Player of the Year

Many players in the Card Player 2009 Player of the Year (POY) top 10 were busy in preliminary events at the Five-Diamond World Poker Classic in early December, and they shook up the standings.

Jason Mercier jumped up to sixth place on the POY leader board, thanks to two cashes. He made the final table of a $1,000 no-limit hold’em rebuy event to earn 78 points on Sunday, Dec. 6, and moved ahead of Brock Parker. On Thursday, Dec. 10, he won his fifth tournament of the year, a $5,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. He was awarded $100,280 in prize money and 288 points for the win, taking his points total to 4,130, and he briefly moved past Soheil Shamseddin into fifth place, but Shamseddin made a final table on Saturday, Dec. 12, to take back fifth place. Shamseddin finished seventh in a $1,000 no-limit hold’em rebuy event to take home $23,477 and 198 points, moving his points total up to 4,283.

Shamseddin’s seventh-place finish was eclipsed by another POY contender at that Dec. 12 final table. POY race leader Eric Baldwin won the event to earn $256,660 and 792 points. His fourth tournament win in 2009 came in his 17th final-table appearance of the year, and increased his points total to 6,994 and winnings in POY events to $1,494,494 in 2009.

Cornel Cimpan also cashed during the homestretch. On Saturday, Dec. 5, he won a pot-limit Omaha event at the European Poker Tour stop in Prague. It was the third tournament win of the year for Cimpan, who bagged $53,039 and 264 points for the victory, taking his points total to 5,934 — 1,060 points behind Baldwin.

Look Out: Jason Riesenberg
By Julio Rodriguez

Up-and-coming poker pro Jason Riesenberg was born in Carroll, Iowa, far from the bright lights of Las Vegas. While getting his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Iowa State University, he learned to play poker with the help of his friends, and eventually moved to online play.

It wasn’t long after graduation that Riesenberg moved to Las Vegas and took a job dealing cards and managing the poker room at Wynn Las Vegas. The steady job was good, but not good enough for the man nicknamed “J-Ball,” and in early 2008, he decided to travel to the Bahamas for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.

In event No. 3, a $2,000 no-limit hold’em tournament, Riesenberg navigated his way through a 240-player field en route to his first major win and a $142,715 payday. After quitting his job, he made a few decent scores before playing in the 2008 World Series of Poker main event. There, he cruised for nearly a week until his run ended in 18th place, and he banked a whopping $334,534 for his effort.

His 2009 campaign was solid, as well. He made three final tables during the Wynn Classic, including a win in event No. 6, for $45,454. During the nine-day stretch there, he cashed for a total of $69,083. After three sizeable cashes at the 2009 WSOP, Riesenberg recently made the final table of an Omaha eight-or-better tournament at Bellagio to put his career winnings at $618,545.

Riesenberg has always made money at the tables. Quitting a dependable job in this economy is definitely risky, but he is proving that the gamble has paid off, and will continue to do so.