Mike Sexton nominated for a record three American Poker Awards

Mike Sexton nominated for a record three American Poker Awards

Poker Hall of Famer and all round brilliant poker ambassador, Mike Sexton, has been nominated for a record three American Poker Awards as the 70+ nomination panel concludes their role in proceedings.

The 70+ strong nominations committee for the American Poker Awards (APA) have done their job. It’s time to find out who needs to be clearing some space on top of the TV.

Mike Sexton nominated for a record three American Poker AwardsLet’s begin with the people who have had such a sterling 2016 they were nominated multiple times, and start with one of the most prominent members of the poker community.

Mike Sexton is a former APA winner. He picked up the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. But his enthralling victory in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Main Event in Montreal and the publication of his memoir ‘Life is a Gamble’ sees him nominated for a record three categories.

• Tournament Performance of the Year
• Poker Moment of the Year
• Media Content of the Year

There are also two nominations each for two of the greatest grinders in the business: Ari Engel and Maurice Hawkins.

• Tournament Performance of the Year
• Breakout Performance of the Year

Engel began 2015 with his greatest victory to date when he won the Aussie Millions Main Event for AUD$1.6m and then went on to cash 48 times, in events all over the globe by the year end. His achievements saw him break into the Global Poker Index (GPI) Top 10, and he finished sixth in the GPI Player of the Year (POY) race.

Hawkins also had a record-breaking year when he became the first player to win three World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) Main Event titles in a calendar year, and only the second person behind Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson to earn $1m+ exclusively on the WSOPC circuit.

PocketFives President and Editor-in-Chief, Lance Bradley, is the only non-poker player to be nominated for two awards. Bradley is one of the favourites to win the Media Person of the Year category, and also receives a nomination for his article: Bob, Charlie and a Life-Changing WSOP Main Event Journey.

 Last but not least, Jason Mercier and David Peters could also leave Beverley Hills with a trophy underneath each cleanly shaven armpit. The WSOP POY and GPI POY winners are both in the running for the Poker Moment of the Year award.

The nomination process included nine categories. The final say now rests with a secret panel of judges who will make their decisions on the day of the races.

The event takes place at the Sofitel in Beverley Hills, Thursday, February 23, 2017.

Here are the nominations:

Media Person of the Year (2015 Winner: Donnie Peters)

• Lance Bradley
• Sarah Herring
• Joe Stapleton
• David Tuchman

Industry Person of the Year (2015 Winner: Matt Savage)

• Tony Burns
• Jack Effel
• Sean McCormack
• Matt Savage

Breakout Performance of the Year (2015: Josh Beckley)

• Ari Engel
• Maurice Hawkins
• Ankush Mandavia
• Sam Soverel

Tournament Performance of the Year (2015 Winner: Anthony Zinno – WPT LA Poker Classic)

• Kristen Bicknell ($1,500 WSOP Bounty Tournament)
• Ari Engel (Aussie Millions Main Event)
• Maurice Hawkins (Back to back WSOPC ME Wins)
• Mike Sexton (WPT Montreal Main Event)

Mid-Major Circuit of the Year (New Category)

• Heartland Poker Tour
• Mid-States Poker Tour
• WSOP Circuit
• WPTDeepstacks

Event of the Year (New Category)

• Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
• Super High Roller Bowl
• WSOP Main Event
• WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic

Moment of the Year (2015 Winner: Daniel Negreanu’s Elimination From the WSOP Main Event)

• Griffin Benger vs. Will Kassouf WSOP Main Event
• Jason Mercier WSOP POY
• David Peters GPI POY
• Mike Sexton WPT Montreal

Poker Media Content of the Year (2015 Winner: Joe Giron for Photographing Daniel Negreanu’s Elimination From the WSOP Main Event)

• Bob, Charlie and a Life-Changing WSOP Main Event Journey (Lance Bradley, PocketFives)
• Life’s a Gamble (Mike Sexton)
• Stu Ungar’s Last Chance Gone Wrong Documentary (Matthew Showell, PokerListings)
• Aussie Millions Live Coverage on Twitch (Jason Somerville)

Twitch Streamer of the Year (New Category)

• Kevin ‘kevinmartin987’ Martin
• Jason ‘jcarverpoker’ Somerville
• Jaime ‘pokerstaples’ Staples
• Parket ‘tonkaaaaP’ Talbot

Poker Podcast of the Year (New Category)

• Poker Life Podcast with Joe Ingram
• Full Contact Poker with Daniel Negreanu
• PokerNews Podcast
• TwoPlusTwo Pokercast

The other awards that will be selected by the Jury include: Special Jury Prize, The Hendon Mob Award, PocketFives Legacy Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Charitable Initiative of the Year Award.

Jason Mercier (WSOP POY), David Peters (Outy GPI POY), and Cate Hall (Inny GPI POY) are all guaranteed a piece of glass.