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Aditya Sushant and Nipun Java Win 2017 World Series of Poker $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'Em

Indian-Born Friends Defeat Field of 843 Teams To Win Their First Bracelets and $150,637

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Card Player’s 2017 WSOP coverage is sponsored by BetOnline Poker.

Poker’s popularity is on the rise in India, and that growth can only be bolstered by the latest winners at the 2017 World Series of Poker. Nipun Java, an American poker pro born in India, teamed up with Indian resident and friend Aditya Sushant to take down the WSOP $1,000 tag-team no-limit hold’em event. The pair outlasted a field of 843 teams (consisting of 2-4 players) to win the title, capturing their first gold bracelets and a team payout of $150,637.

“Amazing feeling. I’m so happy I was with a fellow Indian. We won something,” said Java after emerging victorious. “This was a last-minute call for us to team up. I had another teammate drop out because he couldn’t wake up on time. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be a team, and who knows what would’ve happened. It was destiny. Meant to be.”

The way this tournament finished certainly supports Java’s claim that this win was meant to be. Between the two players, Java has the stronger tournament resume with more than $1.8 million in prior tournament earnings and a WSOP Circuit gold ring to his name. Sushant had 14 prior cashes but no titles. Despite this fact it was Sushant who ultimately closed out this tournament, but not necessarily by design. Java needed to tag out to use the restroom after play got down to three-handed.

Sushant guided the team to heads-up action holding a solid chip lead. With blinds of 25,000-50,000 and an ante of 5,000 Sushant raised to 125,000. Pablo Mariz moved all in for about 980,000 from the big blind and Sushant made the call with the ASpade Suit8Heart Suit. Mariz had the KSpade SuitQDiamond Suit and was behind, or at least until the flop brought the QSpade SuitQClub Suit3Club Suit. With flopped trips Mariz was a 99.7 percent favorite to win the pot and double up against Sushant’s ace high. Even when Sushant hit the turn with the AClub Suit he still only had less than a 5 percent chance of winning. But win is precisely what he did when the ADiamond Suit hit the river to give him a higher full house, securing the pot and the title in dramatic fashion.

The team of Sushant and Java outlasted plenty of tough competition on the way to their first bracelets, including the team of Mukul Pahuja – Jonas Wexler (5th – $33,391), Ryan Laplante – Sam Cohen (7th – $18,143) and Allyn Shulman – Jessica Horan – Barry Shulman (11th – $8,148).

Here is a look at the payouts awarded in this event:

Place Player Earnings (USD)
1 Aditya Sushant – Nipun Java $150,637
2 Pablo Mariz – David Guay $93,074
3 Kiryl Radzivonau – Mikhail Semin $65,190
4 Charalampos Lappas – Georgios Zisimopoulos $46,318
5 Mukul Pahuja – Jonas Wexler $33,391
6 DJ MacKinnon – Esther Taylor $24,430
7 Ryan Laplante – Sam Cohen $18,143
8 Austin Buchanan – Lanie Foster $13,680
9 Joseph Choueiri – Rafael Lopez – James Gibson $10,475

For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2017 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.

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