Player of the Year Update Sponsored By Lock Poker -- Aussie Millions & WSOP-C ChoctawAussie Millions and WSOP-Circuit |
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Action is heating up in the 2012 Card Player Player of the Year race sponsored by Lock Poker, with a number of large tournament series across the United States and the Aussie Millions picking up steam down under. Here are the biggest results on the tournament circuit from the past week.
Aussie Millions
The 2012 Aussie Millions Main Event got underway on January 22nd with the first of three starting days. By the time registration closed, a total of 659 players had posted the $10,000 AUD buy-in, building a $6,590,000 AUD prizepool and a first-place prize of $1.6 million AUD. In addition to the considerable monetary rewards, the champion will also earn 2,100 POY points, which would be enough to move them into second in the overall standings for the time being. The final table will play down to a champion on January 28th.
While the main event got underway, the big action continued down under in the preliminary events with some notable pros coming out on top. Dan Kelly topped the 129-player field in the second event of the series, a $1,000 AUD pot-limit Omaha event. For the win, Kelly earned 264 POY points and $34,384, moving his career earnings past $4.45 million. After another small cash, Kelly then went on to finish third in event no. 6, a $1,000 AUD re-buy event, earning $58,788 and 216 more POY points.
The Aussie Millions has earned a reputation as a mecca for high roller tournaments over the past few years, and the tradition continued with the $100,000 Challenge this week. A total of 22 players put up the unreal buy-in, including many of poker’s biggest names. Only four players made the money, including Tony G, Joe Hachem, Mikhail Smirnov and eventual champion Dan Smith. For his win the young high-stakes pro was awarded $1,012,000 AUD and 600 POY points, moving him into five-way tie for 20th place in the overall standings.
World Series of Poker Circuit – Choctaw
The World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw kicked off in Durant, Oklahoma on January 12th, with a total of 12 gold-ring events slated for the festival.
The centerpiece of the series was the $1,600 WSOP Circuit Choctaw main event, which drew 978 players, building a $1,422,990 million prizepool. Abraham Araya came out on top, earning $270,380 in prize money, his first gold ring and 912 POY points, which moved him into a tie for eighth-place in the overall standings.
The six-figure first-place prize could not have come at a better time for Araya, who was laid off from his job as an airline flight mechanic. The 44 year-old Carrollton, Texas native had recently won another event at Choctaw, the T.J. Cloutier Poker Challenge for $83,659. This WSOP Circuit main event victory has brought his total earnings for the past few months to more than $350,000.
Araya is not the only player to find consistent success at Choctaw. Like Araya, Raja Kattamuri has also previously won the T.J. Cloutier Poker Challenge. This week Kattamuri joined Araya in the winner’s circle, winning two events, finishing runner-up in another and making a fourth final table in just in the past week.
Kattamuri began his amazing run by taking down event no.3, a $555 no-limit hold’em, earning his first gold-ring, $37,293 and 240 POY points. A few days later, Kattamuri finished runner-up in a $345 six-handed no-limit hold’em event. After throwing in another final table finish for good measure, he topped off the week by taking down the first-ever WSOP Circuit heads-up no-limit hold’em event for the $23,475 first prize, his second gold-ring and 156 POY points.
Borgata Winter Poker Open
The Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey kicked off its 2012 Borgata Winter Poker Open on January 18th, with the first of 12 total events. The first tournament attracted a total of 1,873 players put up the $560 buy-in, building a $936,500 prize pool. In the end, Will “The Thrill” Failla came out on top, securing the $165,053 first-place prize and 540 POY points. Failla had a career-year in 2011, winning three titles, making eight final tables and cashing for $1,208,421. Failla seems primed to continue that run of good form in the new year.
Looking Ahead
The biggest swing in the Player of the Year standings in the coming is sure to come from the Aussie Millions main event, but plenty of other events are going to have an impact.
The 2012 Isle Classic at the Isle Casino in Pompano Beach, Florida has been running since January 11th and is approaching its zenith, the $2,500 no-limit hold’em main event.
The 2012 L.A. Poker Classic got underway on January 18th, with 50 events in total, including the World Poker Tour $10,000 LAPC main event that starts next month on February 24th. Nearly half of the scheduled events will qualify for POY points.
In Las Vegas, the 2012 WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace kicked off on January 19th, headlined by a $1,600 main event that drew 396 players last year.
Here is a look at the current standings in the 2012 Card Player Player of the Year race, sponsored by Lock Poker:
| Rank | Player | Points | Earnings |
| 1 | John Dibella | 2,400 | $1,775,000 |
| 2 | Kyle Julius | 2,000 | $1,500,000 |
| 3 | Jonathan Duhamel | 1,816 | $1,205,970 |
| 3 | Faraz Jaka | 1,600 | $755,000 |
| 5 | Xuan Liu | 1,200 | $600,000 |
| 6 | Leonid Bilokur | 1,008 | $1,134,930 |
| 6 | Mark Drover | 1,000 | $468,000 |
| 8 | Brendon Rubie | 912 | $208,340 |
| 8 | Abraham Araya | 912 | $270,380 |
| 10 | Freddy Deeb | 840 | $171,810 |
