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Aditya Sushant Pulls Off Hero Call in National Poker Champion Stream

PokerBaazi has been outdoing itself in recent months when it comes to big guarantees and unique, innovative ways to promote the game of poker in India. From getting Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor as their brand ambassador to putting up hoardings across the country and releasing several brand films on digital platforms and television, they’ve been doing it all.

National Poker Champion 2025

One of the biggest poker events in India’s history was the National Poker Series, which concluded in March 2025, with over ₹100 Crore given away in prize money. The cherry on the cake was the National Poker Champion live stream on JioHotstar between 13th to 17th April 2025, where 12 top players from different states were selected to compete in multiple poker formats in a tournament-style event shot at Goa’s Novotel Resort & Spa.

The State Leaderboard format added an extra layer of excitement for players, with the National Poker Champion also earning his state the chance to play in the first-ever ₹1 Crore freeroll. On the first day, there were two 6-Max No-Limit Hold’em matches. Each player began with a starting stack of 50,000 chips, with blinds increasing every 20 minutes. A point system was in place for this hybrid tournament format, with the following distribution for the first event:

1. 1st place: 110 points
2. 2nd place: 80 points
3. 3rd place: 50 points
4. 4th place: 30 points
5. 5th place: 10 points
6. 6th place: -10 points

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ALSO READ: National Poker Series (NPS) 2025 State Wide Toppers

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Aditya Sushant Hero Call

Representing Tamil Nadu was none other than Aditya Sushant, and he would’ve entered as one of the most feared players at the table due to his impressive live poker résumé. The now 35-year-old is India’s first-ever WSOP gold bracelet winner and boasts several notable live poker accomplishments from around the world. He started strong with a big pot against Wilson Yomso in the very first hand and continued to dominate throughout.

After a couple of eliminations, Sushant remained quiet for a while until a pivotal moment in the game. He was playing a hand against Uttar Pradesh’s Vikhyat Ahlawat when he pulled off a brilliant hero call on the river. Ahlawat missed his gutshot straight and held nothing but 5-high. With a significantly larger stack, he bet 40,000, covering Sushant’s final 22,500 chips.

Watching the live stream, we knew Sushant’s K3 of diamonds was the better hand, but he had no way of knowing that in the moment. While it would’ve been an easy fold for most players, Aditya Sushant took his time and used his time banks as he contemplated making the call. With nothing but K-high himself, he stared at his opponent, thought deeply, and asked what he had.

 

There must’ve been something in Ahlawat’s response that tipped him off, because Aditya Sushant made the call immediately after. The commentators, as well as others at the table, were astonished by the decision — but this moment showcased exactly why Sushant is considered one of the best poker players in India. Not many would’ve made that call, but he did so successfully, considerably chipping up in the process.

Sushant’s King-high call wasn’t just the talk of the next 30 minutes — we believe it’ll be remembered as one of the standout moments of the National Poker Champion stream. We’ll be watching the rest of the stream with plenty of intent going forward. For all updates on the series, stay tuned to GutshotMagazine.com.

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