WSOP’s Main Event has been exciting to watch. But who will become the world’s most cherished and valued player? Will Shaun Deeb retain his advantage or will he succumb under the skilled hands of his opponents?
With the World Series of Poker (WSOP) now nearly gone, we wouldn’t mind seeing the most noteworthy players as per WSOP’s own Player of the Year rank list. Mind you, this does take a fair while to elaborate, and we will need to patiently wait for the 2018 World Series of Poker Europe event concludes to have a winner.
Player of the Year – Pinpointing a Champ
However, it’s clear that the competition has become less of the neck-and-neck ordeal with Shaun Deeb clearly breaking away from the pack, just as you would see an individual gain some headway over their opponents in a normal play game. The players’ standings as of this moment are quite revealing, too:
- Shaun Deeb 4,386.84
- Ben Yu 3,746.04
- John Hennigan 3,552.69
- Joe Cada 3,531.86
- Scott Bohlman 3,155.88
- Paul Volpe 2,859.76
- Eric Baldwin 2,516.30
- Justin Liberto 2,459.84
- Mike Leah 2,406.91
- Anthony Zinno 2,330.37
Yes, Shaun Deeb has definitely managed to outperform his rivals even though the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event didn’t go in his favor. Not entirely. But this mishap is far from putting a crimp in the ambitions of Deeb to distinguish himself as one of the most memorable names of the poker world, at least in 2018. His apt play throughout the event landed him much needed points and additional bracelet sealed the deal for him.
Deeb’s dominance would have been even more difficult to challenge had it not been for Joe Cada who managed to put up a great fight and make sure that Deeb is stopped in his tracks.
Others Vie for the Title
Other names have shown up on the chart, including Ben Yu who managed to win Event #77 worth $50,000 No-Limit Hold ‘em High Roller, which helped Yu notch up a second place – quite a respectable overall standing if you ask me.
The numbers may be clear, but then the crowd’s favourites are not necessarily determined by the cold hard number-crunching. Many people liked the rising star of Michael Dyer who promised to upend expectations in quite a decisive way.
Joe Cada was another individual primed for a convincing WSOP future, but the title seemed to slip through his grasp. Even though John Cynn, the winner of the Main Event, doesn’t seem to be featured on the list, it’s still well worth noting that he performed rather well, winning poker’s largest and most prestigious pow-wow.
POY and Does It Matter?
Of course, I believe that objectifying people based on events, which not always count towards the POY rank list, is an exercise in futility. Then again, I enjoy the plain fact that it adds a bit of an extra challenge and excitement to the game, although players openly admit to caring less for the rank list as opposed to how much they care for winning an event that matters.
