After his impressive showing this year, Taiwan’s Pro Jack En Ching Wu has been crowned the 2016 Asia Player of the Year with the conclusion of the Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP)- Asia’s richest poker festival this month. He was awarded the APOY trophy by PokerStars LIVE Macau’s Fred Leung and with a round of applause, he became the successor to last year’s APOY Alan King Lun Lau. He won this award after a close fight with Wayne Wei Yi Zhang, who managed to secure 2nd position on the Leaderboard of Player of the Year with 8,833 points.
When it came to the Asian Player of the Year in 2016, there were only two prestigious names Jack En Ching Wu and Wayne Wei Yi Zhang. Wu eventually won the race among the contenders for the 2016 Player of the Year award. He amassed a total of 9,492 points throughout the season. This whole year has been good to him, because he not only made it to 23 final tables but also managed to win six titles this year. He also did remarkably well at the 2016 ACOP to remain in contention, as he cashed out in two major events. However, his biggest win this season came when he shipped the 25 HK$20,000 Event of the Macau Poker Cup for a whopping $118,622, back in September, 2016.
China’s Wayne Wei Yi Zhang Runner Up
While Jack En Ching Wu won the POY trophy, his rival Wayne Wei Yi Zhang managed to finish as runner up for his impressive showing across various prestigious poker tournaments. He has been grinding on the Asian Circuit since 2015. His best live cash amounts to $168,071, while his total earnings in live cashes touch a whopping $712,791. Followed by him is Linh Tran on the second spot in the ‘Player of the Year’ race with 5,068 points. His total earnings in live cashes are $772,653, while his first recorded-cash came back in the year 2010. Most of his winnings have been on the Asian Circuit, which is the key reason why he has managed to secure 3rd position in the Player of the Year.
A Glance at Top Five of Asia Player of the Year 2016:
#1- Jack En-ching Wu (Taiwan)-9,492 pts
#2- Wayne Wei Yi Zhang (China) -8,833 pts
#3-Linh Tran (Canada)- 5,068 pts
#4- Alvan Yifan Zheng (China)- 4,800 pts
#5-Tom Alner (UK) -4,780 pts