2021 Card Player Player of the Year Race Update — Liu, Hyun, McKeehen, and Imsirovic Join Top Five

The first quarter of the 12 months is now in the books, and the early checklist of prime contenders is beginning to take form in the 2021 Card Player Player of the Year race. This article will take a more in-depth take a look at the gamers who made the largest strikes over the previous month in the POY standings, that are sponsored by Global Poker.

1st Place – Qing Liu (3,271 factors)

Qing Liu surged into the outright lead in the POY race after a red-hot month of March in Las Vegas. He was the first participant to surpass $1 million in dwell event earnings in 2021, and has additionally made the most POY-qualified last tables of any participant but with eight.

Liu had already made 4 last tables and gained a title by way of the first two months of the 12 months. In March alone he added 4 extra POY-qualified final-table showings, together with successful the 2021 World Poker Tour Venetian $5,000 buy-in no-limit maintain’em most important occasion. He outlasted a record-setting subject of 937 entries (the most in WPT historical past for that value level) to earn $752,880 and 1,824 POY factors.

Incredibly, Liu’s wild trip was not but accomplished, as he was amongst the last six gamers at the WPT Gardens Poker Championship $10,000 buy-in most important occasion last desk that was set in January of 2020 however couldn’t play out throughout the COVID-19 shutdown of dwell poker. The occasion lastly resumed 422 days after the last desk was set, with Liu as one of the brief stacks when play received again underway simply in the future after he had gained the title at Venetian. Liu went on to complete sixth for $111,795 and 340 factors. With a pair of fifth-place displaying in $1,100 buy-in occasions at the Venetian bookending his two huge scores in March, Liu has cemented his maintain on the prime spot in the rankings. He now has two titles, eight last tables, $1,038,007 in year-to-date earnings, and 3,271 factors to his title heading into the second quarter of the 12 months.

2nd Place – Sung Joo Hyun (2,172 factors)

South Korea’s Sung Joo Hyun emerged victorious in the 2021 Wynn Spring Classic $3,500 buy-in no-limit maintain’em championship occasion, incomes $323,409 and his second huge title of the 12 months. Hyun had come out on prime in the WPT DeepStacks Venetian $1,600 buy-in occasion simply six weeks earlier for $208,335. The two scores are the largest of his profession, collectively making up the majority of his $1,033,602 in lifetime earnings.

Hyun had gained his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet throughout the 2020 WSOP Online collection final summer season, overcoming a subject of 2,307 entries to win the $500 buy-in occasion for $161,898.

Hyun earned 1,260 POY factors for his newest victory. When mixed with the 912 factors he was awarded at Venetian in February, Hyun he now sits in second place in the 2021 POY race standings with 2,172 whole factors and $531,744 in year-to-date earnings.

third Place – Joe McKeehen (2,000 factors)

Joseph McKeehen completed as the runner-up to Qing Liu in the WPT Venetian $5,000 buy-in most important occasion for $491,960 and 1,520 factors. Incredibly, the 29-year-old poker professional from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as soon as once more managed to make it right down to heads-up play in one other main occasion simply two days later.

The three-time WSOP bracelet winner and 2015 world champion navigated his method by way of a subject of 83 entries to win the Wynn Spring Classic $10,500 buy-in no-limit maintain’em excessive curler occasion, beating Shawn Daniels heads-up to safe the title, the $224,100 prime prize and 480 POY factors.

McKeehen now has 2,000 whole factors and $716,060 in POY earnings, which locks him into third place on the 2021 leaderboard.

4th Place – Ali Imsirovic (1,654 factors)

Ali Imsirovic dominated the four-event excessive curler collection held at ARIA Poker Room in Las Vegas over the last weekend of March and spilling into the first few days of April. The 26-year-old poker professional made it right down to heads-up play in three consecutive occasions, going through Sean Perry for the title every time (extra on Perry later on this article).

Imsirovic gained two of the three heads-up showdowns, cashing for $721,300 alongside the method. The Bosnian-born American accrued 922 POY factors throughout his three cashes throughout this collection. He has now made seven POY-qualified last tables thus far in 2021. With 1,654 whole factors and $1,380,610 in whole cashes up so far, he has surged into fourth place on the POY leaderboard for the time being.

Imsirovic kicked off his spree with a runner-up end to Perry in the second of two $10,000 buy-in excessive rollers on the schedule, incomes $111,300. The following day he got here out on prime in the first of two $25,000 buy-in occasions to safe the title and the $310,000 prime prize. He closed out the collection by successful the last $25,000 buy-in for one other $300,000.

sixth Place – Tuan Mai (1,536 factors)

Tuan Mai is one of simply three gamers to have made eight POY-qualified last tables thus far in 2021, becoming a member of POY race chief Qing Liu and David Larson.

Mai had made six last tables by way of the first two months of the 12 months, and then added two extra huge scores in March. First, he completed as the runner-up in a $1,100 buy-in no-limit maintain’em ‘DoubleStack’ occasion at the Venetian DeepStack Showdown. He navigated his method by way of a subject of 336 entries in that occasion to earn $55,066 and 400 POY factors. This was the largest rating of his 2021 marketing campaign.

Just ten days later he got here out on prime of a 507-entry subject in the $400 buy-in no-limit maintain’em occasion at the similar collection so as to add one other $37,315 and 336 factors to his totals. It was his first title of the 12 months. Mai now sits in sixth place in the standings, with 1,536 factors and $184,213 in cashes thus far.

ninth Place – Artur Martirosyan (1,396 factors)

Artur Martirosyan emerged victorious from a subject of 852 whole entries to win the 2021 PokerStars European Poker Tour Sochi 175,000 RUB ($2,352 USD) buy-in no-limit maintain’em most important occasion. The 23-year-old Russian poker professional secured his first EPT most important occasion title in the course of, turning into simply the sixth participant from Russia to win a most important occasion on the tour. He additionally took house the prime prize of 24,633,000 RUB ($325,370 USD), which elevated his recorded event earnings to simply shy of $1.5 million.

In addition to the title and the cash, Martirosyan was additionally awarded 912 POY factors for his second title of the 12 months. Both of his wins befell at the similar venue: Casino Sochi. Just over a month previous to his EPT victory, Martirosyan gained a 57,750 RUB ($762 USD) buy-in no-limit maintain’em occasion throughout the WPT Russia pageant to earn $41,417 USD and 228 POY factors. With these two titles and one other final-table end beneath his belt, Martirosyan now sits in seventh place in the rankings with $416,550 USD in POY-qualified earnings and 1,396 factors.

eleventh Place – Sean Perry (1,370 factors)

The ARIA April High Roller Series consisted of 4 high-stakes occasions held on consecutive days, beginning on the last day of March. Sean Perry cashed in all 4 occasions, ending in the prime two locations in three of 4 and successful one title alongside the method. Perry accrued $601,300 in earnings throughout these 4 final-table finishes, including 985 POY factors as properly.

Perry, the son of WSOP bracelet winner Ralph Perry, additionally cashed in three of 4 of the ARIA’s excessive curler collection held in early March for an additional $160,798 and 368 factors. Perry’s small-field, high-buy-in success in 2021 has catapulted him into eleventh place on the POY leaderboard.

Perry now has over $1.6 million in profession dwell event earnings, with $731,700 of that being earned in simply the previous two months.

Here is a take a look at the present prime 20 in the POY race standings: