2017’s GPI Player of the Year race was an intensely contested one with three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, Adrian Mateos and high-stakes player Bryn Kenney battling it out for the position. While Bryn Kenny pocketed more money than anyone else who played at the tournament last year, Adrian Mateos eventually edged him out and won the 2017 GPI Player of the Year award.
The 23-year-old Mateos benefited most from coming third in the €50K Super High Roller for 196.18 and fourth in the €25K NLHE 8-Handed for 202.17 points. Mateos, who also won “Spanish Player of the Year” for the fifth year in a row further cashed in several times at the top before the GPI Player of the Year race.
The poker star has won $5,881,229 playing tournament poker but the 2017 GPI Player of the Year win was perhaps the pinnacle of a great career year. His total annual earnings placed him at the seventh spot on the 2017 money list. The highlights of his 2017 career year included winning for the third time the WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 Heads-Up Championship for $336,656, claiming the 2017 ACOP Mini High Roller title for $297,927 and winning the Partypoker Carribean Poker Party Millions Finale for $250,000. 2017 also saw him sign a lucrative deal with Winamax.
Kenney’s great 2017
Even though he failed to get the 2017 GPI Player of the Year title, Bryn Kenny still had a pretty good 2017. For one, he was last year’s winningest tournament poker player having pocketed over $8.5 million which brings his total career earnings to somewhere over $20.4 million. The 31-year-old high stakes poker pro is now the 12th on all-time poker money list and is the third in New York’s all-time list.
He started off 2017 by bagging two wins at the PokerStars Championship, Bahamas – the $25,000 Shot Clock for $392,876 and the $50,000 High Roller for $969,075. Later on, he took the fourth place in the Triton Super High Roller Series Paranaque City for $501,525 then went on to take down an event in the inaugural Poker Masters for $960,000 and won the PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo Super High Roller for $1,946,911.
