Who Won (And Who Should Have Won) At The American Poker Awards
The fourth annual GPI American Poker Awards were handed out on Thursday evening in West Hollywood, California. The event is presented by PokerStars and celebrates the game of poker in North America.
A total of 20 awards were presented in a variety of categories.
The nominees and winners
Two winners were known before the ceremony, as trophies went to the top-ranked American GPI player and the top-ranked female player:
- 2017 GPI American Player of the Year: Bryn Kenney
- 2017 GPI Female Player of the Year: Kristen Bicknell
Four other APA awards went to the following people:
- Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poker: Norman Chad and Lon McEachern
- Charitable Initiative: Jacob Zalewski, One Step Closer Foundation
- Jury Prize: Eric Danis
- PocketFives Legacy Award: Ari Engel
The final 14 APA trophy winners were selected from a predetermined group of finalists, voted on by a nine-member jury vote.
The jury consisted of:
- Eric Danis
- David Tuchman
- Ari Engel
- Ryan Feldman
- Maria Ho
- Adam Levy
- Kevin Mathers
- Donnie Peters
- Robbie Strazynski
Here’s a look at the finalists and winners in each category.
BREAKOUT PLAYER
- Dejuante “DJ” Alexander
- Michael Del Vecchio
- William Alex Foxen
- Artur Papazyan
Winner: Artur Papazyan
TOURNAMENT PERFORMANCE
- Scott Blumstein (WSOP Main Event)
- Darren Elias (WPT Fallsview)
- Bryn Kenney (PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo Super High Roller)
- Doug Polk (WSOP One Drop High Roller)
Winner: Scott Blumstein
MOMENT OF THE YEAR
- 70-year-old John Smith makes back-to-back WSOP 10K Heads-Up finals
- Ema Zajmovic becomes first female player to win open event on World Poker Tour
- Vanessa Selbst’s Full House loses to Gaelle Baumann’s Quads early in the WSOP Main Event
- Tom Dwan makes his return to America, stars on Poker After Dark reboot on PokerGo
Winner: Ema Zejmovic
EVENT OF THE YEAR
- Super High Roller Bowl (ARIA Las Vegas)
- partypoker MILLIONS North America (Playground Poker Club Montreal)
- Poker Masters Event #1 (ARIA Las Vegas)
- World Series of Poker Main Event (Rio Las Vegas)
Winner: partypoker MILLIONS North America
MID-MAJOR CIRCUIT
- Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT)
- RUNGOOD Poker Series
- WPTDeepStacks (WPTDS)
- World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC)
Winner: WPTDeepStacks
JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
- Drew Amato
- Lance Bradley
- BJ Nemeth
- Steve Ruddock
- Jessica Welman
Winner: Lance Bradley
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR
- Nick Schulman
- Joseph Stapleton
- Lon McEachern
- Ali Nejad
Winner: Nick Schulman
MEDIA CONTENT
- Adrian Moreno in tears after Little One for One Drop win; days after losing his friend (Drew Amato, photo for WSOP.com)
- Dead Money: A Super High Roller Bowl Story (PokerCentral documentary)
- Poker Brat: The Phill Hellmuth Story (Phil Hellmuth, published by D&B Publishing)
- Resilience Defined: Sheddy Siddiqui Raising his Two Boys #ForCathy (Lance Bradley, article for PocketFives)
Winner: Dead Money: A Super High Roller Bowl Story
PODCAST
- PokerCentral Podcast (Brent Hanks, Will O’Connor, Remko Rinkema)
- PokerNews Podcast (Brent Harrington, Sarah Herring, Matt Parvis)
- Poker Life Podcast (Joe Ingram)
- TwoPlusTwo Podcast (Terrence Chan, Ross Henry, Adam Schwartz)
Winner: PokerCentral Podcast
VIDEO BLOGGER
- Joe Ingram
- Daniel Negreanu
- Andrew Neeme
- Doug Polk
Winner: Andrew Neeme
POKER STREAMER
- Jeff Gross
- Bill Perkins
- Jason Somerville
- Jaime Staples
- Parker Talbot
Winner: Jaime Staples
INDUSTRY PERSON
- Tony Burns
- Sean McCormack
- Adam Pliska
- Matt Savage
Winner: Matt Savage
POKER’S BIGGEST INFLUENCER
- Cary Katz
- Daniel Negreanu
- Doug Polk
- Matt Savage
Winner: Cary Katz
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD FOR POKER PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
- Jonathan Little
- Andrew Neeme
- Daniel Negreanu
- Doug Polk
Winner: Andrew Neeme
Who we think should have won
Since the American Poker Awards uses a handpicked jury to decide most of its winners, US Poker decided to put together its own jury, and here’s the final results of our voting.
Author’s note: This shouldn’t be seen as criticism of the GPI selections, or as US Poker disagreeing with the winners, this was just a fun exercise we did several days before the APA ceremony.
BREAKOUT PLAYER
- Bart Shirley: William Alex Foxen
- Kim Yuhl: William Alex Foxen
- Dustin Gouker: Dejuante “DJ” Alexander
- Matt Clark: Artur Papazyan
- Brett Collson: William Alex Foxen
- Steve Ruddock: William Alex Foxen
US Poker winner: William Alex Foxen
After receiving four of the US Poker six votes, William Alex Foxen was our clear choice in the Breakout Player of the Year category.
TOURNAMENT PERFORMANCE
- Bart Shirley: Scott Blumstein (WSOP Main Event)
- Kim Yuhl: Bryn Kenney (PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo Super High Roller)
- Dustin Gouker: Doug Polk (WSOP One Drop High Roller)
- Matt Clark: Scott Blumstein (WSOP Main Event)
- Brett Collson: Scott Blumstein (WSOP Main Event)
- Steve Ruddock: Scott Blumstein (WSOP Main Event)
US Poker winner: Scott Blumstein
It would take something really special to beat the WSOP Main Event, and despite some good performances, the trophy belongs to Scott Blumstein.
MOMENT OF THE YEAR
- Bart Shirley: Ema Zajmovic becomes first female player to win open event on World Poker Tour
- Kim Yuhl: 70-year-old John Smith makes back-to-back WSOP 10K Heads-Up finals
- Dustin Gouker: 70-year-old John Smith makes back-to-back WSOP 10K Heads-Up finals
- Matt Clark: Tom Dwan makes his return to America, stars on Poker After Dark reboot on PokerGo
- Brett Collson: 70-year-old John Smith makes back-to-back WSOP 10K Heads-Up finals
- Steve Ruddock: 70-year-old John Smith makes back-to-back WSOP 10K Heads-Up finals
US Poker winner: John Smith
The APA jury went with the Ema Zajmovic’s historic win, but the US Poker jury has a soft spot for the story arc of the old guy putting the whippersnappers in their place.
EVENT OF THE YEAR
- Bart Shirley: Poker Masters Event #1 (ARIA Las Vegas)
- Kim Yuhl: World Series of Poker Main Event (Rio Las Vegas)
- Dustin Gouker: World Series of Poker Main Event (Rio Las Vegas)
- Matt Clark: Super High Roller Bowl (ARIA Las Vegas)
- Brett Collson: partypoker MILLIONS North America (Playground Poker Club Montreal)
- Steve Ruddock: World Series of Poker Main Event (Rio Las Vegas)
US Poker winner: WSOP Main Event
With three votes, the trophy goes to the WSOP Main Event. Only Brett Collson was in agreement with the APA jury.
MID-MAJOR CIRCUIT
- Bart Shirley: Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT)
- Kim Yuhl: Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT)
- Dustin Gouker: Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT)
- Matt Clark: WPTDeepStacks (WPTDS)
- Brett Collson: WPTDeepStacks (WPTDS)
- Steve Ruddock: WPTDeepStacks (WPTDS)
US Poker winner: WPTDS and MSPT
We have a tie! The MSPT and WPT DeepStacks split the votes from our jury.
JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
- Bart Shirley: Steve Ruddock
- Kim Yuhl: Steve Ruddock
- Dustin Gouker: Steve Ruddock
- Matt Clark: Lance Bradley
- Brett Collson: Steve Ruddock
- Steve Ruddock: Abstain from voting
US Poker winner: Steve Ruddock
I wouldn’t put much stock in this one, as I suspect my coworkers are angling for me to pick up a dinner check or something.
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR
- Bart Shirley: Ali Nejad
- Kim Yuhl: Nick Schulman
- Dustin Gouker: Nick Schulman
- Matt Clark: Nick Schulman
- Brett Collson: Nick Schulman
- Steve Ruddock: Nick Schulman
US Poker winner: Nick Schulman
Nick was the APA trophy winner, and US Poker’s near consensus choice.
MEDIA CONTENT
- Bart Shirley: Adrian Moreno in tears after Little One for One Drop win; days after losing his friend (Drew Amato, photo for WSOP.com)
- Kim Yuhl: Dead Money: A Super High Roller Bowl Story (PokerCentral documentary)
- Dustin Gouker: Dead Money: A Super High Roller Bowl Story (PokerCentral documentary)
- Matt Clark: Adrian Moreno in tears after Little One for One Drop win; days after losing his friend (Drew Amato, photo for WSOP.com)
- Brett Collson: Dead Money: A Super High Roller Bowl Story (PokerCentral documentary)
- Steve Ruddock: Dead Money: A Super High Roller Bowl Story (PokerCentral documentary)
US Poker winner: Dead Money
Poker Central’s Dead Money was the APA jury pick, as well as our favorite in the Content of the Year category. The 30-for-30-esque documentary was well received and expanded the boundaries of poker content.
PODCAST
- Bart Shirley: TwoPlusTwo Podcast (Terrence Chan, Ross Henry, Adam Schwartz)
- Kim Yuhl: PokerNews Podcast (Brent Harrington, Sarah Herring, Matt Parvis)
- Dustin Gouker: TwoPlusTwo Podcast (Terrence Chan, Ross Henry, Adam Schwartz)
- Matt Clark: PokerCentral Podcast (Brent Hanks, Will O’Connor, Remko Rinkema)
- Brett Collson: Poker Life Podcast (Joe Ingram)
- Steve Ruddock: TwoPlusTwo Podcast (Terrence Chan, Ross Henry, Adam Schwartz)
US Poker winner: TwoPlusTwo Podcast
Each of the finalists received a vote from the US Poker panel, but the TwoPlusTwo Podcast edged out the other contenders. PokerCentral was the actual winner.
VIDEO BLOGGER
- Bart Shirley: Doug Polk
- Kim Yuhl: Andrew Neeme
- Dustin Gouker: Andrew Neeme
- Matt Clark: Andrew Neeme
- Brett Collson: Andrew Neeme
- Steve Ruddock: Andrew Neeme
US Poker winner: Andrew Neeme
Neeme was a runaway winner in the Video Blogger category.
POKER STREAMER
- Bart Shirley: Jason Somerville
- Kim Yuhl: Bill Perkins
- Dustin Gouker: Jason Somerville
- Matt Clark: Jeff Gross
- Brett Collson: Parker Talbot
- Steve Ruddock: Jaime Staples
US Poker winner: Jason Somerville
Every finalist got a vote in this category as well, so with just a plurality of the vote, Jason Somerville is our winner. I’ll point out that I was the only voter to pick the actual winner here, Jaime Staples.
INDUSTRY PERSON
- Bart Shirley: Matt Savage
- Kim Yuhl: Tony Burns
- Dustin Gouker: Matt Savage
- Matt Clark: Matt Savage
- Brett Collson: Sean McCormack
- Steve Ruddock: Matt Savage
US Poker winner: Matt Savage
The US Poker jury lined up with the APA jury here, as Matt Savage received four of the six votes, making him the clear-cut winner in this category.
POKER’S BIGGEST INFLUENCER
- Bart Shirley: Doug Polk
- Kim Yuhl: Cary Katz
- Dustin Gouker: Daniel Negreanu
- Matt Clark: Cary Katz
- Brett Collson: Cary Katz
- Steve Ruddock: Cary Katz
US Poker winner: Cary Katz
Once again, the US Poker jury and the APA jury were in agreement. The unique and innovative content coming out of Poker Central garnered Katz four of the six votes in this category.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
- Bart Shirley: Doug Polk
- Kim Yuhl: Andrew Neeme
- Dustin Gouker: Daniel Negreanu
- Matt Clark: Doug Polk
- Brett Collson: Doug Polk
- Steve Ruddock: Daniel Negreanu
US Poker winner: Doug Polk
Kim Yuhl was the only vote that lined up with the APA jury. Everyone else was for Negreanu or Polk.