The WPT Asia Pacific Player of the Year race is nearing the homestretch with WPT Vietnam the next stop on the schedule to gain points toward the prestigious prize. Players have been competing on the Eastern Hemisphere all season in their pursuit of the $10,000 WPT Passport awarded to first place along with bragging rights that span across the globe.
Tied at the Top
Dhaval Mudgal and Nikunj Jhunjhunwala are the current co-leaders with 1,000 points each. The two players both won an event in Season XVII to put themselves at the top of the leaderboard. Mudgal took down WPT Vietnam in September for $104,418 and for the sake of Player of the Year, 1,000 points. Just a few weeks later, Jhunjhunwala matched him at WPT India. Jhunjhunwala defeated 697 runners to earn himself the title, 1,000 Player of the Year points, and $92,660 in prize money.
Both players are trailed in the POY race by their respective second-place finishers. WPT Vietnam silver medalist Takao Shimizu holds 900 points while WPT India Sahil Mahboobani holds 900 points of his own.
The race picks up at Pro Poker Club in Vietnam on March 19 for the second WPT Vietnam stop of the season. The event carries a sizable VND 8 billion guarantee (~$345,000) and a VND 25 million ($1,080) buy-in. Should the field top $500,000 in prize money as it did in September, the winner will earn 1,500 WPT Asia Pacific Player of the Year points per the small increase over the VND 22 million (~950 buy-in) from September. Check out the full standings here.
Should there be a tiebreaker on top of the Player of the Year leaderboard, the winner will be determined by most prize money won. Mudgal holds the tiebreaker over Jhunjhunwala by a little under $12,000.
Following WPT Vietnam, the final event of the Season XVII Asia Pacific calendar takes place in New Zealand when WPT New Zealand kicks off on May 31.
Player of the Year Prizes
First place in the WPT Asia Pacific Player of the Year has more than just the $10,000 WPT Passport as their reward. The winner also receives complimentary accommodation in select Season XVIII WPT Asia Pacific events along with ground transportation at select events. They also earn the one-of-a-kind Speical WPT Asia Pacific Player of the Year trophy.
Runner-up in the race collects $3,500 in the form of a WPT Passport while third-place comes home with a $1,500 WPT Passport.
All WPT Passport dollars can be used in any Season XVIII WPT global event including WPT Main Tour, WPTDeepStacks, WPT500, and WPT Special Events.
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