2014 Player of the Year Update -- PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Shapes Top 20

Things are just getting started in the 2014 Card Player Player of the Year race. Here is a look at the events that made the biggest impact on the overall standings this week as the race gets underway.

PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $10 Million Guaranteed Main Event

A total of 1,031 players turned out for the 2014 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $10,300 main event, just surpassing the $10,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. In the end Dominik Panka made European Poker Tour history by emerging victorious, becoming the first ever Polish player to win an EPT main event. For the win the 22-year-old earned $1,423,096 (after a deal made three handed) and 2,400 POY points, enough to catapult him into the outright lead in the 2014 standings.

In addition to forever etching his name in the poker history books he also prevented Mike “Timex” McDonald from making history of his own by becoming the first player to ever win two EPT titles, a feat that has been elusive for over nine and a half seasons so far. McDonald had previously taken down the 2008 EPT Dortmund, but was stopped just short this time around, finishing second for $1,064,865 and 2,000 POY points. McDonald now occupies the number two slot on the POY leaderboard, with third-place finisher in this event Isaac Baron right behind him with 1,600 points.

PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 Super High Roller

Fabian Quoss is the latest young German poker pro to come out on top in a super high roller event. The 31-year-old from Nuremburg came out on top from a field of 56 entries in the 2014 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 super high roller, beating a final table featuring the likes of Dan Shak, Vanessa Selbst, Antonio Esfandiari and other top pros to win his third career title, the $1,629,940 first-place prize and 600 POY points. Quoss now sits in 22nd place in the POY standings, with updated lifetime live tournament earnings in excess of $4.5 million.

Quoss made it to heads-up play with a 2-to-1 lead over Dan Shak, who finished runner-up in this same event two years ago and eighth in 2013. Shak was unable to overcome the disadvantage and again fell just short of capturing this title, earning $1,178,980 and 500 POY points. Main event runner-up Mike McDonald finished eighth in this event, earning another 100 points for squeaking into the money. His min-cash in this event was worth $217,320.

PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 High Roller

Jake Schindler came out on top of the record-setting 247-entry field in the 2014 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 no-limit hold’em high roller, earning the first-place prize of $1,192,624 after overcoming Greg Merson to secure the title.

The two made a deal once heads-up play began, setting aside $200,000 from the prize pool and splitting the remainder to assure Schindler at least $992,624 and Merson $948,996 based on their chip counts, leaving the trophy, the POY points and the extra money to play for.

Schindler came out on top in the end, earning $1,192,624 and 1,428 POY points and moving into fourth place in the overall POY standings as a result. For his runner-up finish Merson took home the aforementioned $948,996 as well as 1,190 points. Merson, who won the 2012 Player of the Year race after winning the WSOP main event and another huge bracelet event, now sits in seventh place on the leader board.

The story line that drew the most attention at this final table was Vanessa Selbst’s run at defending her win in this event in 2013. Last year she topped a field of 204 to win over $1.4 million. Selbst had already had an impressive run at the 2014 PCA, finishing third in the $100,000 super high roller for $760,640 and then making a deep run in the $10,300 main event, ultimately busting in 42nd place. She ended up finishing third in this event, earning 952 points and another $607,580 in earnings. She now sits in fifth place in the POY standings with 1,352 points and year-to-date earnings of just under $1.4 million.

Selbst’s career live tournament earnings now exceed $9.6 million. From 2010 through 2013 she finished 4th, 20th, 31st and 3rd, in the POY standings, making her one of the game’s most consistent performers.

World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw Main Event

Tyler Morris topped a gigantic field of 1,428 entries in the $1,675 World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw no-limit hold’em main event. The huge turnout built a $2,142,000 prize pool, blowing away the event’s $1 million guarantee and in the process becoming he fourth largest main event in the WSOP Circuit’s decade-long history.

For emerging victorious Morris earned his first major title, the $369,503 first-place prize and 960 POY points, moving into ninth place in the overall POY standings as a result. Runner-up Shelby Penka moved into 12th place in the standings after earning 800 points and $229,194 for his strong showing.

Here is a look at the current top twenty in the 2014 POY:

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