Weng and Foxen Have Firm Grip on GPI POY Race, MSPT to Host Mid-Major Finale

December 19, 2023

The 2023 Global Poker Index (GPI) Player of the Year race is Bin Weng’s to lose as the players wind down a bumper year for live poker throughout the world.

Weng is on top of a crowded leaderboard of poker’s best, but his big wins and deep runs throughout 2023 may be too much to overcome in the last month of the year.

Nacho Barbero trails by less than 300 points — an amount easily overcome by a win in the $40 million WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas — and Ren Lin was near the top of the leaderboard near the end of Day 4. Lin could jump into the lead with a win.

The $1,000,000 One Drop tournament kicks off on Monday, December 18, but it would need 35 players to qualify for GPI points, and there might not be enough points available to catch Weng.

GPI Player of the Year Top Ten

Players still have the opportunity to catch Weng at the top — though it will be tough. The chance remains at the WPT Championship to win a share of a $2,000,000 guarantee in a $1,600 no-limit hold’em tournament that offers three opening flights, while the Mid-States Poker Tour will run its traditional end-of-season tournament at Venetian Las Vegas from December 28-30.

Last year’s MSPT finale saw Jeremy Ausmus and Adam Hendrix play into Day 2 with the chance to catch Stephen Song, but neither of them could make a run at the final table. Angela Jordison also had the chance at the Mid-Major POY title with a top-two finish, but she finished in fifth.

Cherish Andrews Wins GPI Female POY, Stephen Song Both Overall & Mid-Major POY

Mid-Major Showdown at the Venetian

This year’s Mid-Major Player of the Year title will have another tight finish with several regulars expected to take a shot at that last tournament, but they will all have to beat the current leader, Nick Pupillo.

Pupillo had four final tables at the 2023 WSOP, including two third-place finishes and his first WSOP bracelet in the $2,500 Mixed Limit Triple Draw Lowball event. In addition to his strong summer, Pupillo had several final table finishes at the Venetian and at WSOP Circuit events throughout the country.

Mid-Major Player of the Year Top Ten

Several players remain in striking distance of Pupillo with a win in the year’s final tournament, like Ohio’s William Kopp. Kopp also won his first bracelet of the year this summer and he took down the WSOPC Main Event in Cherokee less than two months later.

Ankit Ahuja, who was still alive and near the top of the leaderboard at the midway point of Day 4 at the WPT World Championship, is close behind Kopp thanks in part to his win at the $1,100 Eureka Main Event at EPT Cyprus.

Preston McEwen and Blake Bohn round out the top five in the month of the year. McEwen has a strong 2023 resume of top finishes throughout the Gulf Coast, as well as a win at the WSOPC Main Event in Tunica and a RunGood Poker Series ring from their stop in Joplin, Missouri. Bohn had another banner year with an MSPT win and a deep run at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January.

A win in the year’s final tournament could be enough to propel any of the top seven players into the number one spot, but the exact points will be determined by the size of the field.

Foxen Finishing Strong in Women's POY Race

Kristen Foxen maintains a strong lead in the women's race for POY, thanks to a stellar year that included several strong finishes at the WSOP and a $216,079 score as runner-up of the $10,000 Deep Stack at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in August.

Foxen's closest competitor is Nadya Magnus, who had six-figure scores in the PSPC Main Event and the SHRPO Championship in August. However, the gap will continue to grow with Foxen still to gain points from the WPT World Championship, where she remains alive on Day 5.

Womens Player of the Year Race Top Ten

Kitty Kuo, Victoria Livschitz, and 2022 winner Cherish Andrews round out the top five, though they appear unable to catch Foxen for the lead.

Less than two weeks remain in 2023, and at least one of the GPI races is going to come down to the wire.

Live Reporting Executive

Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL

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