The 2015 Global Poker Index Player of the Year, Byron Kaverman, has won back-to-back Aria $25k High Rollers for the second successive year taking his total Aria winnings to just under $1.6m in the past 18-months.
In 2015, Byron Kaverman’s game was so hot he needed an ice bath to cool himself down. The Ohio native cashed 20 times in the world’s most expensive live tournaments. He finished the year 12th in the live tournament money list with over $3.4m and change. He left Vegas with his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet wrapped around his wrist after winning the $10,000 Six-
Max Championship, and won back-to-back $25k Aria High Rollers for over half a million bucks.
His accomplishments propelled him northward along the Global Poker Index (GPI) until he reached the summit. At the American Poker Awards (APA) he received the 2015 GPI Player of the Year (POY) award. His performances ensured he would be a shoe-in for the Global Poker League (GPL) and Andre Akkari picked him up in the draft to represent the Sao Paulo Metropolitans.
What a difference a year makes?
I’m not sure if Kaverman is on a self-imposed sabbatical, is on a downswing, or has taken his foot off the gas, but leading into the WSOP he had only cashed three times. The summer didn’t produce much else with a solitary cash in the WSOP followed by a final table bubble appearance in the Bellagio Cup. He has slipped to 11th place in the GPI and has some work to do if he wants to defend his 2015 POY crown because he is currently ranked 1646th place.
Fortunately, for Kaverman, when things get tough, he always has the Aria High Rollers to fall back on. I imagine Kaverman is one of the most successful players in the history of High Roller tournaments held at The Aria.
A few days ago, Kaverman won back-to-back $25,000 events for the second successive year. The fields are small, but the quality is top notch. It’s a mightily impressive feat. In the first event, held on Fri 5 Aug, Kaverman beat 27 players and took the first prize of $226,227 after agreeing on an ICM chop with Andrew Lichtenberger ($187,557) and Jake Schindler ($182,376).
Two days later, Kaverman returned to the scene of his jubilant success and mopped up again beating 23 players and Matt Perry in heads-up action to take the $276,000 first prize. Jake Schindler cashed in third for the second time also.
Kaverman has cashed in eight $25k Aria High Rollers since 2015. He has won four, finished runner-up on two occasions, and picked up a third and fourth place finish.
All told he has earned close to $1.6m.
