Lee Davy takes a gander at the shortlists for the inaugural American Poker Awards, and takes a punt at who he thinks will get lucky on the night.
On February 27th 2015, at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the Global Poker Index (GPI) will take another baby step towards their ‘sportification of poker’ when they host the inaugural GPI American Poker Awards.
Kara Scott will host the event that will recognize the achievements of the main players in the North American poker industry during 2014. I counted at least a dozen awards, and nine of them will have been selected via a nomination process involving a 60-person strong nomination panel and select jury.
Here are my winners.
Media Person of the Year
1. Nolan Dalla
2. Chris Grove
3. Kevin Mathers
4. Rich Ryan
Winner Chris Grove
The Online Poker Report (OPR) is a prime example of finding a niche and running with it. I remember watching the High Stakes poker documentary ‘Nosebleed’ where Seb Sabic told the viewers that him and Alex Luneau would be woken by an alarm when Gus Hansen appeared on the cyber felt. I reckon Chris Grove has the same sort of system.
His depth is incredible. His knowledge, second to none. His writing is perfect. I also love his weekly e-mails. Short, succinct and to the point. He never wastes a single word.
Breakout Player of the Year
1. Daniel Colman
2. Mukul Pahuja
3. Jake Schindler
4. Brandon Shack-Harris
Winner Daniel Colman
After waxing lyrical over Chris Grove’s ability to say so much in so few words, I had better take note.
In 2014 Daniel Colman earned more money in a single year than any other poker player alive or dead. This is the single biggest lock-in of all the awards.
Tournament Performance of the Year
1. Mohsin Charania, WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic Winner
2. Daniel Colman, Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Main Event Winner
3. Darren Elias, WPT Borgata Poker Open Winner
4. Mark Newhouse, WSOP Main Event, ninth place finisher
Winner Mark Newhouse
We have to acknowledge that there is an elite tier of professional tournament players. Names like Brian Rast, Tom Marchese, Sam Trickett, and Philipp Gruissem, are seemingly winning titles every day. Yet these players are playing in much smaller, albeit tougher, fields.
This is what makes Daniel Colman’s victory at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open so mind-boggling. It stands out, in the midst of numerous small-field six/seven figure scores, as the epitome of the man during that run. Yes, he must have had a lot of luck, but there is no doubting his skill. To beat 1,498 players stuck two fingers up to a lot of people who questioned his will to win in a game he has openly criticized.
And then there was Mark Newhouse.
How the hell does someone make back-to-back World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final tables? I know he ended up in the position that nobody wants – on both occasions – but this shouldn’t deter from what an amazing achievement this was. We may never see a year like Colman’s ever again, but I am also sure we won’t see another Mark Newhouse performance for quite some time.
Event of the Year (Buy-In Over $2,000)
1. Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Main Event
2. WSOP Main Event
3. WPT Montreal
4. WPT World Championships
Winner WSOP Main Event
Chris Moorman always wins the Online Poker Player of the Year award, at the British Poker Awards, and the WSOP Main Event will do likewise in the GPI American Poker Awards for years to come.
It’s the nuts. Made even tastier after a renowned pro, Martin Jacobson won the $10 million first prize last year.
Event of the Year (Buy-In Under $2,000)
1. HPT California State Championship
2. WPT500 at Aria
3. WSOP Millionaire Maker
4. WSOP Monster Stack
Winner WSOP Monster Stack
I can’t play in the WSOP Main Event. $10,000 is too much money for me. But I can play in the WSOP Monster Stack. This tournament gave me the same buzz that I assume people get when they sit down in the big one. The opportunity to win some life changing money, at a cost I can afford, and enough chips to remove the excuses that the faster structures allow.
The poker industry needed this badly.
Poker Innovation or Initiative of the Year
1. Twitch
2. Poker Night in America
3. WPT’s Successful Partnerships
4. Monster
5. The WSOP Monster Stack
Winner Twitch
Initially, I was confused, and slightly worried, when I realized that my son was spending all of his spare time watching other kids playing video games, online, and talking shit at the same time.
How boring is that I thought?
Then I read the Minecraft story and the way that gamers, who filmed themselves playing, turned the game into a multi-billion dollar company.
Twitch has over 100 million unique viewers per month. It’s perfect for the online poker industry.
Charitable Initiative of the Year
1. “All In” for Kids Poker Tournament
2. Charity Series of Poker
3. Raising for Effective Giving (REG)
4. The WSOP One-Drop Partnership
Winner Raising for Effective Giving
Isn’t it wonderful that we have this award? It shows the wide variety of organizations that have been created to allow our money to be used to save the lives of others.
I confess. I have a soft spot for REG. I give them 3% of my gross earnings, every month, and I do so because I believe in their methodology of selecting the best charities to benefit from our commitment to give. I also believe that they are on a roll. They are picking up members, and in 2014 managed to persuade poker players to part with half a million dollars to help save many lives.
Industry Person of the Year
1. Jack Effel, WSOP Tournament Director
2. Adam Pliska, WPT President
3. Matt Savage, WPT Executive Tour Director and TDA Founder
4. Ty Stewart, WSOP Executive Director
Winner Adam Pliska
I would give this award to Adam for two reasons. His work to finally attract high quality non-gaming sponsors into the poker industry has been well worth the sweat, sweat and more sweat. That’s important to our industry and nobody understands this more than the creator of these awards.
The second reason I would hand him this award is his accessibility. He is, in my opinion, the most easily contactable top dog in our industry. And when you are fortunate to have a discussion with the man, whether over 140 characters, or in person, you get honesty and sincerity. That’s rare in this game.
Poker Media Content of the Year
1. All In Magazine: Mark Newhouse
2. Brad Willis: “WSOP 2014: Stages / Never Stop Fighting”
3. PokerNews Live Reporting at the WSOP
4. Jason Somerville for Run It Up.
Winner Brad Willis
I read this piece in the media room during the WSOP, moments after he wrote it. For me, it was all about courage. The courage of Vanessa Pacella and Nicole Rowe to share their story, and the courage of Brad Willis to write it.
Only a writer will understand the risk that he took. What an incredibly powerful story, and he managed to deliver it perfectly. The matter of fact way in which it was delivered was as matter of fact as the main antagonist.
Very few people in the world could have done this, and Brad Willis is one of them. The poker world is very fortunate to have him.
