The 2nd Annual Global Poker Index American Poker Awards took place Thursday evening at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills California where both industry members and players took time out to celebrate accomplishments in the game of poker.
A jury panel of nine asteemed poker dignitaries voted on the awards. The panel consisted of Brad Willis, PokerStars Head of Blogging; Craig Lumpp, Belliagio Director of Poker Operations; Donnie Peters, Editor in Chief at PokerNews; Eric Danis, Head of Poker Content for the Global Poker Index; Faraz Jaka, poker player and San Francisco Rush Team Manager; Lance Bradley, PocketFives.com President and Editor in Chief; Maria Ho, poker player and Los Angeles Sunset Team Manager; Scott Ball, Twitch Community Development and Poker Manager and Alex Dreyfus, CEO of Global Poker Index.
The first award of the Night honored The GPI Female Player of the Year for play ending on December 31, 2015, and the award went to Kelly Minkin.
Next up was the award for the GPI American Player of the Year went to Byron Kaverman for compiling the most GPI points on the worldwide live poker tournament circuit during the 2015 season.
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- Joshua Beckley
- Asher Conniff
- Cate Hall
- Kelly Minkin
Winner: Joshua Beckley
EVENT OF THE YEAR (BUY-IN UP TO $2,000)
Nominees:
- WSOP The Colossus, Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
- WPT500 at ARIA, Las Vegas
- WSOP Millionaire Maker, Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
- WPTDeepStacks — DSPT Championship, Grey Eagle Resort & Casino, Calgary
Winner: WSOP The Colossus, Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
TOURNAMENT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- Jonathan Duhamel, WSOP One Drop High Roller
- Mike Gorodinsky, WSOP Poker Players’ Championship
- Joseph McKeehen, WSOP Main Event
- Anthony Zinno, WPT L.A. Poker Classic
Winner: Anthony Zinno
MEDIA PERSON OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- Joey Ingram
- Kevin Mathers
- Donnie Peters
- Jason Somerville
Winner: Donnie Peters
POKER INNOVATION OR INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- Poker Central launches 24/7 television network
- SHRPO (in conjunction with PNIA) livestreams four FT’s in same room/at same time
- WSOP adds online bracelet event (with live final table)
- WSOP introduces ‘The Colossus’
Winner: WSOP adds online bracelet event (with live final table)
EVENT OF THE YEAR (BUY-IN OVER $2,000)
Nominees:
- Super High Roller Bowl, ARIA, Las Vegas
- WSOP Main Event, Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
- WSOP One Drop High Roller, Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
- WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, Hollywood, FL
Winner: WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, Hollywood, FL
MEDIA CONTENT OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- BUST, an Insider’s Account of Greenville’s Underground Poker Scene (Brad Willis)
- Faraz Jaka Homeless Poker Millionaire, CNN Money (Jaka, Gayles, Carson)
- Jason Somerville’s record Twitch Broadcast during WCOOP in September 2015
- Joe Giron shoots photo of Negreanu crumbled on the floor after ME elimination
Winner: Joe Giron shoots photo of Negreanu crumbled on the floor after ME elimination
POKER PRESENTER OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- Sarah Herring
- Kara Scott
- Joseph Stapleton
- David Tuchman
Winner: Kara Scott
CHARITABLE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- Chad Brown Memorial Tournament (Maria Ho, Vanessa Rousso)
- Charity Series of Poker (Matthew Stout)
- Tiger’s Poker Night (hosted by Tiger Woods, WPT Foundation)
- WSOP One Drop High Roller / Litte One for One Drop
Winner: Charity Series of Poker (Matthew Stout)
INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- Jack Effel, WSOP Vice President and Tournament Director
- William Mason, Seminole Hard Rock Director of Poker
- John Pappas, Poker Players Alliance Executive Director
- Matt Savage, TDA Founder, WPT Executive Director
Winner: Matt Savage, TDA Founder, WPT Executive Director
POKER MOMENT OF THE YEAR
Nominees:
- Anthony Zinno goes back-to-back winning WPT Fallsview, WPT L.A. Poker Classic
- Over 22,000 players enter WSOP Colossus for chance at a gold bracelet
- Phil Hellmuth wins bracelet #14 — WSOP 10K Razz Championship
- Daniel Negreanu busts 11th in the WSOP Main Event
Winner: Daniel Negreanu busts 11th in the WSOP Main Event
Jury Award for Service to the Game of Poker
Winner: Kevin Mathers
Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Mike Sexton
The entire awards ceremony can be viewed on the GPL Twitch channel.
