2016 Card Player Player of the Year -- David Peters, Ari Engel and Justin Bonomo Make Moves Inside Top Five

There was major movement this week near the top of the leader board in the 2016 Card Player Player of the Year race. Here is a look at the events that most impacted the standings this week:

2016 Triton Super High Roller $500,000 HKD No-limit Hold’em

A total of 62 entries were made in the 2016 Triton Super High Roller Series $500,000 HKD ($64,465 USD) event. The massive turnout of players to the Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila built a prize pool equivalent to $6,285,020 USD after 39 add-ons were made.

In the end Wai Kin Yong emerged victorious, defeating Bryn Kenney heads-up to capture the title and the $16,135,550 HKD ($2,097,622 USD) first-place prize.

Yong, the son of Macau businessman Richard Yong, also earned 612 Player of the Year points for the win.

Kenney scored $1,413,191 USD and 510 points at his 14th final table finish of the year. Kenney started off 2016 by winning the $100,000 super high roller at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for more than $1.6 million. His other two titles have come in $25,000 Aria High Roller events. With $5,125,123 in year-to-date earnings and 4,089 points earned Kenney now occupies the ninth-place spot on the POY leader board.

Eighth-place finisher David Peters added $215,462 and 102 at his 15th final table of 2016. Peters has won two titles this year, one in a $25,000 high roller at Bellagio and then just three days later he took down a $1,500 no-limit hold’em event at the World Series of Poker for his first gold bracelet. With 5,203 points and more than $5.2 million in earnings this year he has cemented his spot in 2nd place in the standings, behind only Fedor Holz.

2016 HPT Missouri Main Event

The 2016 Heartland Poker Tour Missouri $1,650 no-limit hold’em main event drew a field of 407 entries, building a prize pool of $577,940. Matt Donaldson, a compliance worker from Kansas City and former college room mate of poker pro Blair Hinkle, came out on top with the title and the top prize of $132,917.

Donaldson defeated Ari Engel heads-up for the win. Engel, who was at his 14th final table of the year, earned $82,067 and 600 POY points for his latest deep run. Engel got his year off to an incredible start, making four final tables in January including a win in the Aussie Millions $10,000 AUD main event for $1,120,000 USD and 2,280 POY points.

His second largest score of the year came when he finished fifth in the EPT Barcelona €10,300 no-limit hold’em event for $347,927 and 875 points. His two POY-qualified titles have come in a heads-up preliminary event at the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open and in a WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Atlantic City $580 no-limit hold’em event. That win earned Engel his eighth WSOPC gold ring.

With 4,969 points and $1,697,432 in year-to-date earnings Engel has moved into third place on the overall POY leaderboard.

2016 ACOP Super High Roller $500,000 HKD No-limit Hold’em

The 2016 Asia Championship of Poker hosted a super high roller of it’s own this past week. The poker festival in Macau attracted 45 entrants for it’s $500,000 HKD ($64,465) high stakes showdown, building a prize pool equivalent to $2,757,056 USD.

The lion’s share of that money was awarded to Yuan Li, who scored $871,000 USD and 510 POY points for coming out on top. This is Li’s very first recorded live tournament cash.

The same could not be said of runner-up Justin Bonomo. The American poker pro made his 110th live tournament cash in this event, earning $727,350 USD and 425 points at his eighth final table of the year. Bonomo has now had three huge runner-up finishes this year, placing second in this event, a $50,000 super high roller at Aria this summer and in the WSOP $50,000 Poker Platers Championship mixed-game event.

Bonomo has also won two titles, taking down a $25,000 Ari High Roller and a 2,200 €2,200 EPT Grand Final preliminary event this spring.

With 4,895 points and $3,148,173 in POY-qualified earnings so far in 2016 Bonomo has shot up the rankings and into fourth place on the leader board.

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

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