Home :Poker Strategy : Player of the Year Scoring Criteria

Player of the Year 2009 Scoring Criteria

Tournaments that count in the Player of the Year standings will be listed in Card Player magazine each issue. Events must meet all criteria to qualify. Changes from 2008 are indicated in boldface:

  • Events in a tournament series with at least $750,000 in the overall prize pool or single events with at least $250,000 in the prize pool
  • Events with at least 60 entrants
  • Events with a buy-in of at least $300
  • For all $10,000 buy-in championship events, points will be awarded to the players at the final three tables for in-the-money players only. (If only 18 places pay in a $10,000 event, only those 18 players will be awarded points.)
  • 2009 editions of 2008 brick-and-mortar (land-based) casino Player of the Year events; the 2009 editions must have a buy-in of at least $300 and at least 60 entrants
  • Invitational events must have at least $500,000 in the prize pool
  • International events must have a buy-in of at least $1,000, but will otherwise follow normal POY qualification criteria
  • Online events with a prize pool of more than $5 million (only players who release their real names -- with site verification -- will receive points)
  • Second-chance events do not qualify
  • Regularly scheduled daily or weekly events do not qualify

There are three criteria when calculating points:

  1. Place finished at the final table
    • For stud events, the final eight will receive points.
    • For sixhanded events, the final six will receive points.
    • For heads-up events with up to 64 entrants, the top four will receive points; for 65-128 entrants, the top eight will receive points; for 129-plus entrants the top 16 will receive points.
    • For all other game types, the final nine will receive points.
    • In events with a buy-in of at least $10,000, the top 27 will receive points in most tournaments. The top 24 players will receive points for stud events and top 18 will receive points for six-handed events.
  2. Amount of the buy-in
  3. Number of entrants

Total points are calculated by multiplying the point factors of the three criteria:

Place finished: first place receives 120 points; second place, 100; third place, 80; fourth place, 60; fifth place, 50; sixth place, 40; seventh place, 30; eighth place, 20; ninth place, 10. In events with at least a $10,000 buy-in, the entire second table receives 6 points and the entire third table receives 3 points. In heads-up events with 64 entrants, first place receives 120 points; second place, 100; semi-finalists, 60 points. In heads-up events with 65-128 entrants, first place receives 120 points; second place, 100; semi-finalists, 60 points; quarter-finalists, 20 points. In heads-up events with 129-plus entrants, first place receives 120 points; second place, 100; semi-finalists, 60 points; quarter-finalists, 20 points; places nine through 16, 6 points.

Note: If there is a tie between two or more players, each receives the average number of points available. For example, if two players tie for ninth place, each receives half of the ninth-place points. Players receive points only if they are in the money. If a tournament pays only five places, only the top five players get points.

Buy-ins: $300-$999 = 1 point, $1,000-$2,499 = 2 points, $2,500-$4,999 = 3 points, $5,000-$9,999 = 4 points $10,000-$24,999 = 5 points, $25,000 or more = 6 points. The buy-in in rebuy tournaments is calculated by dividing the total gross prize pool by the number of entrants.

Number of entrants: 60-64 = 0.6 point, 65-74 = 0.7 point, 75-84 = 0.8 point, 85-94 = 0.9 point, 95-104 = 1 point. Every 10 additional number of entrants increases the number of points by 0.1 up to 3.9, with the number of entrants rounded to the nearest 10. 395-999 entrants = 4 points, 1,000-1,999 = 5 points, 2,000+ entrants = 6 points. The maximum number of points is 6. Examples are: 57 players = 0 points, 72 players = 0.7 points, 132 players = 1.3 points, 135 players = 1.4 points, 382 players = 3.8 points, 650 players = 4 points, 8,565 players = 6 points.

Here is a hypothetical total point calculation example: You finished in eighth place in a $500 buy-in event that had 200 entrants. You receive 20 points for eighth place; the buy-in is $500, which is a 1-point event; and there are 200 entrants, which is good for 2 points. Thus, you receive 40 total points (20 x 1 x 2 = 40).