Vineet Pahuja

Born and raised in New York, Vineet ‘Vinny’ Pahuja has been a regular face on the live North American poker scene for a decade now. The volume he has put in is astounding, as the American has almost 200 live tournament cashes to his name for a combined total of more than $2,500,000.

He has achieved great success on the WPT circuit, becoming a two-time title holder in 2016. His first trophy win came back in 2012, when he won the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Mixed Max Re-Entry event in Atlantic City. An intriguing tournament format where play varies anywhere from 9-handed to heads-up depending upon the draw, a victory in this event requires an ability to play poker well both full-ring and short-handed.

Vineet’s second WPT trophy was the sweeter one, as he earned almost twice the prize money for the accomplishment. This time around, it was the $500 No Limit Hold’em Big Stax tournament that he took down – catching more than $100,000 for the win despite the modest buy-in. To seize the trophy, Vinny had to navigate past 1,479 other players at the Parx Casino in Bensalem.

More recently, Vineet added a WSOP ring to the trophy case after he shipped the $365 No Limit Hold’em event in Atlantic City in 2017.

Funnily enough, none of these wins place in the top three of Pahuja’s largest live tournament cashes. The most he’s ever won in a single MTT was at the $5,000 Championship Event at the Borgata Summer Poker Open, where he pocketed $289,800 for the runner-up finish. One of his other large six-figure finishes came after a third-place exit at a WSOP circuit Main Event in North Carolina for $125,946.

Vinny is currently an ambassador for BorgataPoker, an online cardroom affiliated with the Borgata Casino that allows New Jersey residents to play poker on the net. You can find him at the tables there on most Sundays.