2015 Card Player Player of the Year Update -- Joe Kuether, Byron Kaverman and Paul Volpe Make Moves Inside The Top 10

Thanks to the World Series of Poker and some other big tournaments in Las Vegas things are really starting to heat up in the 2015 Card Player Player of the Year race, with a number of big changes to the leader board coming this week. Here’s a look at the biggest tournament results from the past seven days at the Rio:

2015 Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza III $1 Million Guaranteed Event

The Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza III, running simultaneously with the WSOP, was highlighted by a $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em event with a massive $1 million guarantee.

A total of 1,265 players turned out to easily surpass the million-dollar mark for the prize pool. In the end the champion was perennial Player of the Year contender Joe Kuether, who has finished in the top 40 in the POY race in each of the last three years. For the win Kuether earned the $167,423 first-place prize and 960 POY points.

This was Kuether’s second title and eighth total final table finish of the year, bringing his earnings to this point for 2015 to $1,474,877. With a total of 3,751 POY points Kuether has climbed into second place in the overall standings, putting him 1,065 points behind current leader Anthony Zinno.

2015 WSOP $10,000 Six-Max No-Limit Hold’em

29-year-old poker pro Byron Kaverman topped a field of 259 players in the 2015 World Series of Poker $10,000 six-max no-limit hold’em championship, earning his first WSOP gold bracelet and the $657,351 first-place prize.

In addition to the hardware and the money Kaverman also earned 1,020 Card Player Player of the Year points. This was his seventh final table finish of 2015, including back-to-back wins in $25,000 buy-in high roller events at Aria in consecutive days. As a result of his numerous deep runs Kaverman has climbed into sixth place in the overall POY standings, with 2,780 total points and $1,608,839 in year-to-date earnings, with much of that coming from his win in this event.

Paul Volpe made his third final table appearance of the WSOP in this event, finishing sixth for $89,934 and 340 POY points. Volpe has made a total of seven final tables throughout 2015, building a point total of 2,521 to move into eighth place in the overall standings. Volpe finished second in the 2013 POY race to Daniel Negreanu, and is within striking distance of the POY title again just two years later.

2015 WSOP $10,000 Seven Card Stud Eight-or-Better Championship

The 2015 WSOP $10,000 stud eight-or-better championship event drew 111 entrants to build a total prize pool of $1,043,400. In the end Max Pescatori emerged victorious, capturing his second bracelet of the summer and his fourth overall. Pescatori also scored $292,158 and 600 POY points. As a result he climbed to 61st place in the overall standings.

Pescatori defeated Stephen Chidwick heads-up to capture the title. This was his sixth final table finish of the year, including a win in a €2,200 prelim at the European Poker Tour Malta. As a result he has accumulated 1,990 POY points and $694,089 in year-to-date earnings, moving into 19th place in the overall standings.

Two-time Card Player Player of the Year Daniel Negreanu (2004, 2013) finished third for $113,062 and 400 points. This was his first final table finish of 2015.

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

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