Soheb Porbandarwala

Soheb Porbandarwala is a poker player from Stamford, Connecticut, who has built a notable career in both live tournaments and online poker. He competes online under the handle "MyCousinVinny5," and in December 2020 he won the WPT Online Poker Open for $239,820. That title earned him a place in the WPT Champions Club and established him as a force on the virtual felt. His results have been recorded under several name variations over the years, including Porbandarwala Soheb S, Shoheb Porbandarwala, Soheb Pobandarwala, and Soheb Porpbandarwala.

Before his deep 2025 World Poker Tour run, Porbandarwala had already accumulated more than $2.2 million in recorded live tournament cashes. He is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner and a 12-time World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner, a combination that puts him in elite company. His previous best live cash before the 2025 WPT World Championship was $257,725, underscoring his ability to reach significant payouts in major tournaments.

Porbandarwala's biggest moment to date came at the 2025 WPT World Championship, a $10,400 buy-in event held at Wynn Las Vegas. The tournament drew 1,865 entries. After Day 4, Jeremy Becker had overtaken the chip lead after running hot late in the session, but Porbandarwala reasserted control on Day 5 with a dominant, clinic-like performance.

At the close of Day 5, Porbandarwala bagged 81,325,000 chips, giving him more than a 2:1 lead over Schuyler Thornton, who was second with 36,500,000. The rest of the six-player final table included Jeremy Brown (21,675,000), Jeremy Becker (18,200,000), Maxx Coleman (15,250,000), and Chad Liption (13,250,000). All six players returned with at least 26 big blinds, setting up a long, grueling final table.

One of the defining hands came when short-stacked Linglin Zeng was forced to fold pocket sevens after Porbandarwala four-bet with 9♦2♦. Zeng went on to bust in ninth place for $255,000, finishing as the last woman standing. David Pelosi followed in eighth place for $325,000, officially putting the tournament on the final table bubble. The table then played seven-handed for an extended stretch before Graeme Newman five-bet jammed with K♠Q♠ for 31 big blinds. Porbandarwala called with A♣Q♥, survived Newman's turned flush draw, and sent Newman out in seventh place for $415,000. That knockout pushed Porbandarwala into an even larger chip lead and ended the Day 5 session.

The remaining six players were already guaranteed $540,000, with $2,528,000 reserved for first place. When the final table resumed, Porbandarwala held a roughly 2:1 advantage over Thornton. After a heads-up deal, Porbandarwala finished as runner-up to Schuyler Thornton, earning a career-best $1,969,344. The heads-up match lasted just 13 hands, with Thornton winning 12 consecutive hands to take the title. The result was a major breakthrough and represented his best live cash by a wide margin.

Porbandarwala's live tournament earnings now stand at $4,382,748, with his best live cash of $1,969,344 coming from the WPT World Championship runner-up finish. He is currently 610th on the all-time money list and has been ranked as high as 601st globally. The late-2025 run pushed his career totals past $4.2 million and solidified his status as one of Connecticut's most successful live tournament players.

Throughout the 2025 WPT World Championship, Porbandarwala earned praise for outplaying opponents rather than simply running well. He was willing to apply pressure with unorthodox holdings, as shown by his four-bet with 9♦2♦ that made pocket sevens fold, and he also called a five-bet jam with A♣Q♥ against Graeme Newman. Becker battled with Porbandarwala in numerous pots on the livestream, but Porbandarwala consistently found his way back to the top of the counts. His aggressive, pressure-heavy style was a major factor in his deep run.

Porbandarwala's win in the WPT Online Poker Open made him a member of the WPT Champions Club. He is also a WSOP bracelet winner and has collected 12 WSOP Circuit rings. When he made the 2025 WPT World Championship final table, he was the only WPT Champions Club member among the final six players. Along with his title success, he owns more than $4.38 million in lifetime live earnings.