 LAC on Day 1. Other strong contenders, including Saahib Bawa ‘Junta’, Anurag Srivastava ‘Rebuy2survive’, and Nitin Rawat ‘Gambler42’, quickly joined the race, delivering standout performances and climbing the ranks.
While Delhi trailed behind Maharashtra during the series, it finished strong in 2nd place, earning a total of 86 medals – 31 Gold, 32 Silver, and 23 Bronze.
Saahib Bawa led the charge, securing the most Golds from Delhi with 4 medals and 35 points. Interestingly, Saahib played very selectively at the series but had a productive haul, with 30.21 LAC from 21 cashes!
One of the highlights for Delhi came on March 20 in the NPS#165 Megadive, where the top three spots were all claimed by Delhi players:
- Drish Aggarwal ‘dpatron’ – 🥇 Gold – 2.75 LAC
- Nikhel Anand ‘Sailor24’ – 🥈 Silver – 1.90 LAC
- Nitin Rawat ‘Gambler42’ – 🥉 Bronze – 1.45 LAC
The icing on the cake was the Delhi’s blockbuster run in the National Poker Series India Main Event where Bhavye Mittal ‘noobnoob’ dominated the show, bagging the Gold and a whopping 94.26 LAC!
On the side, another Delhi player Rahul Lal ‘pokerdoit’ bagged the Silver in the NPS#190 Golden Rush on the final day!
A truly remarkable performance by Team Delhi!
Delhi’s Top 5
| Player | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Junta’ Saahib Bawa | 3 | 1 | – | 4 | 35 |
| ‘Rebuy2Survive’ Anurag Srivastava | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 27 |
| ‘Gambler42’ Nitin Rawat | 2 | – | 3 | 5 | 26 |
| ‘ksc7’ Kabir Chhatwal | 2 | 1 | – | 3 | 25 |
| ‘Rids’ Ridhav Chawla | 2 | 1 | – | 3 | 25 |
Uttar Pradesh – Making Each Run Count – Wins 57 Medals!
“Poker has the feeling of a sport, but you don’t have to do push-ups.” – Penn Gillette
As the American magician and actor-comedian rightly stated, Poker may not require physical push-ups, but the intense mental and strategic discipline needed to succeed at it is nothing short of athletic.
Case in point – Team Uttar Pradesh’s incredible run at the National Poker Series India 2025!
The warriors from the heartland of India competed with fierce intensity, not only taking the challenges head-on to grab the Gold, but also keeping their heads cool through the long grind hours!
With the precision of an eagle, Delhi’s Poker honchos, led by Vikhyat Ahlawat ‘supersaiyan57’ secured 57 medals, including an equal count of 21 Gold and Silver each, as well as 15 Bronze.
Vikhyat was arguably the top performer – he gained crucial points after winning 2 Gold in the first 5 days of the series – climbing into Rank #1. The B.Tech in IT from Indraprastha University is a full-time Poker pro and ultimately won another 2 Silver medals, bringing his medal tally to 4 at the 2025 edition, and 30 points.
Another hot runner was Lucknow’s Bharat Vasan ‘thinkfloyd’ who won 3 medals at the series. Bharat previously owned 6 medals so his total medal tally is now an impressive 9. In 2025, he played the entire schedule, cashing out 132 tournaments to collect 31.87 LAC.
Arush Pratap ‘arush20000’ emerged as a formidable force with a strong performance that included 2 Gold and 1 Silver – his first-ever medal haul!
Nitesh Katiyar ‘batmanpok’ and Abhineet Singla ‘abbubro’ also put out a robust performance collecting medals.
Uttar Pradesh’s Top 5
| Player | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ‘supersaiyan57’ Vikhyat Ahlawat | 2 | 2 | – | 4 | 30 |
| ‘Thinkfloyd’ Bharat Vasan | 2 | 1 | – | 3 | 25 |
| ‘arush20000’ Arush Pratap | 2 | 1 | – | 3 | 25 |
| ‘batmanpok’ Nitesh Katiyar | 2 | 1 | – | 3 | 25 |
| ‘abbubro’ Abhineet Singla | 2 | – | – | 2 | 20 |
The Medal Winning States in 2025: A Complete List
| State | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maharashtra | 35 | 45 | 40 | 120 |
| Delhi | 31 | 32 | 23 | 86 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 21 | 21 | 15 | 57 |
| Karnataka | 21 | 13 | 15 | 49 |
| Haryana | 16 | 15 | 22 | 53 |
| Rajasthan | 10 | 15 | 12 | 37 |
| West Bengal | 10 | 10 | 13 | 33 |
| Tamil Nadu | 11 | 7 | 7 | 25 |
| Gujarat | 7 | 9 | 11 | 27 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 4 | 8 | 3 | 15 |
| Bihar | 5 | 2 | 8 | 15 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 5 | 1 | – | 6 |
| Chandigarh | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Kerala | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| Jharkhand | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Punjab | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Jammu & Kashmir | 2 | 1 | – | 3 |
| Uttarakhand | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Goa | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Manipur | 1 | – | 1 | 2 |
| Chhattisgarh | – | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Himachal Pradesh | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| Meghalaya | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| Mizoram | – | – | 1 | 1 |
The National Poker Series India 2025 marks a significant continuation of India’s growing competitiveness in the world of poker. It highlights the dedication, strategy, and commitment that players across the country are pouring into the mindsport. As we celebrate the incredible talent, skill, and determination of each participant, the excitement is far from over!
The National Poker Champion Showdown is just around the corner, and it’s set to be a thrilling 5-day event in Goa. The stakes are high, and the best players will go head-to-head in what promises to be a showcase of poker at its finest. The question on everyone’s mind is: Who will emerge as the ultimate National Poker Champion of India?
Stay tuned for all the action and exciting updates as the competition heats up and we inch closer to crowning the champion!
