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POY 2025 Monthly Update – May 2025
From a breakthrough PokerBaazi upgrade that opens doors to a refreshingly new gaming experience, to the 31-day “The MoneyMaker” fiesta, May turned out to be a month where the bar was set higher for Poker players. High-stakes action and massive cash rewards in “The MoneyMaker” propelled several top performers up the Player of the Year Leaderboard.
After a two-month reign, Bengaluru’s Advait Rajguru relinquished the top spot. Taking his place is Maharashtra’s Prahlad Nilange who charted a remarkable rise to the summit sheerly on the back of his consistent performance.
Let’s check how May fared in terms of numbers.
May Highlights
Total Tournaments: 933 (↑224)
Total Entries: 2.23 LAC+ (↑40K)
Cash Prizes Distributed: 59.1 CR (↑29.5 CR)
Players with 120+ Tournaments: 68 (↑28)
May POY Leaderboard: The Top 5
| Rank | Player | Tournaments Played | Cashes | May Winnings | POY Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (↑1) | Prahlad Nilange‘Clutchg0d’ | 115 | 82 | 4.46 LAC | 998 (+1) |
| 2 (↑143) | Ritwik Khanna‘Ritwikkhanna’ | 52 | 19 | 24.43 LAC | 997 (+24) |
| 3 (↑14 | Mohit Bohra‘bullets777’ | 108 | 43 | 37 LAC | 997 (+1) |
| 4 (↑26) | Neeraj Sattawat‘Dattebayo’ | 74 | 34 | 39.41 LAC | 997 (+5) |
| 5 (↑4) | Aditya Sushant‘Gangajal’ | 114 | 54 | 29.44 LAC | 997 (+1) |
May: Top Chargers
Prahlad Nilange ‘Clutchg0d’: Stayed on Rank 3 for most of May, before charging up to Rank 1.
Ritwik Khanna ‘Ritwikkhanna’ – Lingered below the top 100 for the first fortnight. “The MoneyMaker” title victory on 16th May boosted Khanna’s rankings pushing him to top 3.
Mohit Bohra ‘bullets777’ – The first-ever NPC champion added “The MoneyMaker” title to his name on 4th May, also delivering a podium finish on 15th May.
Neeraj Sattawat ‘Dattebayo7’ – After two close finishes in “The MoneyMaker” (2nd on 14th May and 6th on 20th May), Sattawat found success in the tournament on 20th May, spinning up the POY rankings!
Aditya Sushant ‘gangajal’ – The WSOP champion narrowed down on his third “The MoneyMaker” bracelet on 14th May, but missed by whiskers, finishing in third place. Sushant shipped “The Quest Lite” on 23rd May and followed that up with third place in “The Summit” on 29th May.
MAY MVPs: BREAKOUT PERFORMERS
With “The MoneyMaker” turning the heat on through May, several players rose above the field.
| Player | State | POY Rank | POY Score | May Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anurag Srivastava‘Rebuy2survive’ | Delhi | 13 | 996 | 41.78 LAC |
| Neeraj Sattawat ‘Dattebayo7’ |
Rajasthan | 4 | 997 | 39.41 LAC |
| Siddhant Singh‘aajnahiaana’ | Maharashtra | 22 | 995 | 38 LAC |
| Mohit Bohra‘bullets777’ | Gujarat | 3 | 997 | 37 LAC |
| Sanat Mehrotra‘mehro2511’/td> | Haryana | 8 | 996 | 36.86 LAC |
THE ITM BRIGADE
The May grind was relentless, and several players dominated the action with deep runs.
| Player | State | ITM FINISHES | MAY WINNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rajneesh Thakur‘msdhoni’ | Delhi | 106 | 21.31 LAC |
| Ayush Mehta‘shakespeare’ | Maharashtra | 93 | 5.59 LAC |
| Mohak Kapoor‘Tiltin’ | Delhi | 84 | 12.69 LAC |
| Prahlad Nilange‘Clutchg0d’ | Maharashtra | 82 | 4.46 LAC |
| Praveen KR‘PinaWXD’ | Karnataka | 77 | 16.24 |
MAY RANK RISERS
Ritwik Khanna shot up 143 ranks to Rank 2, while Sanat Mehrotra, Nikita Fernandes, Arman Khan, and Rahul Purohit also rocketed up the ranks.
| Player | State | POY Score | POY Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ritwik Khanna‘Ritwikkhanna’ | Uttar Pradesh | 2 (↑143) | 997 (+24) |
| Sanat Mehrotra‘mehro2511’ | Gurugram | 8 (↑178) | 996 (+31) |
| Nikita Fernandes‘highpriestess’ | Goa | 35 (↑198) | 992 (+34) |
| Arman Khan‘qbranch’ | Chandigarh | 40 (↑156) | 991 (+29) |
| Rahul Purohit‘Godfather10’ | Karnataka | 93 (↑3112) | 986 (+355) |
MAY RUN RATE STRIKERS: BEST CASHOUT RATIO
They played, they cashed, and they made every ITM finish count!
| Player | State | POY Score | Monthly Cashes | Cashout Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rajneesh Thakur‘msdhoni’ | Delhi | 994 | 21.31 LAC | 56.7 |
| Arjanveer Singh Chadha‘holdbaby’ | Chandigarh | 666 | 20.90 LAC | 56.7 |
| Ganesh Durgade‘Ganesh24’ | Maharashtra | 990 | 20.31 LAC | 55.6 |
| Ankit Wadhawan‘d00mtr00p3r’ | Chandigarh | 739 | 13.09 LAC | 54.9 |
| Bhanuprakash KC‘Chennaino1’ | Karnataka | 996 | 25.31 LAC | 53.4 |
Check out the seven factors that 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.
June: What to Expect
June has taken off with a bang. While you can now compete in “The MoneyMaker” every Sunday (7 PM) for a lower buy-in of 7.5K, several new tournaments have been launched.
This includes:
- BSS Big PLO-5: Sundays, 5 PM
- Grindhouse: Mondays, 9.30 PM
- (6-Max) Turbocharge: Tuesdays, 9.30 PM
- The Vault: Wednesdays, 9.30 PM
(Disclaimer: Rankings are accurate as of midnight on May 31st)
