Even with the WSOP main event in the books, plenty of moves are still being made in the 2012 Card Player Player of the Year race, sponsored by Lock Poker. Here is a look at the events that had the biggest impact this past week.
PokerStars Asian Championship of Poker Macau – ACOP Warm Up
The 18-event Asia Championship of Poker kicked off last week at the Grand Waldo Hotel in Macau. The gambling hotspot near Hong Kong has played host to some of the biggest cash games in poker history in recent years, and has seen more and more tournament action as of late.
This particular series is set to feature a number of big events, including a $100,000 HKD ($12,903 USD) no-limit hold’em main event and a $250,000 HKD ($32,258 USD) no-limit hold’em high roller.
Before those events get underway, the series played host to a $25,000 HKD ($3,226 USD) ACOP warm up. A total of 358 players turned out, creating a seven-figure prizepool in U.S. dollars.
The last player standing was Australian Jeff Rossiter, who earned $1,777,000 HKD ($229,277 USD) and 900 POY points for the win. This was Rossiter’s fourth final table finish of the year, and as a result he now sits in 89th place in the overall standings.
Third-place finisher Joseph Cheong has climbed even higher in he rankings as a result of his deep run. The $731,000 HKD ($93,718 USD) and 600 POY points he notched saw him supplant Phil Hellmuth in the number five spot on the POY leaderboard.
Cheong has made six final tables this year, with to-date earnings of $919,347. His biggest score came from a fourth-place finish in the World Series of Poker Europe main event, worth $380,571. It is worth noting that Cheong is the only player currently inside the top ten without a title in 2012.
Poker legend Johnny Chan also made the final table of the warm up event, finishing seventh for $291,500 HKD ($37,372 USD).
Foxwoods World Poker Finals
Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut once again played host to the World Poker Finals, a huge 27-event series spanning three weeks and culminating in the $3,500 no-limit hold’em main event.
A grand total of 230 players entered the fray, building a prizepool of $736,230. Syosset, New York resident Ariel Albilia emerged victorious, earning $184,058 and 576 POY points for capturing his first title.
2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure main event champion John Dibella finished third in this event, scoring $82,825 and 384 points. This was Dibella’s third final table of the year, and as a result he has climbed into 11th place in the standings with 2,896 and year-to-date earnings of $1,864,243.
Here is a look at the top twenty in the 2012 Card Player Player of the Year race:
| Rank | Player | POY Points | Earnings |
| 1 | Gregory Merson | 5,100 | $9,664,179 |
| 2 | Dan Smith | 4,625 | $3,538,078 |
| 3 | Kyle Julius | 3,752 | $2,103,282 |
| 4 | Marvin Rettenmaier | 3,530 | $1,943,043 |
| 5 | Joseph Cheong | 3,380 | $919,347 |
| 6 | Phil Hellmuth | 3,210 | $4,293,213 |
| 7 | Oliver Speidel | 3,046 | $1,767,371 |
| 8 | Anthony Gregg | 2,984 | $1,004,155 |
| 9 | Ole Schemion | 2,956 | $1,663,559 |
| 10 | Michael Mizrachi | 2,942 | $2,155,179 |
| 11 | John Dibella | 2,896 | $1,864,243 |
| 12 | Vadzim Kursevich | 2,829 | $1,379,987 |
| 13 | Jesse Sylvia | 2,770 | $5,294,344 |
| 14 | Faraz Jaka | 2,720 | $1,009,964 |
| 15 | Joe Kuether | 2,716 | $548,411 |
| 16 | David Baker | 2,689 | $700,386 |
| 17 | Phil Ivey | 2,635 | $3,546,334 |
| 18 | Daniel Kelly | 2,508 | $766,317 |
| 19 | Davidi Kitai | 2,474 | $1,039,657 |
| 20 | Mohsin Charania | 2,420 | $1,904,899 |
| 20 | Brendon Rubie | 2,420 | $510,790 |
Photos courtesy of PokerStars Blog.
