It was another very busy week in the 2014 Card Player Player of the Year race, sponsored by Carbon Poker. Here is a look at the events that most influenced the overall standings over the past seven days:
World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event
James Carroll emerged victorious in the 2014 World Poker Tour Bay 101 Shooting Star $7,500 no-limit hold’em main event, overcoming a record field of 718 entries to win his first WPT title, the $1,256,550 first-place prize and 1,824 Card Player Player of the Year points. As a result of these two wins Carroll has ascended to fifth place in the overall POY race standings, with 2,244 points and $1,302,856 in year-to-date earnings.
Carroll defeated Dylan Wilkerson heads-up for the title. Wilkerson had finished runner-up in the WPT Fallsview Poker Classic main event just weeks earlier for $205,925 and 1,000 points, and this time around he took home $728,650 and 1,520 POY points for his deep run. As a result of his two huge WPT runner-up showings Wilkerson now sits in third place in the overall POY standings with 2,520 points and $934,575 in year-to-date earnings.
World Poker Tour National – Venice
The 2014 Gioco Digitale WPTN Venice Carnival no-limit hold’em main event attracted 199 entries, building a total prizepool in excess of $530,000 USD. In the end Andrea Dato came out on top, earning $145,703 and 504 points for the win. Dato defeated Sam Trickett, the second highest earning player in tournament poker history, for the win. The British professional now has $19,947,544 in live earnings.
Sotirios Koutoupas finished sixth for $26,922 and 168 points. Koutoupas topped a field of 671 entries in the €5,300 buy-in European Poker Tour Deauville main event early in February, becoming the first Greek player to capture an EPT title and earning $839,670 and 1,680 points. These two scores have catapulted Koutoupas into ninth place in the overall POY standings.
Latin Series of Poker Millions $1 Million Guarantee
A total of 1,290 entries were made in the $850 LSOP Millions $1 Million Guarantee no-limit hold’em main event that took place last week in Panama City, and from that huge turnout emerged a final nine that featured a number of notable players including Jose “Nacho” Barbero and Carter Gill.
Leonardo Tarazona took a chip lead into the final table, but in the end it was Carter Gill who came out on top, earning $175,070 and 480 POY points for his fourth live tournament title. As a result the American poker pro’s career live tournament earnings surpassed the million-dollar mark.
Here is a look at the current top twenty in the POY standings:
| Rank | Player | POY Points | Earnings |
| 1 | Mike McDonald | 3,200 | $4,322,895 |
| 2 | Dominik Panka | 3,000 | $1,794,594 |
| 3 | Dylan Wilkerson | 2,520 | $934,575 |
| 4 | Mustapha Kanit | 2,394 | $756,016 |
| 5 | James Carroll | 2,244 | $1,302,856 |
| 6 | Sorel Mizzi | 2,170 | $1,045,207 |
| 7 | Chris Moorman | 2,100 | $1,015,460 |
| 7 | Ami Barer | 2,100 | $1,432,800 |
| 9 | Sotirios Koutoupas | 1,848 | $866,592 |
| 10 | Glenn Lafaye | 1,750 | $662,840 |
| 11 | Isaac Baron | 1,600 | $1,207,599 |
| 12 | Jake Schindler | 1,588 | $1,224,504 |
| 13 | Jonathan Gaviao | 1,540 | $314,379 |
| 14 | Anthony Merulla | 1,440 | $842,379 |
| 15 | Mike Leah | 1,404 | $243,799 |
| 16 | Michael Rocco | 1,400 | $423,440 |
| 16 | Eugene Katchalov | 1,400 | $518,981 |
| 16 | Jacob Balsiger | 1,400 | $582,075 |
| 19 | Farid Jattin | 1,392 | $326,737 |
| 20 | Vanessa Selbst | 1,352 | $1,368,220 |
