The primary GPI award hattrick hero?
On March 3, the fourth GPI World Poker Awards will likely be broadcast dwell on PokerGO from its studio at Aria Resort & On line casino in Las Vegas. Final week, the 29 classes have been revealed, the winners of which 4 are already recognized.
Tune took down each the GPI Participant of the Yr and the Mid Main Participant of the Yr
Stevie Chidwick received the PokerGo Tour Participant of the Yr. Stephen Tune took down each the GPI Participant of the Yr and the Mid Main Participant of the Yr, whereas Cherish Andrews received Girls Participant of the Yr. Tune may full the primary GPI World Poker Award hattrick if he wins both Greatest Closing Desk Efficiency or Participant’s Alternative For Hardest Opponent.
Varied different poker gamers, content material creators, and business figures will likely be hoping to scoop up one of many 25 different trophies and some may take dwelling two. Jamie Kerstetter is nominated in each the Broadcaster and Twitter Persona classes. Her former ‘The Rake’ podcast co-host Marle Cordeiro can also be up for Twitter Persona in addition to Greatest Video Content material. Alejandro ‘Papo MC’ Lococo has been shortlisted for Breakout Participant and Greatest Hand. Daniel Negreanu is nominated for Greatest Closing Desk Efficiency and Greatest Hand. Caitlyn Comeskey is up for Rising Star and Greatest Video Content material. Ethan ‘Rampage’ Yau is within the combine for Poker Persona and Breakout Participant, whereas World Sequence of Poker Principal Occasion champion Espen Jørstad is nominated in each the Breakout Participant class and Greatest Closing Desk Efficiency.
Danis in my goals
The awards are a ardour undertaking for GPI President and perennial punching-bag Eric Danis, who works tirelessly and thanklessly behind the scenes every year to be sure that achievements on and off the felt are commemorated. Talking to me in a dream that I had final night time, Danis stated that he really loves it when a deserving nominee will get snubbed as a result of as a Canadian, his favorite factor in life is apologizing.
Talking to VegasSlotsOnline Information in actual life, Danis stated that he was excited for this yr’s ceremony. He additionally stated that he was not but at liberty to disclose who the host of the awards will likely be however that “will probably be introduced subsequent week” so watch that area!
I’ll take a deep dive into every class
This yr’s GPI World Poker Award nominations may be neatly cut up into classes that acknowledge gamers, content material creators, and business figures, all of whom play a significant position within the well being and success of the sport. Throughout three articles, I’ll take a deep dive into every class, beginning with these honouring participant achievements.
GPI Breakout Participant
- Espen Jørstad
- Angela Jordison
- Punnat Punsri
- Ethan ‘Rampage’ Yau
- Alejandro ‘Papo MC’ Lococo
It was disappointing to not see WPT Florida champion Andrew ‘BowieEffect’ Wilson make the listing however there are many worthy folks up for this award.
One such candidate is YouTuber, vlogger, and streamer Ethan ‘Rampage’ Yau who cashed for $1.3m in 2022, successful a WSOP Circuit Ring in March, a Poker Masters occasion in September, and the WPT Wynn $25,200 Excessive-Curler in December.
Punnat Punsri cashed for $4.1m in 2022 having solely cashed for about $350,000 prior. He received the WPT Prime Taipei and got here second within the WSOP Corridor of Fame occasion, however the huge one was his victory within the Triton $100,000 Principal Occasion in North Cyprus the place he cashed for $2.6m.
Poker participant and rapper Alejandro ‘Papo MC’ Lococo burst onto the scene together with his seventh-place end within the WSOP Principal Occasion in November 2021 and continued his good run of kind into 2022 with a win within the Eureka Prague €1,100 Principal Occasion, a €2200 facet occasion at that very same EPT competition, an €1,100 facet occasion win at EPT Barcelona, and one other deep run within the WSOP Principal Occasion the place he completed thirty ninth.
I might elevate query marks over Jørstad’s eligibility as a ‘breakout participant’
Former Unibet Poker ambassador and Overbet Categorical vlogger Espen Jørstad took down the massive one for $10m, a breakout efficiency on anybody’s resume, Nonetheless, I might elevate query marks over Jørstad’s eligibility as a ‘breakout participant’ given the profitable ten-year-plus profession that preceded that outcome. I reached out to my former colleague Jørstad and requested him the next query:
VSO Information: “A couple of years in the past, you have been voted the rising star of poker, this yr you might be nominated for breakout participant… are you trying ahead to successful comeback participant in a few years time?”
Jørstad: “New telephone, who dis.”
Final however not least and truly my tip to win is renaissance lady Angela Jordison who was a ‘get it quietly’ combined sport money grinder and, within the area of a yr, is now a ‘get it loudly’ No Restrict Maintain ‘Em event crusher. Jordison was cruelly pipped for each the GPI Mid-Main Participant of the Yr and GPI Girls Participant of the Yr by Tune and Andrews.
VSO Information had the next change with Jordison.
VSO Information: “If you celebrated your fiftieth birthday… if you happen to can keep in mind that far again… did you’re feeling such as you have been on the cusp of breaking out?”
Jordison: “Firstly, I hate you. Secondly, this class is MINE! These different b**ches are happening!”
Jordison ought to win however poker’s bridesmaid will most likely simply end runner-up once more.
Greatest Closing Desk Efficiency
- Daniel “Jungleman” Cates (USA), WSOP 50K Poker Gamers Championship
- Espen Uhlen Jørstad (Norway), WSOP Principal Occasion
- Daniel Negreanu (Canada), Tremendous Excessive Curler Bowl VII
- Stephen Tune (USA), WPT Prime Championship
Final yr, the entire nominees on this class got here from WSOP occasions. This time round, there are two performances from elsewhere. Daniel Negreanu’s Tremendous Excessive-Curler Bowl victory and Stephen Tune’s WPT Prime bink go up towards the inevitable nominations of the winners of the the WSOP $50K Gamers Championship (Cates) and WSOP Principal Occasion (Jørstad).
To take nothing away from the opposite performances (particularly the Cates back-to-back) however I feel that this one is destined for Scandinavia. Jørstad’s marathon effort on the Principal Occasion ultimate desk, capped off by a cultured heads-up show, is the stuff of Norse Legend.
Participant’s Alternative for Hardest Opponent
- Brian Altman (USA)
- Stephen Chidwick (England)
- Alex Foxen (USA)
- Stephen Tune (USA)
Voted for by the GPI High 100, these 4 poker behemoths actually do symbolize the cream of the crop.
Altman had his finest ever yr cashing for $1.4m, together with wins at WSOP Circuit Florida, WPT Seminole, and on the on-line WSOP. Tune had a outstanding yr, cashing for $2.3m, together with 44 cashes, 17 ultimate tables, a runner-up end within the WSOP $5000 6-max, and victories within the Wynn Fall Basic and the guarantee-obliterating 5,430-runner WPT Wynn Prime.
Foxen will run this class shut however in the end the gong will go to Chidwick
With $27.5m in dwell profession winnings and thousands and thousands extra on-line, Foxen is no doubt one of many sport’s nice opponents. In 2022, he cashed 41 instances for over $7m, together with 5 victories, the most important of which got here within the WSOP $250,000 Tremendous Excessive-Curler when he took dwelling a whopping $4.6m. For my part, Foxen will run this class shut however in the end the gong will go to Chidwick.
Fourth within the all-time cash listing, Chidwick is, fairly merely, a phenom. The Englishman crushed on-line for a decade earlier than focussing extra on the dwell circuit and has thus far amassed $44.7m in dwell winnings. In 2022, he posted his third largest yr, with $7m in dwell winnings throughout 40 cashes, 18 podium finishes, and a mind-blowing eight wins.
Followers Alternative: Greatest Hand
- Daniel Negreanu hits runner-runner quads on strategy to SHRB victory
- David Diaz lays down absolute monster on Day 7 of WSOP Principal Occasion
- PapoMC pulls monster bluff in WSOP Principal Occasion
- Wild J4 vs 89 hand between Robbi Jade Lew and Garrett Adelstein
An outlier run-out, a sick fold, a dastardly bluff and the hand that launched a thousand podcast episodes, this can be a robust class to evaluate as a result of every hand was so very totally different.
both could be worthy winners in a unique yr
Firstly, I might rule out Negreanu’s bit of fine fortune for that’s all it was and any hardened poker participant has seen all of it earlier than, admittedly not for these stakes. Diaz and Lococo performed so above the rim of their spots that I really feel like both could be worthy winners in a unique yr.
In the long run, nonetheless, how may something high the madness-inducing, community-polarizing, misinterpret/hero-call/vibrating cheating-gizmo/LA Occasions article mud-slinging/countless investigation spawning hand of the century between Robbi Jade Lew and Garrett Adelstein. The perfect factor that would occur to poker is that this hand wins the award and all of us conform to by no means converse of it once more.
Comeback Participant
- Phil Ivey (USA)
- Alex Keating (USA)
- Taylor von Kriegenbergh (USA)
- Daniel Weinman (USA)
It is a model new class and, to be trustworthy, I’m undecided if it belongs nor how the way to quantify how a participant turns into eligible for it. I imply, weren’t all of us type of ‘coming again to dwell poker’ for our first full yr in 2022 publish Covid Lockdowns?
There’s additionally the chance that it solely serves as a little bit of a rubdown to gamers.
In any case, Weinman had a strong yr, cashing for $680,000. So too did von Kriegenbergh who hit the $1m mark in dwell cashes for the primary time since his WPT victory in 2011. Keating cashed for $690,000 however once more, this looks as if nothing out of the unusual and much from a ‘comeback story.’
the prize will go to Phil Ivey who received’t present as much as gather it
By technique of elimination then, and perhaps the one purpose that this class exists, the prize will go to Phil Ivey who received’t present as much as gather it, thus nullifying the award’s very raison d’etre. Ivey cashed for about $6m in 2022 – a outstanding return to kind when you think about he solely managed to win a paltry $1.7m in 2020 throughout a worldwide pandemic.
In Half 2 subsequent week, I’ll take a look at the nominations for content material creators.
