Second Global Poker Awards Set for March 2020
This week, the Global Poker Index and Poker Central announced the Second Annual Global Poker Awards. It will take place on March 6, 2020, and the awards will celebrate the industry for the year 2019.
The first-ever Global Poker Awards was held earlier this year to honor poker players, events, reporting, and overall industry contributions from 2018. There was little time between the announcement of the awards and the actual ceremony, and the voting for most categories was done by a mystery panel of people in the poker industry.
The 2020 ceremony looks to be different in many ways, not only with more time leading up to the ceremony but also with a different voting system.
2020 Awards Information
The press release about the second iteration of the Global Poker Awards includes some basic details and hints of more information to come.
The ceremony is set for Friday, March 6, and it will again take place at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
The @gpi Global Poker Awards set for March 6th – elated to be returning to the @PokerGO Studio – big thanks to @SampsonSimmons and the team for all their support! – see you in Vegas!!! https://t.co/m6DuMhAB2V
— Eric Danis (@EricDanisPoker) December 3, 2019
The first awards ceremony offered 13 jury-selected awards, two predetermined by the Global Poker Index rankings, one determined by the poker public, and four more jury-selected awards. The 2020 festivities will present more than 20 awards in addition to several new categories, which will include the Player’s Choice Award for All-Around Poker Player.
As happened last year, the ceremony will be streamed live on March 6 on PokerGO, the subscription service owned by Poker Central.
A big difference, though, will be the voting process. The majority of the winners will still be determined by a panel, but this time it will be “an updated voting process led by a panel of experts in each category, as well as through a system of fan voting in several categories.” More details are expected in the coming weeks about the process.
GPI President Eric Danis said on Twitter, however, that the jury system is being eliminated for a “totally revamped voting system.”
Participant Comments
In the press release, Danis commented that the GPI is excited to see the Global Poker Awards become an annual event “growing in scope and significance among the poker industry.” He then added, “The Global Poker Index team is hard at awork on this expanded Global Poker Awards event, filled with new awards and experiences for attendees and the viewing audience.”
Poker Central President Sampson Simmons looks forward to the second edition of the event and the opportunity to share it with fans at home via PokerGO. “The first annual Global Poker Awards were a tremendous success and an important moment for us as an industry to recognize our best and brightest.”
🚨Announcing the 2020 @gpi Global Poker Awards🚨
👗🤵🏻
https://t.co/aeOTqaUp46— PokerGO Tour (@PokerGOTour) December 3, 2019
First-Year Winners
The winners honored at the April 2019 ceremony – ones determined by a jury panel – were as follows:
–Tournament Performance: John Cynn in WSOP Main Event
–Breakout Player of the Year: Ali Imsirovic
–Streamer of the Year: Lex Veldhuis
–Vlogger of the Year: Andrew Neeme
–Podcast: Chip Race Poker Podcast with David Pappin and Dara O’Kearney
–Broadcaster of the Year: Maria Ho
–Poker Journalist of the Year: Sarah Herring
–Media Content: Lance Bradley’s book “The Pursuit of Poker Success”
–Industry Person of the Year: Angelica Hael of World Poker Tour
–Tournament Director of the Year: Paul Campbell of ARIA
–Mid-Major Tour or Circuit: RUNGOOD Poker Series
–Event of the Year: WSOP Main Event
–Moment of the Year: Justin Bonomo winning Big One for One Drop on high-roller streak
Two awards were distributed based on the Global Poker Index 2018 rankings, so the winners were predetermined:
–2018 GPI Poker Player of the Year: Alex Foxen
–2018 GPI Female Poker Players of the Year: Kristen Bicknell
One award determined its nominees from the public and then the ultimate winner by another public vote:
–People’s Choice for Poker Personality of the Year: Brad Owen
And then there were four awards to honor those chosen by the panel:
–Lifetime Achievement in Poker: Doyle Brunson
–PocketFives Legacy Player: Chris Moorman
–Charitable Initiative: Robby Strazynski’s Run Well campaign
–Jury Prize: Drew Amato
ICYMI: 🌐🏆 With over 50% of the votes and ten of thousands of unique voters, the 2018 People Choice Award goes to Brad Owen #GlobalPokerAwards – @TheBradOwen pic.twitter.com/IOSSfZ5Gav
— Global Poker Index (@gpi) April 6, 2019
