Negreanu, Hellmuth, Somerville Among Finalists For 2015 American Poker Awards
The finalists for the second annual American Poker Awards have been chosen after dozens of hand-picked members of the poker community weighed in on the nomination process.
How the selection process works
The nomination panel consisted of 83 people representing a broad cross-section of the poker community. Thirty-eight members of the nomination committee are members of the poker media; 35 members work in the poker industry; and just 10 members of the nomination committee are poker players. You can see the full list here.
Each voter was able to make two non-weighted choices in each category, with the top four vote getters in each of the APA’s 11 vote-eligible categories named as finalists.
The final step in the process is for a six- to eight-member jury to select the winner. The jury members who will have the unenviable task of choosing the winner in each category will be announced at the American Poker Awards on February 25.
Last year’s jury was comprised of: Alex Dreyfus, Eric Danis, Donnie Peters, John Caldwell, Jen Mastrud, Moshin Charania, Kathy Raymond and Adam Small.
A total of 15 APAs will be awarded during the festivities, which will take place at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills on February 25, and along with the APA ceremony will also include the inaugural Global Poker League draft and the American Poker Conference.
American Poker Award finalists
Here are the four finalists in each category:
TOURNAMENT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
- 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
MOMENT OF THE YEAR
- 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
BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
- Joshua Beckley
- Asher Conniff
- Cate Hall
- Kelly Minkin
EVENT OF THE YEAR (BUY-IN UP TO $2,000)
- 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
EVENT OF THE YEAR (BUY-IN OVER $2,000)
- 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
INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR
- 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
CHARITABLE INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
- 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 / Little One for One Drop
MEDIA PERSON OF THE YEAR
- Joey Ingram
- Kevin Mathers
- Donnie Peters
- Jason Somerville
POKER PRESENTER OF THE YEAR
- Sarah Herring
- Kara Scott
- Joseph Stapleton
- David Tuchman
POKER INNOVATION OR INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR
- 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’
MEDIA CONTENT OF THE YEAR
- 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
In addition to the 11 vote-eligible categories, several other American Poker Awards will be handed out during the ceremony:
- Byron Kaverman: GPI Player of the Year and American Player of the Year
- Kelly Minkin: GPI Female Player of the Year
- Poker Ambassador of the Year – the winner will be chosen based on a public vote
- Lifetime Achievement Award – the recipient will be selected by the APA jury