Time to Hand Out Some Awards
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Let's get this show on the road, Joe Stapleton and Gaëlle Garcia Diaz are your hosts for the evening, first up the individual country Player of the Year's so with out further ado...
POY Finland: Joni Jouhkimainen: GPI 300 Rank = #14
The most smartly dressed of them all was Joni Jouhkimainen who also gave one of the longer awards speeches of the evening saying: “It’s an honour to be here, the competition in Finland was really tough, I obviously ran really good. I hope to be here next year too. The Finn's greatest success came in High Roller events in 2013.
Cashed for $ 809,705 in 2013, lifetime earnings of $ 1,870,011.
Three Biggest scores in 2013 (total cashes = 21) :
1) EPT Barcelona: € 10,000 + 300 No Limit Hold'em - High Roller Re-Entry – 4th, € 148,000
2) EPT Berlin € 10,000 + 300 No Limit Hold'em - High Roller Re-Entry - 6th, € 68,600
3) European Masters of Poker IV, € 1,000 + 100 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event, 1st, € 56,860
POY France: Benjamin Pollak: GPI 300 Rank = #133
Next up was France's Player of the Year, there was no speech, just a quick 'Merci' before Bnejamin Pollak left the stage trophy in hand. His vital statistics for 2013 are below, he was another Frenchman to make a deep run in the WSOP Main Event.
Cashed for $ 621,902 in 2013, lifetime earnings of $1,299,471
Three Biggest Scores in 2013 (total cashes = 12)
1) WSOP $10,000 World Championship - No Limit Hold'em – 27th, $285,408
2) PartyPoker WPT Barcelona - € 3,200 + 300 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event – 2nd, €126,000
3) WPT Prague € 3,200 + 300 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event - € 104,000
POY UK: Stephen Chidwick: GPI 300 Rank = #32
Then Stephen Chidwick was invited up to get his award he got a little ribbing from 'Stapes' but said: "I'm very happy to be taking this award home as I've beaten some tough competition." For Chidwick it was a case of so near but yet so far from a major title in 2013. He made numerous deep runs in tough events without quite getting over the line. Knowing how competitive he is you sense he might just put that right in 2014.
Cashed for $1,183,748 in 2013, lifetime earnings of $ 2,211,910
Three Biggest Scores in 2013 (total cashes = 15)
1) EPT/EUREKA - Prague,€ 5,000 + 300 No Limit Hold'em - EPT Main Event – 3rd, € 378,000
2) World Series of Poker $ 25,000 No Limit Hold'em - 6 Handed – 4th, $ 353,780
3) WSOP $ 50,000 The Poker Players Championship – 6th, $ 253,497
Next up was Ireland's Player of the Year, but Dermot Blain is still in a tournament here in Deauville so couldn't collect his award in person. Like Chidwick, the Irishman had a number of deep runs in big events in 2013 but didn't get that elusive 'W'.
POY Ireland: Dermot Blain (for the 2nd year in a row) GPI 300 Rank = #104
Cashed for $ 138,097 in 2013, lifetime earnings of $ 1,448,973
Three Biggest Scores in 2013 (total cashes = 11)
1) EPT Barcelona € 5,000 + 300 No Limit Hold'em - Main Event – 52nd - € 18,200
2) UKIPT Nottingham £ 2,000 + 200 No Limit Hold'em - High Roller – 4th - £ 10,500
3) EPT/UK & Ireland Poker Tour - London £ 1,500 + 100 No Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha - 8 Handed – 2nd, £11,000
Stay right here, more awards are being handed out as I type.