WPT Player of the Year may just be the most prestigious honor in all of poker. Each winner must perform with exceptional skill and determination on the felt, and the acclaimed list of those who have attained this award is daunting. These players are titans of the game, with past winners including Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier, Jonathan Little, Gavin Smith and Daniel Negreanu. For full list, click here.
With only four WPT Main Events left in the historic WPT Season X, we decided to take a closer look at the hotly contested race for WPT Player of the Year. Points are awarded based on the total prize pool of each tournament. Players must finish in the money to earn POY points and all players who cash will automatically receive the minimum 50 points. For the complete POY points system, click here.
Currently leading the pack by 150 points is Will “The Thrill” Failla, the Legends of Poker Champion. Failla has cashed three times in Season X, more than anyone else in the race. While his phenomenal run at the Borgata Poker Open awarded him 400 points for an eleventh place finish (out of 1,313), it may well end up being his recent min-cash at the Five Diamond World Poker Classic (50 points) that positions him on top when all is said and done.
Over the past five WPT Seasons, four WPT Players of the Year have claimed victory by 200 points or less. Defending WPT Player of the Year Andy Frankenberger claimed the honor on the penultimate day of Season IX, winning by only 100 points.
Currently sitting in second place and trailing by only 150 points is Vitor Coelho, the only player to have made multiple WPT final tables during Season X. Right behind Coelho we have a three-way tie for third. Bobby Oboodi, James Dempsey and Sean Jazayeri have each won massive WPT Main Events with prize pools totaling more than $4,000,000 apiece. Sixth through fifteen place is separated by only 200 points, which sees Season X Ones to Watch David “Doc” Sands in a tie for seventh.
The race to become the acclaimed tenth WPT Player of the Year will come down to the wire. Follow the action from every upcoming WPT Main Event with WPT Live Updates and tune into each WPT Final Table on WPT Live Streaming.
Season X of the World Poker Tour airs on Fox Sports Net (FSN) in the U.S., with new episodes premiering every Sunday night at 8pm and 11pm local time. Check your local TV listings.
WPT Trivia: Did you know that Phil Ivey has finished SECOND, THIRD, and SEVENTH in the WPT Player of the Year race (Seasons VI, I and III respectively)?!?
See the full and current WPT POY standings below:
| Rank | Player Name | POY Points | Earnings | Cashes | Final Tables | Titles |
| 1 | Will Failla | 1,650 | $820,342 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Vitor Coelho | 1,500 | $234,329 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Bobby Oboodi | 1,400 | $922,441 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | James Dempsey | 1,400 | $821,612 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Sean Jazayeri | 1,400 | $1,370,240 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Soi Nguyen | 1,250 | $524,778 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | Andrey Pateychuk | 1,200 | $630,263 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | David Sands | 1,200 | $806,370 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | Jin Hwang | 1,200 | $554,303 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | Matt Waxman | 1,200 | $729,886 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Moon Kim | 1,200 | $960,900 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Vanessa Selbst | 1,200 | $357,219 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 13 | Daniel Buzgon | 1,150 | $342,943 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Dan Kelly | 1,100 | $521,770 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | Daniel Santoro | 1,050 | $466,262 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Noah Schwartz | 1,050 | $365,817 | 2 | 1 | 0 |