US domination curbed
For the last two weeks, I have been previewing and predicting categories for the upcoming 6th Annual GPI Global Poker Awards which will be held on February 22nd at the PokerGO studio at Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. There has been much excitement in anticipation of the big night, less so for this series of articles which have been described as ‘“capable of causing one to spiral into the depths of despair” by someone who for legal reasons I must refer to as Norman Chad (Editor’s note: I also feel this way).
across the board more representative of global poker than in previous years
Something very positive which has stood out for me is how the American/European balance has been substantially addressed this year with Europeans getting about 30% of the nominations. The Rest of the World percentage is up too, albeit not enough. So is the number of women who are nominated. When I spoke with GPI President Eric Danis, he expressed how happy he is with the list of nominees this year. There is no doubt that it is across the board more representative of global poker than in previous years.
Five previous ceremonies had celebrated 332 nominees, 254 of whom were North American (76.5%) with just 62 going to Europeans (18.5%) and 22 to the “rest of the world” (5%). This year, there are 117 nominees, 74 of whom are North American (63%) with 35 Europeans (30%) and eight (7%) from the rest of the world. I hope to see that trend continue, but there are already rumors that Donald Trump plans to put tariffs on next year’s overseas nominees.
Unsung heroes
The industry categories might feel less flashy but, in many ways, they are the most important, giving kudos to the unsung heroes of our game – the people working hard behind the scenes to organize live events, run poker rooms, produce livestreams and uphold the rules.
a sport but one with virtually no sponsorship, in which the players pay to keep the lights on
The best industry professionals in poker recognize the peculiarities of poker. They understand the quirks and eccentricities of a player base that is sharper than other gamblers but still has a penchant for degeneracy. They oversee a sport but one with virtually no sponsorship, in which the players pay to keep the lights on.
Since I have already looked at the categories honoring the players and the content creators working in a written medium, it’s about time I pointed my microscope at the people and entities up for industry prizes, without whom and which all of poker would be played on a bunch of dodgy apps and black market crypto sites…as opposed to just 70% of it.
FANS CHOICE: BEST LIVE STREAM
- King’s Resort Live
- Poker At the Lodge
- PokerGO
- Triton Poker
Poker at the Lodge, PokerGO, and Triton are all up again alongside King’s Resort Live. It is noteworthy that last year’s winner, PokerStars Live, is absent from the short list, as is Hustler Casino Live. It can sometimes be the case that when a person or thing wins one year, they get left out of the next year’s nominations altogether. It’s an interesting phenomenon, like the voting panel en masse thinks “let’s give it to someone else this year.”
This award must surely go to Triton Poker, specifically the ShareHand team, which delivers the best livestream product in the game. Having worked with these guys on Irish Opens, Unibet Opens, Merit Poker events, and the WPT World Championship, I can say that they are elite in terms of professionalism, hard work and creativity.
FANS’ CHOICE: BEST TROPHY
- Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup
- PGT Texas Poker Open Belt Buckle
- Triton Poker Series Trophy
- World Series of Poker Main Event Bracelet
I have said this before and I will say it again: this award needs to be retired, especially when the finalists are perhaps the least artful, innovative, or original from the long list provided. The WPA trophy looks like it was created by Georgia O’Keefe yet “the fans” have narrowed it down to a really big cup, a belt buckle, a logo made of pewter tat, and the gaudiest piece of arm candy imaginable.
I hope the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup wins but only because that would give us a nice reason to talk about the great man for a few minutes.
FANS’ CHOICE: BEST POKER ROOM
- ARIA Las Vegas, USA
- Asia Poker Arena/CTP Club, Taiwan
- King’s Resort Live Rozvadov, Czechia
- Playground, Montreal Canada
Another fans’ choice award, this is one of the new prizes being given out. I’m going to be honest here and say that I have only set foot in two of these poker rooms and I have been in none of them in the past five years. My opinion therefore carries less weight than Matt Savage’s golf trophy cabinet and is as serious as an ACR public statement.
I’m going to go with ARIA because Dylan Weisman told me it was nice there once.
BEST TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
- Ray Pulford
- Toby Stone
- Nick O’Hara
- Luca Vivaldi
WSOP’s Jack Effel and WPT’s Matt Savage have made way for Irish Open/PokerStars’ Nick O’Hara and Triton’s Luca Vivaldi in the final four this year, joined by last year’s duo of the Wynn’s Ray Pulford and PokerStars’ Toby Stone.
Stone deservedly won this last year. I know Vivaldi does a great job for Triton, but I am biased against him because he has never made a ruling in my favor and he never penalized that Cristiano Ronaldo string bet. The Americans all gush about how Pulford is the best and given how the European vote will almost certainly split, I like his chances the most.
Regardless, I’m going with the man who, from personal experience, I think is the best. Nick O’Hara is calm and collected, patient and sincere, extremely knowledgeable, and scrupulously fair. I really hope he takes home the gong.
BEST DIRECTOR OF POKER OPERATIONS
- Ryan Beauregard (USA)
- Kerryjane Craigie (England)
- Ben Erwin (USA)
- Federico Brunato (Italy)
Another new category which rightly separates the tournament directors from poker room managers. Once again, I find myself on the back foot as I have never been to Thunder Valley and Rozvadov is a distant memory. For what it’s worth, I’ve only heard great things about Ben Erwin and Federico Brunato.
The Wynn’s Ryan Beauregard is a clever man who knows his customers and continually looks to innovate and improve standards in what is already the best property in Las Vegas. I think he’s where the smart money goes, but my money has never been that smart, so I will plum for the force of nature that is the Hippodrome’s Kerry-Jane Craigie. She runs a tight ship in the center of England’s capital city, the UKIPT London was a massive success but most of all, her idea to host the Women’s Winter Festival was inspired.
BEST INDUSTRY PERSON
- Gregory Chochon
- Matt Savage
- Francine Watson
- Andy Wong
I love Matt Savage and I sincerely believe there are at least four of him, such is his seeming omnipotence at WPT events around the world. He definitely doesn’t mean it when he tells me how happy he is to see me for the eleventh time each day, but I believe him regardless. Wong oversees a first-class product at Triton. Chochon is the COO of the WSOP which definitely doesn’t feel like a cattle-mart.
Last year I said that the talented PokerStars Live head honcho Francine Watson was a lock for this award because Joe Stapleton wanted her to win and he is the head of poker’s deep state. However, Adam Pliska actually won, so it turns out that Stapes must have been publicly showing his support for his producer whilst secretly campaigning against her. This year, once again, the hirsute funny man is publicly caucusing for Watson so this year, once again, I’m going to pick her, presuming that his job may be on the line this time.
BEST MID-MAJOR CIRCUIT/TOUR
- RUNGOOD Poker Series (RGPS)
- WPT Prime (WPTP)
- Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP)
- WSOP Circuit
I will start with yet another important disclaimer. From the nominees, I have personally only played one Prime event and nothing besides. I will also point out that this is a re-run of last year’s quartet. Nonetheless, these series all have incredible reputations, not least of which is the defending champion WPT Prime. The popular RUNGOOD Poker Series has taken down this award on multiple occasions and certainly has a shot once again.
The WSOP brand is so diluted these days that I really can’t see how winning one of the eleventy million circuit rings that the circuit events give out could carry much importance. That leaves the Brazilian Series of Poker which has generated a lot of buzz as it has helped to grow the game in South America. I really hope that it wins because we need to encourage operators who expand horizons, create carnival atmospheres, and embolden exuberant rail antics.
BEST STAND-ALONE FESTIVAL/SERIES
- Irish Poker Open
- Malta Poker Festival
- Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
- Wynn Millions Poker Series
Once again, these are the exact same four nominees as last year’s selection. The Wynn Millions scooped the prize last year and could very well go back-to-back. The Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open will give it some stateside competition, but I think the tougher challenge will be overcoming two beloved poker festivals on opposite corners of Europe.
In 2018, Ivonne Montealegre started the Malta Poker Festival and with a phenomenal ground game, she lures players from the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and all parts of Europe. She also consistently hits new record numbers for female participation in open events.
I suspect, however, that the Irish Poker Open will clinch this coveted prize on awards night. It was my absolute favorite poker stop of 2024, appropriate for a tournament that holds a special place as the oldest in European poker.
BEST EVENT
- Irish Poker Open Main Event
- ClubWPT Gold $5M Invitational
- EPT Barcelona Main Event
- WSOP Main Event
Having played three of these and been in the room for the fourth (boo WPT, boo for not letting Euro-donks play) I can say that this is a genuine contest between four fantastic events. The WSOP will always contend for this prize as its size, legacy, and prestige are unrivaled. EPT Barcelona is the biggest festival on the European calendar and, once again, it was superbly well run.
The WPT $5m freeroll was the talk of the town in Las Vegas, minting a millionaire in champion Chase Bricker and creating lots of other poker dreams along the way. Huge credit is due to Jamie Kerstetter and her cracked squad for putting on the biggest grushie in poker history while still finding time to troll poker’s biggest whiners.
It may come as no surprise, though, that I am rooting for the Irish Poker Open in this category. Every night was a player’s party as JP McCann and Paul O’Reilly broke records in Dublin once again. While I’m not entirely sure what the difference between Best Stand Alone Festival and Best Event is supposed to be, I think they deserve all the laurels for a job phenomenally well done.