Player of the Year: Thomas Marchese Takes Back Player of the Year Lead at WPT World Poker Finals

The World Poker Tour World Poker Finals $10,000 no-limit hold’em main event at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut factored heavily into the Card Player 2010 Player of the Year (POY) race in early November. Thomas Marchese made his ninth final table of the year and finished in third place, which was good for $211,759. He also received 960 POY points, which puts him atop the standings once again, after Dwyte Pilgrim passed him in September by winning the Borgata Poker Open WPT main event.
Marchese has won $1,998,700 in prize money in POY events in 2010, which tops Pilgrim’s $1,074,997, but Pilgrim has made more final tables, 13, this year.

There are now 750 points separating these two consistent professionals, and considering how often they have run deep in events this year, this might not be the last lead change. It appears that the POY race will come down to the final major event of the year, the $10,000 World Series of Poker Circuit Eastern Regional Championship, which will take place at Harrah’s in Atlantic City, Dec. 19-22.

Topping the field of 242 players at the World Poker Finals was Jeff Forrest, a young poker talent who won the very first WPT event that he played. Forrest captured 1,440 POY points to go with the top prize of $548,752.

Two other players who currently reside in the POY top 10 won points in the World Poker Finals main event. Sorel Mizzi, the final-table bubble boy, finished seventh and received 360 points. He now sits in third place with 4,397 points, and he increased his 2010 earnings to $1,451,936. Mike Beasley made a run to the final three tables and cashed for $27,779 by finishing 22nd, which was good for 36 points, enabling him to maintain his grip on eighth place (3,356 points) in the standings.

Here is the breakdown of prize money and POY points won at the WPT World Poker Finals main-event final table:

1 Jeff Forrest $548,752 (1,440 points)
2 Dave Inselberg $325,608 (1,200 points)
3 Thomas Marchese $211,759 (960 points)
4 Nikolai Yakovenko $170,773 (720 points)
5 Keven Stammen $128,650 (600 points)
6 Mohsin Charania $104,741 (480 points)