2016 Card Player Player of the Year Race Update -- Mike Watson Surges Into First

The 2016 Card Player Player of the year race is just getting started but we are starting to see results from events that have historically had big impacts on the POY rankings throughout the year. Here is a look at the tournaments that have most affected the overall standings in the past seven days:

2016 PCA $5,300 Main Event

The first major main event of the year is now in the books. Mike Watson came out on top of a field of 928 entrants to win the 2016 European Poker Tour PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $5,300 no-limit hold’em main event. For the win the Canadian poker pro earned $728,325 and 1,824 Player of the Year points, enough to catapult him into the outright lead in the overall POY standings in the early going.

The PCA main event has been a key tournament for over a decade now, and has been a big influencing factor in the POY standings throughout that time. The winner has finished inside the top twenty in the rankings six out of the past eight years, with prior champions including the likes of Gus Hansen (2004), Ryan Daut (2007), Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier (2008) and Galen Hall (2011).

In addition to yet again giving away tons of POY points the PCA also kept up another tradtion: having Anthony Gregg make the main event final table. This event has existed for 13 years now, and three of three of those years saw Gregg make the final nine, finishing second in 2009 and sixth in 2012. This year he once again finished as the runner-up, earning $612,175 and 1,520 points to climb to second on the POY leader board.

Phillip McCallister finished third for $356,020 and 1,216 points. This was his second final table, having finished seventh in a $2,200 side event earlier at the PCA. Fourth-place finisher Toby Lewis now sits just outside the top ten with 912 points and $267,340 in earnings.

2016 PCA $25,000 High Roller

Closing out the festival down in the Bahamas was the 2016 PCA $25,000 high roller event. A total of 225 entries were made, with 173 unique players and 52 re-entries building a $5.4 million total prize pool.

29-year-old Nick Maimone emerged victorious in the end, busting every single player at the final table to capture the title, the $996,480 top prize and 1,344 Player of the Year points. Maimone shot up the rankings to occupy the number three spot as a result.

Maimone defeated 2014 Card Player Poker Tour bestbet Jacksonville champion Sean Winter heads-up after the two agreed to deal heads-up that saw Winter lock up $914,580. The young poker pro from Florida also scored 1,120 POY points to move into fifth place in the standings.

Third-place finisher Dario Sammartino earned $542,160 and 896 and now sits in 15th place. The Italian

2016 WSOP Circuit Choctaw $1,675 Main Event

The 2016 World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw $1,675 no-limit hold’em main event brought out a huge field of 1,565 entries to blow away the tournament’s $1 million guarantee. In the end a total prize pool of $2,347,500 was built, with the lion’s share of that eventually going to Andy Philachack. The 41-year-old chiropractor from Garland, Texas emerged victorious from the sea of entries, earning his second WSOP Circuit gold ring and first-place prize of $393,188. He now has lifetime live tournament earnings in excess of $2.3 million.

Philachack was also awarded 1,080 POY points for the win, enough to see him climb into a tie for eighth place in the overall standings.

Philachack came into the final day of this event in twelfth chip position with twenty players remaining, but was able to survive to final table as one of the short stacks before mounting a comeback. By the time he reached heads-up play he held a 2-to-1 chip lead on his opponent Jeffrey Landherr. The two battled back and forth, but in the end Philachack sent Landherr to the rail as the runner up with $243,694 and 900 points. Landherr now finds himself in a tie for 13th place.

2016 WPTDeepStacks Lucky Hearts Poker Open $1,100 Main Event

The Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood has hosted some huge poker tournaments of recent years. Their latest big event was the 2016 WPTDeepStacks Lucky Hearts Poker Open $1,100 no-limit hold’em $1 million guaranteed main event. The guarantee was easily surpassed with 1,684 total entries building a prize pool of $1,633,480.

Salomon Ponte came out on top to win the top prize of $344,420 and 1,080 POY points, putting him into a tie with Andy Philachack for eighth place in the overall standings. Runner-up Edward Mallon’s 900 POY points and $192,885 tied him with Jeffrey Landherr for 13th place.

2010 PCA main event champion Harrison Gimbel made the final table of this event, finishing fourth for $93,915 and 540 points. Ryan D’Angelo, who finished fifth in the PCA that same year, finished seventh in this tournament for $31,630 and 270.

Here is a look at the current top 20 in the POY standings:

Related Articles

Chang Wins PGT Texas PLO Roundup Main Event

Lampropulos Wins Women's Winter Festival Main Event

PGT Texas PLO: Keijzer Wins Final High Roller

Most Viewed Articles