The World Poker Tour(WPT) announced today that the Season XIII WPT Player of the Year award will be powered by the Global Poker Index(GPI). Also, for the first time ever, the Player of the Year race will include not only the WPT Main Tour, but WPT500, WPT DeepStacks, and WPT National and Regional Events as well.
According to a press release by GPI- The poker ranking authority, GPI has revolutionized the poker world by streamlining live tournament rankings and creating one system to link every event on every marquee tour. Points are awarded based upon the GPI formula, which takes into account buy-in, field size, and finish. In addition to powering the Season XIII WPT Player of the Year race, GPI will also directly integrate their Fantasy Poker Manager into WPT.com, allowing fantasy poker players to engage even more with the World Poker Tour.
“I’m thrilled to expand our relationship with the World Poker Tour and to help promote the WPT as a whole,” said GPI CEO Alexandre Dreyfus. “In the United States, the success of fantasy games correlates strongly with the popularity of many sports, and we believe the same rings true for poker. Our Fantasy Poker Manager advocates engagement from both hardcore and casual fans of the game.”
WPT President Adam Pliska adds, “I applaud Alexandre Dreyfus and the Global Poker Index for taking positive steps to professionalize the sport. The GPI ranking system will allow more WPT players, regardless of the WPT offering they choose, to participate in the Season XIII Player of the Year race and provide better indicators for players throughout the entire season.”
Fantasy Poker Manager players will be able to create their World Poker Tour roster and compete against one another during every event on the WPT Main Tour, including the upcoming WPT Legends of Poker. Plus, for the first time in the World Poker Tour’s rich history, players will be able to accrue WPT Player of the Year points in WPT500, WPT DeepStacks, and WPT National and Regional Events. The winner of the Season XIII WPT Player of the Year will receive several special benefits for Season XIV, including accommodation and ground transportation at many of the first-class destinations on the World Poker Tour.
WPT Deepstacks will also run their own Player of the Year race using the GPI formula, and the winner will receive a buy-in to the Season XIII WPT World Championship, along with hotel, airfare, and buy-ins to select WPTDeepstacks events, and a custom-made trophy.