Player of the Year

The PokerStars European Poker Tour stop in Copenhagen proved the popularity of poker in Scandinavia once again in February. The no-limit hold’em main event attracted a field of 423 players and created a prize pool of $2,593,443. The champion was Anton Wigg, who took home $670,713 and 1,920 Card Player 2010 Player of the Year (POY) points. The runner-up was Francesco De Vivo, who was awarded 1,600 points and $415,206.

Wigg enters a three-way tie for eighth place in the POY standings with EPT Deauville winner Jake Cody and Aussie Millions champion Tyron Krost. De Vivo is now tied for 12th place with the runner-up finishers in Deauville (Teodor Caraba) and Australia (Frederik Jensen). Only time will tell which players who made final-table appearances in these big events are actual contenders and which ones were one-hit wonders.

The first PokerStars North American Poker Tour event to be held on United States soil took place at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in late February. The $5,000 no-limit hold’em event attracted a large field of 872 players and generated a prize pool of $4,017,700. The champion was Thomas Marchese, who walked away with first-place prize money of $827,648 along with 1,920 points. Sam Stein finished second and captured $522,306 and 1,600 points.

Marchese is now in second place in the POY standings with 2,880 points. His other big score came at the Borgata Winter Open, where he finished third in the no-limit hold’em championship event to win 960 points. Stein is now in fourth place in the standings, thanks also to his second-place finish in a $5,000 no-limit hold’em event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, which netted him 880 points.

Look Out: Eric Ladny
By Julio Rodriguez

Penn State senior Eric Ladny had a breakout 2009 online-poker campaign as “Avril Sharapova” and “psuNYY51.” But since the World Series of Poker, he has proven that he also can be a force at the live-tournament tables.

“I just feel really comfortable playing live,” he said. “There’s so much time to think through your decisions and process everything. It’s not like playing eight tables at a time online, because I get to see everything at once. All of that information is right in front of me.”

Ladny took fifth place in a $2,000 no-limit hold’em event at the 2009 WSOP and pocketed $108,883. He also made the trip to the U.S. Poker Championship, where he finished third for another $77,000. Then in the new year at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, he finished third in a $5,000 side event for a $114,070 payday.

Ladny credits his live-tournament success to his ability to make a smooth transition from the small screen to the felt. “A lot of the players I see who struggle with the transition try to win every hand that is dealt to them,” he explained. “They are just too aggressive and can’t let a pot go. That being said, there are times when you want to be aggressive, but knowing the difference between the right time and being reckless is a huge factor.”

Ladny has already racked up more than $1.2 million in earnings during his limited playing schedule. That said, the 22-year-old has had no reservations about setting aside some time to compete on the tournament circuit with the best in the game. “I still have two semesters to go until I get my degree, but I’ll be out there every chance I get, looking to get that one really big score.”