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Who Are Abhinav Iyer’s Top Indian MTT Players?

Poker tournaments in India are growing at a rapid pace. The number of poker tournaments happening today, both online and live, is more than ever before. Naturally, the number of players actively playing in the scene is also at an all-time high.

To understand what the scene looks like and which players are currently dominating the MTTs, we got in touch with India’s first solo World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, Abhinav Iyer. Being one of the most sought-after players himself, Iyer picked his top three favourite MTT players in India.

Who is Abhinav Iyer?

Abhinav Iyer

Abhinav Iyer is a name you’ve most likely heard of when discussing Indian poker and WSOP. Iyer is a Mumbai-based player who was born and brought up in Chennai. It was in Chennai during his early college days when he was introduced to the game. He later moved to Australia for higher education, and that’s when he started playing regularly at Crown Casino. While in Australia, he started playing online too on PokerStars, and since then has never looked back.

In 2019, he played at the WSOP in Las Vegas and won the first-ever solo bracelet for India. Prior to this, Aditya Sushant and Nikita Luther had won WSOP bracelets but in Tag Team events. Iyer took down The Closer event, recording the best Indian score at the WSOP. As per Hendon Mob, he has $1,359,627 in live earnings so far, with $565,346 from the WSOP Closer victory being the highest.

Abhinav Iyer’s Favourite Tournament Players

With a sparkling career in the Indian MTT space himself, here’s who Iyer looks up to as the best MTT players in India.

Aditya Agarwal

Aditya Agarwal

Iyer first picks none other than industry veteran, the Sachin Tendulkar of Indian poker, Aditya Agarwal. One of the Indian poker industry’s greatest players, Agarwal is a name almost everyone knows and looks up to. Agarwal is one of the early poker professionals in the country and has been consistent in this gameplay ever since. He also trains the upcoming players. 

The Bangalore-based player is a regular at the WSOP. Although he does not have a bracelet yet, he has an impressive 53 cashes in the series, accounting to a total earnings of $959,312. He narrowly missed his bracelet after finishing second at WSOP 2022 NLH Freezeout event. Agarwal’s most notable live titles include APT 2012 Main Event and DPT Colossus 2019 Main Event. He recently took down the India Online Poker Championship (IOPC) January 2023 Main Event The Crown.

Ashish Munot

Ashish Munot

Ashish Munot is Iyer’s next pick. Munot has been showing consistent results and efforts that speak for him. Several other pros like Ashish Munot, Abhishekh Goindi, and Paawan Bansal also picked Munot as their top pick.

Munot has $346,670 in live tournament earnings, according to Hendon Mob. He won the World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event held in Panjim, Goa in 2019. In August last year, he grabbed two more prestigious titles – Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) NLH and WPT Prime Cambodia NagaWorld SuperStack 50K in just 10 days.

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ALSO READ: Abhinav Iyer Ships FTS 6.0 Master Table; Wins FREE Package To Las Vegas

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Sriharsha Doddapaneni

Sriharsha Doddapaneni

Last but not least, Iyer picked Sriharsha Doddapaneni. Known for his humility and sheer dedication, Doddapaneni has proved himself time and again with his impressive results.

Doddapaneni has a total of 17 cashes at the WSOP. Apart from that, he is also seen grinding at various international series. Most recently, he was seen making it to the final table of $1,100 BSOP (Brazilian Series of Poker) Bahamas Main Event and finishing for a payday of $9,300 (₹7,58,345). His most successful online record to date is shipping the Highroller and Super Highroller in the same edition of IOPC 2021.

When asked why he specifically picked these three players, Iyer excitedly says, “They are the toughest and fun to play against, so they’d be top three for me.” What do you think of Iyer’s top three MTT players? Let us know in the comments below.

For more news and updates, keep reading Gutshot Magazine. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram.

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