By Sean Chaffin
The Hublot WPT Player of the Year race continues to take shape and see plenty of movement. WPT Maryland and WPT UK produced some interesting results that have shifted the standings a bit toward the latter half of the Top 10, and there should be even more movement with the WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble less than a week away.
After winning the WPT Borgata Poker Open in August, Donald Maloney played at WPT Maryland but wasn’t able to cash. Despite that, he remains in the top spot in the standings. He earned 1,200 points and $616,186 in Atlantic City and has vowed to chase the Hublot title this season.
WPT Legends of Poker champion Aaron Van Blarcum sits just behind Maloney in second with 1,200 points $474,390 for his win at the Bike. He’s also looking to play more events this season and make a run at the POY title.
Simon Brandstrom is new to the standings following his win at WPT UK this weekend at Dusk Till Dawn. The win earned Brandstrom 1,200 points along with the $330,000 he earned for his finish. Brandstrom sits in third place behind Maloney and Van Blarcum as a result of the tiebreaker for money earned.
Borgata Poker Open runner-up Uke Dauti shifts to fourth place with 1,000 points and $410,787 in winnings. Gardens Poker Festival winner Roger Teska sits in fifth with 1,000 points ($368,475). Nitis Udornpim moves up to sixth after taking down the WPT Maryland for $319,415.
Legends of Poker runner-up Gueorgui Gantchev slides a few spots down to seventh place with 900 points ($306,265), and Borgata third-place finisher Kevin Albers moves down to the ninth place with 900 points ($303,903). Jared Greiner, who took third at Legends, is now in 10th with 900 points ($226,040).
WPT UK runner-up Ryan Mandara is in eighth place along with his $221,650 prize for second place.
After finishing third in Maryland, WPT Champions Club member Brian Altman is just outside the top-10 with 900 points and $195,455. Altman placed 10th at WPT Legends of Poker.
Four players have 800 points with Gardens Poker Festival runner-up Laszlo Molnar leading those in cash winnings with $235,615. Players have another opportunity to move up in the standings with the WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble just around the corner.
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 – WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble
After the UK, the WPT rolls into the Sunshine State for the WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble in Jacksonville, Florida. This popular $5,000 event features a $1 million guarantee as well as several players with $2,500 bounties on their heads. Some of those include Darren Elias, Anthony Zinno, Mike Sexton, Matt Savage, Maria Ho, and more. For more information on this event, click here.
Following Jacksonville, the tour heads north of the border for the WPT Montreal. The event features a CAD$3,300 buy-in and a CAD $3 million guaranteed prize pool. With plenty of action on the horizon, it should be a fun fall.
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.