Lonis, Foxen, and Feng Lead GPI Player of the Year Race

Last updated on December 3rd, 2024

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Each year, the Global Poker Index uses its proprietary live tournament ranking system to allocate points to players. This ranks them overall as well as by the Player of the Year standards. When the year finishes and players earn all of their points from a year’s worth of live tournament play, the Global Poker Index announces the year’s winners.

There are three primary categories for which players compete. The primary POY race is for all players around the world, the mid-majors category ranks only for tournaments with buy-ins or $2,500 or less, and the Female GPI Player of the Year race ranks players by gender and tracks women.

Considering the busy nature of December poker, with points up for grabs around the world, it will likely be a few days into January 2025 before the final points tallies are available. At this time, players can compete in a number of events on a global scale, specifically series like the European Poker Tour (EPT Prague), World Series of Poker (WSOP Paradise), and World Poker Tour (WPT World Championship at Wynn). But as players enter this last month of the year, it’s a good idea to see where everyone stands via the Global Poker Index.

Total 2024 GPI POY

The overall Player of the Year race ranks players according to their top live tournament performances of each calendar year. The Global Poker Index aggregates the top 13 scores during the year, each qualifying tournament requiring at least 32 players, a buy-in of more than $1, and open registration without gender, age, employment, or charitable restrictions. The GPI then assigns scores through a combination of finishing position per field size.

As of December 3, the 2024 POY standings were as follows:

1. Jesse Lonis (USA) 4,374.38 points
2. David Coleman (USA) 4,320.50 points
3. Adrian Mateos (Spain) 4,312.44 points
4. Michael Watson (Canada) 3,974.97 points
5. Punnat Punsri (Thailand) 3,920.74 points
6. Artur Martirosyan (Russia) 3,764.56 points
7. Dylan Weisman (USA) 3,654.06 points
8. Brock Wilson (USA) 3,640.83 points
9. Alex Foxen (USA) 3,587.37 points
10. Isaac Haxton (USA) 3,548.09 points

With so many tournaments on the horizon this month, there can easily be a shakeup in this top ten list.

Total 2024 GPI Female POY

There is a breakdown of the GPI Player of the Year standings by gender due to the longstanding gender inequity in poker. Considering that women remain only 5% – on average – of any given tournament field, it is important to highlight women’s accomplishments separate and apart from the larger tournament population. Keep in mind, however, that some players are misgendered in the Global Poker Index due to misgendering in the Hendon Mob Database.

As of December 3, the standings for women in poker this year were:

1. Kristen Foxen (Canada) 2,863.48 points
2. Cherish Andrews (USA) 2,790.98 points
3. Victoria Livschitz (USA) 2,659.56 points
4. Rania Nasreddine (USA) 2,428.01 points
5. Maria Konnikova (USA) 2,115.67 points
6. Jessica Vierling (Germany) 2,070.06 points
7. Min Zhang (China) 2,040.57 points
8. Angela Jordison (USA) 1,984.53 points
9. Maria Ho (USA) 1,821.09 points
10. Cecile Ticherfatine (France) 1,796.66 points

Foxen has claimed this title numerous times in the past decade, and though she is poised to win again, it is not outside the realm of possibility that the women in this list could score big in December and change the game.

Total 2024 GPI Mid-Majors POY

The other major breakdown for Player of the Year is for mid-majors tournament players. This ranks players who specifically play in tournaments with buy-ins of $2,500 or less so as to give them a fair chance at earning points separate from high-stakes players.

As of December 3, the rankings showed the following players in the top ten:

1. Han Feng (USA) 3,014.45 points
2. Cherish Andrews (USA) 2,638.25 points
3. Steve Yea (South Korea) 2,597.25 points
4. Luis Yepez (Venezuela) 2,503.89 points
5. Hugues Girard (France) 2,459.32 points
6. Michael Liang (USA) 2,453.16 points
7. Mikhail Zavoloka (Russia) 2,388.17 points
8. Matthew Salsberg (Canada) 2,365.55 points
9. Michael Wang (USA) 2,361.56 points
10. Ya Yun Liu (China) 2,350.89 points

Feng and Andrews are also in the top ten of other sets of rankings above, so they have even more incentive to do well in December. While Feng seems to have a solid grip on the top spot, there are many opportunities for players to shake it up.

Jennifer Newell is the Editor in Chief at Legal US Poker Sites. She has two decades of experience in the iGaming industry. She is a respected poker media member, contributing to publications and websites like USA Today, PokerStars, and PokerScout. Her knowledge spans gambling legislation and the broader online gaming world. She has spent years advocating for diversity, most notably gender equity in the traditionally male-dominated poker sphere.