Daniel Negreanu was just named WSOP Player of the Year, but many feel the award needs major reform

[Dan Druff]

Negreanu is once again Player of the Year, and thanks to a good WSOP in Las Vegas, he finished with about a million bucks profit, despite losing overall elsewhere around the world at WSOP events.

However, the current system is a joke. Among the problems:

1) Too much credit for min-cashing
2) Winning requires the ability to travel the world and constantly play far-flung events
3) You can win the award even if you have a losing year at the WSOP!

Here are my ideas to fix it:

1) Give the most points for either final tabling a small-field event or running very deep in a big field event.

2) Min cashes should give relatively few points.

3) After you get past 100 points, they should deduct points for every bricked buyin (including rebuys).

4) Once you've reached 100 points, for display purposes, you will always be shown having 100 points minimum, but in reality, you will need to keep earning points back to get past 100 if you would have otherwise fallen below 100 due to losing events. (This will be done not to embarrass recreational players, as well as allowing people to have SOME points if they cashed a few events, yet aren't competing for POY.)

5) Regardless of number of points earned, you are disqualified if you have lost money overall in WSOP events during the current POY season.

[TheXFactor]

Why are players like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth entering as many WSOP events as they can?

To prove who's the best player?

Nope.

To pad their resumes so they can get more sponsorship and endorsements.

Phil Hellmuth desperately want a 16th WSOP bracelet so he can show on his resume that he is "the greatest poker player in history". Phil makes $100K+ for hosting a private poker tourney. He made $30 million just from Ultimate Bet.

When you hear about "the best" or "the greatest" players in poker, you have to ask yourself, what are they selling?

[alpha1243]

Buying WSOP POY titles not only degrades the brand to the recreational players, but denies them any shot at the title when pros with deep pockets can simply buy it.

[The Shrink]

The biggest joke is that DN was 3rd in the POY standings after WSOP in Vegas (behind Deeb and Campbell). So he had to go to Rozvadov to earn enough points to take the Player of the Year title while also...

 

losing $200,000

I actually like Druff's idea of subtracting POY points for bricking tournaments. Of course, WSOP will never go for it because they don't want to draw any attention to the fact that the big name players aren't always winning much once you factor in all their buy-ins. Even if they don't subtract points until after a certain number of initial points (say 100 points in Druff's suggestion), you'll have some situations where a player makes a big score in a bracelet event but they currently only have the minimum 100 points because they bricked a bunch of tournaments after which isn't a great look for the WSOP.

[GambleBotsChafedPenis]

Buying WSOP POY titles not only degrades the brand to the recreational players, but denies them any shot at the title when pros with deep pockets can simply buy it.

talking outta my ass on the first half of this (but might be right), but know for a fact (as im sure everybody else who has read one of my posts) on the second part..

first: think the binions actually gave a shit about the implied prestige of the bracelet...
second: the evil empire would hand out 1,000 of these shit bracelets a year if it meant more rake for them...

as long as the evil empire has its claws in this more events around the world will keep being added so they can rake more monies...I would be absolutely stunned if they stopped offering re-entry tournaments outside of the few select ones that they don't...

[FRANKRIZZO]

Not many people can play every tourney available, rebuy like Negreanu was able too as poker stars pros. I doubt he will play as many tourneys from his own pocket. Am I wrong in this?

[TheXFactor]

Daniel Negreanu can raise any amount he wants to play poker through Twitter.

Daniel could also put together millions to help launch a new online poker website after his non-compete contract expires.

[ftpjesus]

Why are players like Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth entering as many WSOP events as they can?

To prove who's the best player?

Nope.

To pad their resumes so they can get more sponsorship and endorsements.

Phil Hellmuth desperately want a 16th WSOP bracelet so he can show on his resume that he is "the greatest poker player in history". Phil makes $100K+ for hosting a private poker tourney. He made $30 million just from Ultimate Bet.

When you hear about "the best" or "the greatest" players in poker, you have to ask yourself, what are they selling?

Not so sure that’s all true with Phil. He relishes bragging about his bracelets and attempting to set a lifetime mark that maybe difficult for anybody else to achieve much like Jack Nicholas’ 18 majors in golf

[Dan Druff]

Of course, you knew Doug Polk was going to have to troll Daniel about this.

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/twt/status/1192980001097863169

.... and then Matusow, who has recently rekindled his friendship with Daniel, tweeted this:

Embedded Tweet

https://twitter.com/twt/status/1194836634375802882

I've had some people text me in the past week, insisting that it was more likely than not that Daniel knew.

However, I'm still of the belief that Daniel didn't. I'll concede that it's possible he knew, but it's more likely that he didn't. There would simply be no reason to go back and double check the WSOP's work regarding the points, or the list of past events cashed. Up until now, there had never been a known mistake, nor was there reason to suspect there would be one.

Since we don't have any proof that Daniel knew, nor is it obvious that he did, we have to give him the benefit of the doubt here. I think it's unfair to just assume what was in Daniel's head, and then vilify him for it.

Keep in mind that I'm no Negreanu fanboy.

But fair's fair, and I think Negreanu is getting a lot of flak he doesn't deserve.

[Brittney Griner's Clit]

I'm a very honest boy and I wouldnt tell a soul if I was in Daniel's gay little shoes.

[shoeshine box]

i would lay 8-5 danny knew...i would know. I would Wager that most folks know exactly and precisely to the decimal how many Pts they have accumulated .. i would check it regulary to my notebook. I would make a excess wager that Druff would know to the exact how many Pts he had accumulated.