On Wednesday, PokerNews and Federated Sports + Gaming (FS+G) together announced the launch of the Global Poker Index Player of the Year Award. The award will be presented annually to the player who has the strongest performance in live tournaments during the calendar year, according to the USA Today Global Poker Index point system.
“We are thrilled to be able to apply the precision and quality of the USA Today GPI formula to a Player of the Year race,” said Annie Duke, Executive Vice President of FS+G and Commissioner of the Epic Poker League. “The 2012 GPI POY will showcase the single player at the apex of the game.”
While the USA Today Global Poker Index tracks performance over a 36-month rolling window with heavier weight given to more recent results, the GPI POY presented by PokerNews will track results in professional-level live poker tournaments during a single calendar year. The 2012 GPI POY will be awarded to the player with the best performance between Jan. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2012.
The standings of the top 1,000 players vying for the GPI POY title will be published every Tuesday on EpicPoker.com, GlobalPokerIndex.com and PokerNews.com.
“PokerNews is excited to be an integral part of launching the GPI POY and making it the official Player of the Year formula for the PokerNews network,” said Matthew Parvis, COO of PokerNews. “We’re sure that the race to the top will include the world’s best poker players and will be extremely compelling to follow from year to year.”
The winner of the GPI Player of the Year award will be honored with a custom 18K gold GPI POY ring created by Josh Warner who designed the Epic Poker League Champion rings and Lifetime Member rings.
“Honoring top achievers with a precise and credible Player of the Year race will definitely advance perceptions about poker," said World Series of Poker bracelet winner Vanessa Selbst. “Applying the rigorous and objective analysis of the Global Poker Index to this type of award is a significant move forward for the poker community.”
Current GPI Player of the Year Top 10
| Place | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Duhamel | 465.55 |
| 2 | Jason Koon | 284.24 |
| 3 | Ruben Visser | 258.03 |
| 4 | Samuel Chartier | 244.05 |
| 5 | Faraz Jaka | 242.17 |
| 6 | Oliver Speidel | 238.23 |
| 7 | Daniel Chevalier | 228.35 |
| 8 | Corey Burbic | 228.03 |
| 9 | Luca Pagano | 227.52 |
| 10 | Erik Cajelais | 212.19 |
For the full GPI Player of the Year standings, head on over to EpicPoker.com.
Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.
