The Best of British
Saturday, 27 December 2014
Check out this year's nominees.
Voting closes on the 5th annual British Poker Awards this month, so with a plethora of top class talent performing poker miracles at the tables, it's time to look at who might be lifting a trophy come the big night. The awards for Players' Player of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award are decided by previous BPA winners and our exclusive judges panel respectively, but the good news is that you lucky people get to decide the rest!
You can VOTE NOW at www.thebritishpokerawards.com, where you can also watch the nominations for Hand Of The Year!
Stephen Chidwick
Best Live Tournament Player
With over half a million dollars in cashes across the world, Stephen Chidwick has become one of the biggest British players in the game. With consistent results in EPT, WSOP and High Roller events, the man from Deal has made the maximum from his cards this year.
Simon DeadmanBest Live Tournament Player
Breakout Player of the Year
Performance of the Year
After a run of five major runner-up finishes in the first part of the year, Deadman took down the Hollywood Poker Open for over $350k, finally getting his hands on a trophy. Another deep run, this time at EPT London, showcased the consistency of this Nottingham-born player during his best year in poker.
Tom HallBest Live Tournament Player
Breakout Player Of The Year
A perennial qualifier for some of Europe's largest tournaments, Hall has had no trouble translating his online success to the live felt. He started the year with a deep run in the PCA Main Event, good for more than $100,000, and added his second six-figure score of 2014 in an EPT Vienna side event.
Oliver PriceBest Live Tournament Player
Breakout Player Of The Year
2014 has been an outstanding year for Price, who achieved his first major win at GUKPT London and added final tables on the EPT and WSOP. The young pro has had four six-figure scores this year, and also went deep in the LA Poker Classic which was won by fellow BPA nominee Chris Moorman.
Niall FarrellBest Online Player
An accomplished live player who sits second on Scotland's all-time money list, it is on the virtual felt that Farrell has impressed the most. The undoubted highlight came with victory in the FTOPS Main Event, worth more than $230,000.
Patrick LeonardBest Online Player
Breakout Player Of The Year
Performance Of The Year
Former cash game grinder Leonard has turned his attention to tournament play in 2014, and in some style. Countless five-figure scores online helped propel him to first place on the PocketFives MTT leaderboard, and he has kept the results coming throughout the year.
Alex MillarBest Online Player
A man who needs almost no introduction, Millar was named Player of the Year at the 2013 British Poker Awards and also won the Best Online Cash Player gong. He continues to frequent the biggest cash games online in 2014.
Doug PolkBest Online Player
Best International Player
Polk has been well-known in the online world for some time, playing some of the biggest cash game pots over the last couple of years. However 2014 he burst onto the live scene with several cashes on the growing super high roller circuit, including making an appearance in the illustrious $1m buy-in Big One for One Drop.
Harry LawBreakout Player Of The Year
Law has enjoyed success on both sides of the English Channel consistently throughout the year. After a final table appearance at EPT Deauville (alongside fellow nominee Oliver Price), the Englishman took down leg 8 of the GUKPT in Leeds.
Jack SalterBestLive Tournament Player
Best Online Player
Performance of the Year
As of November, Salter is the highest-placed Brit on the 2014 live money list thanks to two impressive second-place finishes. After finishing as runner-up to Antonio Buonanno at the EPT Grand Final, he ran American Scott Davies close at the WSOP-APAC Main Event to bump his earnings above the $1.5m mark.
Chris MoormanBest Live Tournament Player
Best Online Player
Performance of the Year
The transatlantic trophy-hunter has enjoyed a phenomenal year at the felt, winning his first major trophy in the L.A. Poker Classic, eclipsing the $11.5 million mark in online tournament winnings and even finding time to write a book. The man behind Moorman's Book of Poker is a favourite to take home glassware come awards night.
Max SilverBest Live Tournament Player
The adopted Dubliner has had a great year in the game, reaching his first final table at the World Series of Poker on American soil, his 3rd-place finish one of six cashes worth over $340k in Las Vegas during the summer. Highly respected at the very top level of poker, Silver may be set for an ever bigger year in 2015.
Toby LewisBest Online Player
The Southampton-born pro has enjoyed yet another year of bossing the online felt. As well as reaching the final table of WPT Cyprus, Toby's reputation as a strong backer of talent continues, with 'Toby Dollars' rumoured to be worth double in credibility if not currency. Yet.
Rick TriggBest Online Player
Moving past the $5 million mark in online tournament winnings, Rick 'theclaimeer' Trigg put in another massive year as one of the best grinders in Britain further stamped his authority on the global online game. Strong showings in both the UKIPT High Roller in London and Sky Poker UKPC in Nottingham added to his plus column in impressive fashion.
Dan ColmanBest International Player
To say Colman has had the year of his life in poker would be the understatement of all time. One of the most impressive heaters ever has included wins in The Big One For One Drop ($15m) Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open ($1.4m) EPT Grand Final High Roller ($2.2m) and WPT Alpha8 London ($950k), with several other massive scores.
Davidi KitaiBest International Player
Belgian star Kitai added to his global reputation as a big cheese by winning a six-max WSOP bracelet in the summer, also taking the trophy in the Winamax Grand Final and 3rd place in the EPT Grand Final in Monaco. Kitai's amazing year means he now has more than double his nearest rival at the top of the all-time Belgian Money List.
Daniel NegreanuBest International Player
'Kid Poker' cashed an incredible nine times in the World Series of Poker, finishing as runner-up twice, including in the epic showdown with Dan Colman in the One Drop, a result which put the Canadian at the top of the All-time Money List. The Team PokerStars Pro also cashed twice in the Aussie Millions for over $1.5 million.
Ole SchemionBest International Player
The German wunderkind cemented his place as the world's most winning table maniac this year, with an ultra-aggressive poker persona that has seen him bank close to $2.5 million in 2014 alone. Schemion's name has become synonymous with an all-out attacking style that has pressured his opponents and impressed his peers in equal measure.
Vanessa SelbstBest International Player
With a twelve months that included winning her third WSOP bracelet, Selbst broke the $10m barrier in live winnings, and scooped two more huge cashes in the Caribbean as her earnings for 2014 topped $2m. Oh, and between the baller bluffs and eye-watering raises, Vanessa found time to get married. All together now, ahhh...
Jake CodyBest Blogger
With a deep run to fifth place meaning he fell just short of being the first man to win two EPTs, Jake's EPT London result for $215k has been this year's biggest score for the youngest ever Triple Crown winner. Jake's journey into fatherhood was brought to life via his PokerStars blog, and the Team PokerStars Pro won many new fans with his 'Guess the Hand' giveaways throughout his tournaments.
Sam GraftonBest Blogger
Best Social Media User
Poker Personality Of The Year
Grafton has continued to amuse and enthral poker fans in 2014 with his razor-sharp wit while growing his online poker notoriety. From attacking perceived injustices to defending those without the means to do so themselves, the crusader-in-a-cardigan has featured on Sky Poker's Cash Game Season 3, entertaining TV viewers just as much as he does his Twitter followers.
Tony KendallBest Blogger, Poker Personality Of The Year
'Tikay' has fronted another raft of programmes and coverage for Sky Poker in a year that seen one of the most passionate people in poker welcome more and more players to the game. His in-depth blogs, meanwhile, have covering everything from World Series glory to the Sky Poker UK Poker Championships.
Padraig ParkinsonBest Blogger
One of the funniest bloggers in poker has to be the redoubtable Irishman, with his old-school charm and ability to paint a picture when telling a story. 888Poker Ambassador Parkinson continues to build his fanbase almost without trying, a raconteur who seems hell-bent on inflicting pain on his following... by making their sides split.
Dale PhilipBest Blogger
Best Social Media User
One of the most dynamite reads this year was the furore created over the repercussions of Philip's celebration of a Holland goal during the World Cup. Packed with travel insights and a deep look into the social side of attending poker tournaments as a pro, Philip's blog has turned from professional travelogue.
Liv BoereeBest Social Media User
From Burning Man to blasting out power chords, the whirlwind lifestyle of Team PokerStars' poster girl has again captured the imagination of her fanbase. With the Kent-born player growing her charity interest too, joining the board of REG, the new charity she formed alongside Phil Gruissem and Igor Kurganov.
Neil ChanningBest Social Media User
As he described in his recent Bluff Europe column, 'Bad Beat' is a big fan of the retweet, and through it, conveys a wide variety of opinions and asides via his Twitter page. Returning to traditional blogging in the near future will get him even more followers.
Victoria Coren MitchellPoker Personality Of The Year
Performance Of The Year
Best Social Media User
The poker pro, writer and presenter had one of her greatest ever years in the game, winning EPT Sanremo to become the first 'two-time' winner of an EPT Main Event. With Vicky's twittering during the event incredibly popular, plaudits arrived from the poker industry and mainstream media. As ever, her blog provides an entertaining insight into her life in television as well as poker.
Barny BoatmanPoker Personality Of The Year
The Hendon Mob's Barny Boatman has continued to build on his WSOP bracelet win in 2013 by representing the poker world at the felt and online, where his cult fans on Twitter revel in his mischievous mirth. Now seen as one of the most senior members of the poker community, Barny cashed an impressive five times at the World Series, reaching another final table in the process.
Paul NeweyPoker Personality Of The Year
As well as cashing in the Big One for One Drop, the king of the slots has kept his many fans on the edge of their seat on Twitter as he travels the world looking for thrills and chasing value. You can read all about Newey in this month's issue.
Rob YongPoker Personality Of The Year
The man behind Dusk til Dawn's incredible guarantees and packed-out cardroom this year has given so much to poker players he should be on commission when they bink. Instead, they're queuing up to take his money in Trickett's Room, the newly-built high-stakes cash cardroom in his beloved Nottingham club. Like a boss.