WSOP Prepares for 2023 Player of the Year Race

Last updated on May 21st, 2023

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Barely two weeks from getting underway, the World Series of Poker is putting the final touches on many of the things that will launch along with the series on May 30.

We already have information about a variety of topics:

–Full WSOP schedule
–Online WSOP bracelet breakdown
–Payouts, wires, satellites, and bets
–Event registration
–WSOP livestreams on PokerGO
–Main Event satellites

The most recent news from the WSOP camp is about the Player of the Year race.

2023 Player of the Year Calculations

As the World Series of Poker moves forward from May 30 to July 18, players will earn points for every bracelet event in which they cash or win. The bracelet events at the Paris and Horseshoe this summer will qualify, as will the online bracelet tournaments that take place on the Nevada-New Jersey WSOP site only.

Perhaps it is easier to list the exclusions from the 2023 WSOP Player of the Year race:

-WSOP online in Michigan
-WSOP online in Pennsylvania
-WSOP Europe later this year
-Any WSOP online bracelets outside of the May 30 – July 18 timeline
-Live event 1 ($500 Casino Employees NLHE)
-Live event 48 ($1K Seniors NLHE)
-Live event 51 ($1K Tag Team NLHE)
-Live event 61 ($1K Super Seniors NLHE)
-Live event 67 ($1K/$10K Ladies NLHE)

Players earn points based on a formula that is not detailed on the WSOP website. However, there is a points calculator. For each qualifying tournament, anyone can put in the number of entries, hit the “calculate” button, and find the points to be awarded for every in-the-money finish.

Details on the 2023 WSOP Player of the Year are now online at https://t.co/g0yIWkJOZ0
— Kevin Mathers (@Kevmath) May 17, 2023

The exceptions to the standard formula are heads-up and shootout formats, which award points based on rounds instead of places (for most finishers). Multi-flight events are also more difficult because there may be payouts at the end of each flight and another round of payouts when the flight survivors combine, in which cases players only earn points for their position in the final tournament results.

Prizes and Clout

The Player of the Year award at the WSOP is not a prize pool of life-changing money. It is simply a trophy, banner to be displayed at future WSOP series, and a seat to the next year’s WSOP Main Event worth $10K.

Players who chase the POY title mostly do so for status, for the sake of achieving the honor. Most players who win the Player of the Year do so after winning more than one bracelet and making several final tables. It signifies a great overall series, one that resulted in recognition of their overall efforts.

Last year, young poker pro Dan Zack won the WSOP POY award. It came down to the wire at the end of the series, at which point Zack pulled ahead of Daniel Weinman to clinch the title. Zack cashed in 18 bracelet events and won two of them.

I think I won Player of the Year! Set a goal to try and win this a few years ago and it’s been an insane battle each year. Really ecstatic to actually get there. Have been super stressed the past few weeks trying to close out the series. Thanks to everyone who’s wished me luck❤️
— Daniel Zack (@Dan__Zack) July 18, 2022

Longtime pro Josh Arieh won the previous year’s POY with two bracelets, as did Robert Campbell in 2019 and Shaun Deeb in 2018.

At the start of the 2023 WSOP, however, it is anyone’s game. Even if a player doesn’t have the bankroll to play many tournaments, an early win or final table finish can boost that bankroll enough to play more events. Quite often, it is early momentum combined with steady performances over the seven weeks of the series that does the trick.