By Sean Chaffin
With the conclusion of the first event of Season XVIII, the early race for the Hublot WPT Player of the Year has started to take shape. Roger Teska (pictured) leads the pack early after topping a field of 373 in the WPT Gardens Poker Festival to take home $368,475. He adds 1,000 POY points and is the early leader with a free entry into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions.
Along with the prestige of a coveted title and $15,000 in WPT tournament buy-in credits, the winner is awarded a custom-made Hublot timepiece. Last season, Erkut Yilmaz won two events and amassed 2,300 points to take the title.
Just behind Teska is Laszlo Molnar, who earned 800 points for his runner-up finish and $235,615 in prize money. In third place with 700 points is Lior Orel after his finish in the same spot at the Gardens for $172,770. Lars Kamphues follows him in fourth with 600 points.
The other two from the six-player final table slide into the fifth and sixth spots. Andrew Wisdom earned 500 points for his fifth-place finish for $96,545. Just behind him in sixth place is Cord Garcia with 400 points after he took sixth for $73,600.
The remaining finishers at the WPT Gardens Poker Festival round out the Top 10:
- 7th – Eric Hicks, 300 points ($56,860)
- 8th – Maria Ho, 200 points ($44,525)
- 9th – Vladimir Vasilyev, 150 points ($35,340)
- 10th – Eric Wong, 100 points ($35,340)
Click here for complete standings in the Hublot Player of the Year race.
What Can You Win in the Hublot WPT Player of the Year Race?
As the official timekeeper and official watch of the World Poker Tour, Hublot is once again the presenting sponsor of the WPT Player of the Year award for Season XVIII. The company will be awarding a custom Hublot timepiece to the winner of the Hublot WPT Player of the Year race. In addition, the Season XVIII winner receives $15,000 in WPT tournament buy-in credits and complimentary accommodations at all WPT Main Tour events in Season XVIII.
Prizes will also be awarded for the second- and third-place finishers in the race. The runner-up will receive $7,500 in WPT tournament buy-in credits and third place will receive $2,500 in buy-in credits. Credits can be used in any global WPT event, including the Main Tour, WPTDeepStacks, WPT500, and WPT Special Events.
Next Stop on WPT Main Tour – Legends of Poker
Players can be guaranteed plenty of action and a great event at the Bicycle Casino as the WPT Legends of Poker returns to the schedule after a year off. The event offers an excellent environment for poker and should attract players from across the country as well as plenty of Los Angeles-area and California players. The $5,000 buy-in, four-day event runs August 31–September 4 and features two starting flights.
After that, the Main Tour heads to Atlantic City for the WPT Borgata Poker Open. The property is one of the best on the eastern seaboard and a Northeast poker mecca. Set for September 15-20, the event features a $3,500 buy-in and should make for another nice tournament. The tour stays on the east coast after the Borgata for the WPT Maryland at Maryland Live! Casino. The $3,500 event is scheduled for September 28 – October 2 and the property offers preliminary events of every buy-in level.
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.