Learning who will be named the 2022 Global Poker Index (GPI) Player of the Year is always exciting. Several prominent players of one of the most exciting table games ever existed worldwide had played successful tournaments, but Cherish Andrews and Stephen Song have stood out among others. The two outstandingly finished strong, winning the Player of the Year (POY) title from the Global Poker Index, which is the overall GPI Player of the Year and the female GPI Player of the Year.
In this casino news article, we’ll see that although the Global Poker Index (GPI) races were tight, Andrews and Song could claim victory because of outstanding December performances, which was a great advantage.
A Well-Deserved Recognition from Global Poker Index
The battle for the ultimate prize was intense, but Stephen Song overcame some of the best poker players on earth to take first place. When 2022 began, likely, the majority of poker enthusiasts would not have given Song any attention. He didn’t, however, elude detection for very long. It was difficult to ignore him when his name frequently appeared on winners’ lists. He won the Global Poker Award Mid-Major Player of the Year honor astonishingly. And as if that weren’t enough, he took advantage of one of the benefits of playing poker online or at land-based casinos, using his previously acquired knowledge, this time at the WPT Prime Championship on the World Poker Tour in December, to win the main prize.
Song’s victory in the $1,000 entry fee competition, with a grand prize of $712,650, was not his only financial gain during what can only be described as a “career-defining” year. He also more than doubled his total career earnings of $5 million by winning a total of $2,289,059 in 44 ranking poker tournaments for the year 2022. Adam Hendrix finished in the second spot with 3,526 points, while Song took the first position with 3,543 points. The leading players were in a very tight battle, as Jeremy Ausmus, Chad Eveslage, and Farid Jattin all came close.
Song placed second to Angela Jordison and Julien Sitbon in the 2022 Global Poker Index Mid-Major Player of the Year standings, which only consider statistical data from tournaments with buy-ins of roughly up to $2,500.
The female race sees Andrews defeat Jordison
On the other hand, the GPI Female POY was a recurrent award for some years because Kristen Foxen won from 2017 to 2019. Then, in 2020 and 2021, she switched places with Alexis Gavin and Nadya Magnus. Cherish Andrews made the list in 2021 after winning one of the Las Vegas poker tournaments cash prizes in 2008, also her first one. Jordison took the lead in the race to winning Female Player of the Year in 2022, but Cherish Andrews, one of the year’s most successful players, caught up to her later in the year.
The current three-time Global Poker Index Female Player of the Year and wife of one of the GPI title contenders, Alex Foxen, and three-time WSOP bracelet winner Kristen Foxen, joined the couple in a fascinating fight for the trophy. When Andrews regained her mojo and won three tournaments, Jordison had 2,483 points in the lead. These included $259,200 in prize money for finishing second in the $10,100 NLHE High Roller event of the World Poker Tour (WPT) World Championship and $131,912 for winning the $1,100 NLHE WPT tournament.
Andrews and Jordison were still in the running with four weeks to go before the results were totaled, but Jordison had a comfortable lead of 373 points. Jordison was well-positioned thanks to her four wins in December events. However, Andrews came out on top thanks to a stellar performance at the record-breaking WPT World Championship. When winnin the $10,100-entry Wynn for $259,200 event in December, her biggest-ever tournament score, a 2022 worth $758,513 was in the books, doubling her career earnings to over $1.5 million and sealing the Global Poker Index Female Player of the Year title.
Final Thoughts
Whether you play live poker, or online poker at Vegas Aces Casino, announcing that you’re the best poker player across all tournaments is a boast that would make any player feel special. Stephen Song and Cherish Andrews showed the world their exceptional class in this exciting game. They will accept their awards at the 4th Annual Global Poker Awards ceremony, which will likely be held again at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA in Las Vegas.
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