2015 Card Player Player of the Year Update -- Anthony Zinno Takes Stranglehold On Lead

A pair of high roller events made a big impact on the 2015 Card Player Player of the Year race this week. Here’s a look at those two tournaments and how they shifted the standings:

2015 WSOP $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller

The inaugural 2015 World Series of Poker $25,000 buy-in pot-limit Omaha high roller drew 175 entrants to build a $4,156,250 total prize pool. In the end Anthony Zinno, the hottest player on the live tournament circuit, emerged victorious with the $1,122,196 first-place prize and his very first WSOP gold bracelet.

In addition to the title and the money Zinno was also awarded 1,092 Player of the Year points. He was already the leader in the POY standings, but has now taken a stranglehold on the lead with $3,418,327 in year-to-date earnings and 6,488 total points. To put those numbers in perspective, the last three Player of the Year winners put together point totals of 5,498 (Dan Colman), 5,140 (Daniel Negreanu) and 5,100 (Greg Merson) over an entire year and Zinno has managed to outdo their point totals by the start of July.

The 33-year-old poker pro started his incredible year out by winning the WPT Fallsview Poker Classic main event for $252,420 and then went on the win his second title of the year only three weeks later at the WPT L.A. Poker Classic main event for another $1,015,860. As spring came so did more big scores for Zinno, with a win in a $25,000 high roller at the Bay 101 Shooting Star and two final tables in smaller events.

At the WSOP he has cashed a total of five times including this latest win, making it to the final table each and every time. That’s pretty impressive no matter which events you’re talking about, but made even more alarming when you factor in that all of those scores came in what are widely considered to be tough events. He started off with a sixth place finish in the $10,000 Omaha eight-or-better championship event, then placed seventh in the $5,000 six-max no-limit hold’em three days later. It wasn’t long before he was deep again, this time finishing fifth in the $10,000 limit hold’em championship event. Three days later he made the final table of the $111,111 One Drop high roller no-limit hold’em event, finishing seventh for another $565,864. Three days later he was back at the final table, this time coming out on top for his first gold bracelet.

Will Zinno run away with this year’s Player of the Year race now, or can somebody step up during the second half of the year? Only time will tell.

2015 $500,000 Super High Roller Bowl

The inaugural $500,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl, drew 43 players to build a prize pool of $21.5 million.

The lion’s share of that was awarded to eventual champion Brian Rast, who earned $7,525,000 and 600 for the win. This was his third final table, moving him into 57th place in the overall POY standings and bringing his career live tournament earnings to $15,524,084.

Rast was not the only player to make a move in the POY rankings as a result of this massive event. Scott Seiver finished runner-up for $5,160,000 and 500 points. This was his seventh final table of 2015, bringing his year-to-date earnings to $7,528,868 and his point total to 2,450 and moving him into 14th place on the leader board.

Seiver’s lifetime live earnings grew to $20,805,230. As a result he climbed to sixth place on the all-time money list, surpassing Phil Hellmuth and Sam Trickett.

Third-place finisher in this event Connor Drinan earned $3,225,000 and 400 points at his seventh final table of the year. He moved into a tie with Mike Gorodinsky for 15th place with 2,436 points and $4,408,385 in year-to-date earnings.

Here is a look at the current top 20 in the POY standings:

Related Articles

One Drop Charity Event Runs Friday At Resorts World

PGT Texas PLO Roundup Main Event Starts Thursday

Charity Series Of Poker Hosts Betting On Miracles On Dec. 4

Most Viewed Articles