Shiva Dudani

Shiva Dudani is an American poker player who has resided in both the Chicago area and Ames, Iowa. As of 2020, he had lived in Chicago for eight years, and he considers the city a meaningful place for his poker career. He is a pot-limit Omaha specialist but also excels in no-limit hold'em tournaments. Dudani's poker journey began online, where he honed his skills before transitioning to live tournaments, building a reputation as a consistent performer on the WSOP Circuit.

The biggest win of Dudani's career came in March 2020 at the World Series of Poker Circuit Horseshoe Hammond Main Event. The $1,700 buy-in tournament attracted 989 entries, creating a total prize pool of over $1.6 million. Dudani navigated through the field, overcoming a tough final table that included players like Casey Carroll, Bryan Skreens, and Patrick Steele.

On Day 3, both Day 1 chip leaders were eliminated early, and the field quickly reduced from 17 to the final 10. At the final table, Voytek Glab was the first to fall in 10th place when his jacks were cracked by Hussain Sajwani. Nicola Ditrapani followed in 9th. After two hours, Sajwani moved all-in with eights but ran into Dudani's kings, busting in 8th. Firas Sadou then exited in 7th against Pat Steele's sevens. Sachin Bhargava, Evan Bethyo, and Patrick Steele eventually fell, setting up a heads-up match between Dudani and Casey Carroll.

Heads-up play began with deep, nearly even stacks. Dudani expected a long match, saying, "I thought it would take a long time. He's a good player. I thought it was going to be a very long match, so I thought, 'Let's get comfortable,' and try to give myself the best shot to win." Dudani stuck to his game plan and eventually wore down Carroll to claim the title and the $258,078 first prize. After the victory, Dudani exclaimed, "It feels so great when you run super hot! I'm so excited, it's so nice to win a tournament, especially as big as this one, and in Chicago, it means a lot to me." This win marked his second WSOP Circuit ring and earned him a seat in the 2020 WSOP Circuit Global Championship.

Here is the final table payout structure:

• 1st: Shiva Dudani - $258,078
• 2nd: Casey Carroll - $159,494
• 3rd: Bryan Skreens - $119,606
• 4th: Patrick Steele - $90,543
• 5th: Sachin Bhargava - $69,197
• 6th: Evan Bethyo - $53,394
• 7th: Firas Sadou - $41,602
• 8th: Hussain Sajwani - $32,732
• 9th: Nicola Ditrapani - $26,010
• 10th: Voytek Glab - $20,876

Dudani's live tournament earnings have steadily grown. At the time of his 2020 win, his career earnings approached $1 million. As of 2024, his total live earnings exceed $2 million, with a best single cash of $770,556. He is ranked 1,175th on the all-time money list. In addition to his circuit rings, he has numerous cashes in WSOP events and other major tournaments. Dudani is also a prominent figure in online poker, where he is known as a high-stakes regular. His online success is evidenced by his ability to adapt between pot-limit Omaha and no-limit hold'em. He is particularly noted for his mathematical approach and aggressive play. In Iowa, Dudani is one of the most searched poker players, with 17,720 unique pageviews on The Hendon Mob as of March 2024, ranking 6th in the state.

Dudani describes himself as a pot-limit Omaha specialist, but he has demonstrated skill in no-limit hold'em tournaments as well. He emphasizes the importance of adjusting to table dynamics: "I had aggressive players to start on my left, so I thought I should play tight to start. Then I had a big chip lead, and I wanted to play as aggressively as I could. In tournaments, the momentum keeps changing, things keep changing." His heads-up play reflects patience and strategic grinding, as shown in his victory over Casey Carroll. Dudani's mathematical background, common among PLO specialists, informs his decision-making, and he is comfortable with deep stacks and protracted matches. When asked about his prize money plans, he quipped, "Spending money is easy, I'll find a way!"