Family poker deal

In poker, it is not uncommon for siblings to compete in successive tournaments. Yet, hardly everyone has been able to execute two large events in separate states on the same night. In the United States, Nikhil Gera and his mother, Manju Gera, lived an extraordinary tale.

Nikhil entered for a $1,100 event at Wynn Casino while in Las Vegas. He prevailed over an extensive field of 885 competitors to win $131,665 in prize money and a Wynn Casino hallmark trophy.

His mother was in California at the Gardens Casino and opted to participate in a $500 buy-in Mystery Bounty event. This event lacks statistics, but considering the popularity of poker in the state and the size of the prize pool, it was likely crowded. Manju Hera emerged triumphant, earning $52,000 in addition to knockout prizes.

These are by no means the family’s first poker triumphs. Nikhil has two WSOP Circuit gold rings in his trophy collection, although his mother only has one.

Such instances have often happened in offline poker. Doyle Brunson and his son Todd played in one tournament, while Alex and Kristen Foxen won the final 3-max of another event despite being accused of team play.

The situation of Nikhil and Manju is very exceptional. No family has ever won two major live table tournaments on the same night. Once the tale was shared on social media, other pros, including WPT tournament director Matt Savage, became aware of it.

Nikhil is an expert poker player. He has won more than $1,800,000 in prize money. According to the data, Nikhil mostly competes in several series in Las Vegas. His mother has somewhat less prize money, slightly over $150,000, but has won many more low-cost mixed-game events.