Shrikant Pillamarapu
Last Updated on October 14, 2026 by Bala Kumar
Shrikant Pillamarapu is a tournament poker player who won the 2026 WPT Prime Lodge Championship at The Lodge Card Club in Texas. He beat a field of 1,084 entries and won $138,127 in cash plus a $10,400 seat in the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
His win stands out because of where he started. Before this tournament, his recorded live earnings were about $381. He came to the final table as the shortest stack of nine players, worked his way to heads-up, and played the most important hand of the final with a river straight flush.
Pillamarapu is only the second player to win the WPT Prime Lodge Championship, after Harvey Castro won the inaugural event in 2025.
Shrikant Pillamarapu Quick Facts
| Category | Information |
| Full Name | Shrikant Pillamarapu |
| Also Listed As | Shikrant Pillamarapu (database spelling) |
| Country | Listed as United States in published results |
| Main Format | Live No-Limit Hold’em tournaments |
| Biggest Title | 2026 WPT Prime Lodge Championship |
| Biggest Cash | $138,127 |
| Additional Prize | $10,400 WPT World Championship seat (not cash) |
| Earnings Before 2026 Win | About $381 |
| Total Recorded Cash | About $138,500 |
| WPT Titles | 1 (WPT Prime) |
| Next Qualified Event | WPT World Championship, December 13–20, 2026 |
| Date of Birth / Hometown | Not publicly confirmed |
Shrikant Pillamarapu Poker Background
Very little is publicly known about Shrikant Pillamarapu’s life outside poker or how he started playing. He hasn’t given widely published interviews, and before October 2026 he had only one small recorded tournament cash.
That record suggests he played mostly recreationally or part-time before his breakthrough. The WPT Prime Lodge Championship, a $1,100 event built to give everyday players a shot at a big score, became the tournament that put his name on the poker map.
WPT Prime Lodge Championship 2026 Victory
| Event Detail | Information |
| Venue | The Lodge Card Club, Round Rock (Austin area), Texas |
| Dates | October 8–12, 2026 |
| Buy-in | 1,100(970 to the prize pool) |
| Guarantee | $1,000,000 |
| Entries | 1,084 |
| Prize Pool | $1,051,480 |
| Places Paid | 137 |
| Finish | 🏆 1st |
| Cash Prize | $138,127 |
| Seat | $10,400 WPT World Championship entry |
| Total Package | $148,527 (after an ICM deal) |
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1 | Shrikant Pillamarapu | $148,527* |
| 2 | Kenneth Quattrocchi | $126,733* |
| 3 | David Urban | $75,000 |
| 4 | Preston Duron | $57,000 |
| 5 | David Pham | $43,500 |
| 6 | Vladyslav Shovkovyi | $32,500 |
| 7 | Matthew McDowell | $25,000 |
| 8 | Pranay Reddy Patlolla | $19,700 |
| 9 | Michael Jones | $16,700 |
*ICM deal. Pillamarapu’s amount includes the $10,400 seat. His cash prize was $138,127.
From Short Stack to Heads-Up
Pillamarapu began the final day with 1,980,000 chips, about 25 big blinds and the shortest stack at the table.
The official WPT live updates show how he built from there:
- Hand #3: opened pocket sixes and folded when Kenneth Quattrocchi three-bet with A-K
- Hand #7: moved all in for 1,420,000 with pocket sixes over a raise and won the pot
- Hand #15: moved all in for 2,320,000 with A♥ J♦ over a raise and a call, and took it down
- Hand #20: called Michael Jones’s all-in with pocket aces against A-K, eliminating Jones in 9th
Tournament reports say he also eliminated Pranay Reddy Patlolla (8th) with pocket aces against pocket kings, and Preston Duron (4th) with A-2 against pocket eights.
When three players were left, the stacks were Quattrocchi 20.0M, Pillamarapu 16.3M and David Urban 7.05M. Deal talks began, but Urban busted on the next recorded hand when his Q♦ Q♣ lost to Quattrocchi’s A♥ 7♦.
Heads-up began with Quattrocchi 27.05M against Pillamarapu 16.3M.
The Straight Flush Hand
The most notable hand of the final came heads-up, shortly after a 15-minute break, with Pillamarapu ahead 23.3M to 19.1M.
| Player | Cards |
| Kenneth Quattrocchi | A♣ 5♣ |
| Shrikant Pillamarapu | A♦ J♣ |
How the hand played out (official WPT Hand #192):
| Street | Board | Action |
| Preflop | — | Quattrocchi raises to 1,000,000. Pillamarapu three-bets to 2,000,000. Quattrocchi calls |
| Flop | K♦ 9♣ 8♣ | Pillamarapu bets 1,500,000. Quattrocchi calls |
| Turn | 10♣ | Pillamarapu bets 3,000,000. Quattrocchi calls with an ace-high flush |
| River | Q♣ | Pillamarapu moves all in (14.1M total). Quattrocchi calls |
The Q♣ gave Pillamarapu a straight flush (8♣ to Q♣), which beat Quattrocchi’s ace-high flush.
After the hand: Pillamarapu 40,400,000 · Quattrocchi 800,000 (2 big blinds)
What players can learn: Quattrocchi’s ace-high flush looked very strong, but on a board with four connected clubs, a single club like the J♣ or 7♣ makes a straight flush. Calling a river all-in was understandable with such a strong hand, but it shows why it pays to check whether a better hand is possible before risking your stack. Practise spotting these spots with our Poker Odds Calculator.
Heads-Up Comeback and Winning Hand
Down to 2 big blinds, Quattrocchi fought back. He doubled up several times, including with pocket jacks against K-6 and K-10 against J-7, and climbed to more than 13 million chips.
The two players agreed an ICM deal that set their payouts, leaving the title to play for.
The final hand (official WPT Hand #244):
| Player | Cards |
| Kenneth Quattrocchi | A♦ J♥ (all in for 8,000,000 from the button) |
| Shrikant Pillamarapu | 5♦ 5♣ (called in the big blind) |
Board: A♥ 9♠ 5♥ 6♦ 10♠
Quattrocchi paired his ace on the flop, but the 5♥ gave Pillamarapu a set of fives, which held to win the WPT Prime Lodge Championship.
Shrikant Pillamarapu Career Earnings
| Earnings Breakdown | Amount |
| Recorded earnings before October 2026 | About $381 |
| WPT Prime Lodge Championship (cash) | $138,127 |
| Total recorded cash | About $138,500 |
| WPT World Championship seat (not cash) | $10,400 |
Earnings databases may show slightly different totals depending on when they update and whether they include the seat value.
Shrikant Pillamarapu Biggest Poker Cashes
| Event | Year | Finish | Cash Prize |
| WPT Prime Lodge Championship | 2026 | 🏆 1st | $138,127 (plus $10,400 seat) |
| Earlier recorded result(s) | Before 2026 | — | About $381 total |
Shrikant Pillamarapu Playing Style
One final table isn’t enough to define a player’s style. This section only covers hands confirmed in the official WPT live updates.
| Situation | Documented Hand | What It Shows |
| Facing strength | Folded pocket sixes to Quattrocchi’s three-bet (Hand #3) | Avoided a weak spot early |
| Short stack | Re-shoved pocket sixes over a raise (Hand #7) | Used all-in pressure with a short stack |
| Multi-way pot | Moved all in with A-J over a raise and a call (Hand #15) | Chose a spot where the pot was already big |
| Premium hand | Called an all-in with pocket aces against A-K (Hand #20) | Got his chips in as a big favourite |
| Making the nuts | Three-bet, then bet every street and moved all in on the river with a straight flush (Hand #192) | Built the pot and went for maximum value |
Learn from his final table: short-stack shoves and deal decisions both depend on ICM. Read our ICM guide and test deals with our Poker ICM Calculator.
Poker Rankings and Tournament Statistics
| Statistic | Figure |
| Recorded live titles | 1 |
| Recorded final tables | 1 |
| Starting position at the final table | 9th of 9 (shortest stack, 25 big blinds) |
| Peak heads-up chip lead | 40.4M to 0.8M |
| Field beaten | 1,083 other entries |
| WPT Prime Lodge Championship winners | 2nd ever (after Harvey Castro, 2025) |
| Global rankings | Not yet listed. We’ll update this once ranking databases refresh |
What We Don’t Know Yet
| Detail | Status |
| Date of birth / age | Not public |
| Hometown or residence | Not public |
| Profession outside poker | Not public |
| Net worth | Not public. Poker winnings don’t show a player’s net worth |
| Sponsorships | None announced |
| Official social media | Not confirmed |
We’ll update this profile if any of these details are officially confirmed.
What’s Next for Shrikant Pillamarapu?
Pillamarapu’s prize includes a $10,400 seat in the WPT World Championship, which runs December 13–20, 2026 at Wynn Las Vegas. It’s the biggest event on the WPT calendar and would be by far the largest tournament of his career.
Winning a seat doesn’t confirm that he will play, so we’ll update this page once his participation is confirmed and as new results come in.
His win also shows why big-field events like WPT Prime attract so many players: a player with about $381 in previous results can leave as a champion with a six-figure score.
Read the full report: Shrikant Pillamarapu Wins WPT Prime Lodge Championship in Texas · Official record: WPT player profile · More poker player profiles
FAQs
Who is Shrikant Pillamarapu?
A tournament poker player listed as from the United States who won the 2026 WPT Prime Lodge Championship in Texas, beating 1,084 entries.
How much has Shrikant Pillamarapu won in poker?
About $138,500 in recorded cash, mostly from his $138,127 WPT Prime Lodge Championship prize. He also won a $10,400 WPT World Championship seat.
What is his biggest poker win?
The 2026 WPT Prime Lodge Championship: $138,127 in cash plus a $10,400 seat.
Who did he beat heads-up?
Kenneth Quattrocchi, who finished second for $126,733 after an ICM deal.
What was his straight flush hand?
Heads-up, holding A♦ J♣, he hit the Q♣ on the river of K♦ 9♣ 8♣ 10♣ for a straight flush. Quattrocchi called his all-in with an ace-high flush and was left with 2 big blinds.
What was the winning hand?
His 5♦ 5♣ made a set of fives against Quattrocchi’s A♦ J♥ on a board of A♥ 9♠ 5♥ 6♦ 10♠.
Will he play the WPT World Championship?
He won a $10,400 seat for the December 13–20, 2026 event at Wynn Las Vegas, but his participation hasn’t been confirmed.
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