Categories Announced in Upcoming Global Poker Awards; GPI Naming Player of Year Winners Next Week
The Global Poker Index (GPI) and The Hendon Mob (THM) announced the categories for the upcoming Global Poker Awards on Monday. The annual ceremony is set for Feb. 18 at the PokerGO Studio at Aria in Las Vegas.
The streaming platform will air the event live with 26 awards expected to be presented recognizing poker performances over the last year. Some of the bigger categories include 2021 Player of the Year, Female Player of the Year, and numerous others.
“We’re so grateful to have the opportunity to host the Global Poker Awards with our partners at PokerGO for the first time in almost two years,” GPI/THM President Eric Danis told USPoker earlier this month. “We’ve been anxiously waiting to bring the awards ceremony back. I cannot wait for everyone to witness what we have in store on Feb. 18.”
A look at the award categories
Poker fans can expect the return of some of the regular categories as well as a few new ones for 2021. A number of those returning that are determined by voting panels include Breakout Player of the Year and Final Table Performance.
Awards will once again be given in various media categories as well including vlogger, streamer, and broadcaster. The GPI has also added Best Live Tournament Reporter this year.
The Fan Choice Awards will include three categories this year for 2021. Those include Best Hand, Poker Personality, and a new category, Best Trophy.
Voting panel members should receive preliminary round ballots in the next week. Fan voting begins soon. Here’s a complete list of categories for this year’s ceremony.
Global Poker Awards 2021 Categories
| Poker Player of the Year | Female Player of the Year | Mid-Major Player of the Year |
|---|---|---|
| PokerGO Tour Player of the Year | Breakout Player | Best Final Table Performance |
| Best Event | Best Twitter Personality | Best Industry Person |
| Best Tournament Director | Best Streamer | Best Vlogger |
| Best Podcast | Best Broadcaster | Best Live Tournament Reporter |
| Best Media Content: Photo | Best Media Content: Video | Best Media Content: Written |
| Players Choice: Toughest Opponent | Best Hand | Best Trophy |
| People’s Choice: Poker Personality | Poker Icon | GPI Award of Merit |
| The Hendon Mob Achievement Award | Charitable Initiative |
Player of Year races wrapping up
Along with the awards ceremony, the GPI is close to finalizing its performance-based awards. The overall, female, national, and mid-major POY honors are expected to be tabulated and announced Jan. 5.
With year-end tournament events set to conclude, the 2021 GPI season wraps up officially on Jan. 4.
After Kristen Bicknell won three straight female POY titles, there looks to be some changes in that category this year. A new winner looked to top the race for the first time since 2017.
As of Thursday, Florida’s Nadya Magnus held the lead in the women’s race. In the overall POY standings, Ali Imsirovic held a slight lead over Chance Kornuth in second place and Shannon Shorr in third.
The new mid-major award is going down to the wire with David Mzareulov in the top spot as of Thursday. Logan Hewett and Michael Rossitto are right behind him in second and third.
The GPI will announce several national POY winners on Jan. 5 as well. That group includes players from the US, Bosnia/Herzegovina, France, Georgia, Lithuania, Russia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Players need a minimum of 1,000 POY points to earn national recognition. Winners can attend the Global Poker Awards to receive their trophies.