World Championship Could Decide the Tight WPT Player of the Year Race

The Player of the Year (POY) race for the 2024 season of the World Poker Tour (WPT) is more open and competitive than ever, with the final chapter likely to unfold at the season’s grand finale – the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas in December. As the XXII season approaches its end, twelve players are within a mere 400 points of each other on the POY leaderboard. Only a handful of remaining championship stops are left on the schedule for the last chance to earn crucial points. It is highly likely that the POY title will remain undecided until the curtain falls on December 23.

This year’s race stands in stark contrast to last year, where Bin Weng’s phenomenal performance had pretty much sealed the title before the WPT World Championship even began. Weng’s back-to-back final table finishes, including a victory at the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown for $1.1 million and a fourth-place finish at WPT Choctaw, left little room for competition. Weng also won the WPT EveryOne for One Drop for $2.2 million, although this victory didn’t contribute points to the POY race, it just shows his dominance and why the 2023 POY was all but decided well before the season’s finale.

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The current season looks more reminiscent of 2022 when Chad Eveslage narrowly edged out Steve Buckner to win the WPT Season XX Player of the Year title. Eveslage entered the finale with a 165-point lead over Buckner but scored no points, while Buckner made a deep run in the World Championship, securing POY points just by finishing in the money. Unfortunately for Buckner, his run ended in 319th place, leaving him just short of the final push he needed, ending the POY race 50 points behind Eveslage.

Meanwhile, Josh Kay, another contender for the title, had a distant chance to overthrow Eveslage if he reached the final table, so there was some sweat left for the two-time WPT title winner. Kay’s tournament run ended in 279th place, 500 points behind Eveslage.

Currently, the POY leaderboard is led by Travis Endersby and Yunkyu Song, both tied with 1,400 points. Australia’s Endersby secured his top spot with two stellar performances in his home country down under: a third-place finish at the WPT Prime Gold Coast Championship in April, where he earned $127,173, and a second-place finish in the WPT Australia Championship just last month, adding $265,157 to his winnings. Meanwhile, Song surged to the top after his recent victory at the WPT Prime Playground Championship, outlasting a massive field of 1,587 entrants to capture the title and $164,251.

Right behind them, tied for third place, are Josh Reichard and Dan Stavila. Stavila had a fantastic series at the WPT Montreal. He secured fourth place in the WPT Prime event for $48,246, followed by a runner-up finish in the Championship event a couple of days later, which netted him $205,520. Reichard is the only Champions Club member among mentioned, winning the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship in April for $839,300

With a leaderboard this tight and so many players within striking distance, the WPT World Championship is set to be more than just a prestigious event as it could very well decide the 2024 Player of the Year race as well, adding the excitement to an unforgettable season finale in Las Vegas.

2024 WPT Player of the Year Leaderboard Top 12