- In most cases, events must have a buy-in equal or greater than 400 in local currency.* Buy-ins will be calculated with entry fee.
- Events must have at least 50 entrants or generate a prize pool equal or greater than $250,000. Events that qualify based on prize pool must have a minimum of 10 entrants.
- Events must be open to the public. Speciality events, such as invitationals, survivors, ladies, seniors, and partnership events will not qualify.
- Regularly scheduled daily or weekly events, that are not part of a series, do not qualify.
- Events that qualified the previous year will not automatically qualify for POY in the current year, unless they meet the minimum criteria.
- Players must make the money to earn POY points. All qualifying tournaments will award points to only the official final table, which is determined by game type.
- Online events will not qualify for POY.
* This rule applies toward more or less congruent currencies such as the U.S. Dollar, the Euro, the Australian Dollar, the New Zealand Dollar, the Canadian Dollar and the British Pound. Other currencies will only qualify if when converted to U.S. Dollars, the buy-in is equal or greater than $400.
There are three criteria when calculating points. Points are calculated by multiplying the following three factors.
- Place finished at the final table.
- For stud events, the final eight will receive points.
- For six-handed events, the final six will receive points.
- For heads-up events up to 64 entrants, the top four will receive points. For heads-up events with 65 entrants or more, the top eight will receive points.
- For hold'em and all other standard freezeout tournaments, the final nine players will receive points.
- For qualifying events with at least 2,000 entrants, the final twenty-seven players will receive points.
| Place Finished |
Multiplier |
| 1st |
120 |
| 2nd |
100 |
| 3rd |
80 |
| 4th |
60 |
| 5th |
50 |
| 6th |
40 |
| 7th |
30 |
| 8th |
20 |
| 9th |
10 |
| 10th-18th |
6 |
| 19th-27th |
3 |
- Amount of the buy-in.
| Buy-In |
Multiplier |
| $400-$499 |
0.8 |
| $500-$999 |
1 |
| $1,000-$2,499 |
2 |
| $2,500-$4,999 |
3 |
| $5,000-$9,999 |
4 |
| $10,000-$14,999 |
5 |
| $15,000-$24,999 |
6 |
| $25,000-$49,999 |
7 |
| $50,000-$99,999 |
8.5 |
| $100,000+ |
10 |
- Number of entrants.
| Entrants |
Multiplier |
| 1-19 |
0.2 |
| 20-29 |
0.3 |
| 30-39 |
0.4 |
| 40-59 |
0.5 |
| 60-69 |
0.6 |
| 70-79 |
0.7 |
| 80-89 |
0.8 |
| 90-99 |
0.9 |
| 100-119 |
1 |
| 119-139 |
1.1 |
| 140-159 |
1.2 |
| 160-179 |
1.3 |
| 180-199 |
1.4 |
| 200-219 |
1.5 |
| 220-239 |
1.6 |
| 240-259 |
1.7 |
| 260-279 |
1.8 |
| 280-299 |
1.9 |
| 300-349 |
2 |
| 350-399 |
2.5 |
| 400-499 |
3 |
| 500-699 |
3.5 |
| 700-999 |
3.8 |
| 1,000-1,499 |
4 |
| 1,500-2,499 |
4.5 |
| 2,500-3,499 |
5 |
| 3,500-9,999 |
5.5 |
| 10,000+ |
6 |
