2015 GPI PoY: Ramin Hajiyev starts season on top of PoY race

A man from Azerbaijan takes the lead as the GPI releases the first PoY rankings of 2015…

HAJIYEV STARTS SEASON STRONG

Azerbaijan will not be represented at the 2015 Global Poker Masters this March in Malta. Had the nation qualified, you can rest assured that Ramin Hajiyev (GPI#149) would have been one of the players involved in the competition.

Along with fellow countryman Ilkin Savalan Amirov (GPI#100), who starts the 2015 season ranked 12th on the PoY, Hajiyev has certainly cemented himself as one of the country’s elite poker players, having collected 29 total cashes on the live tournament circuit. Four of those came earlier this month at the 2015 PCA as Hajiyev left the Bahamas with four scores, including a runner-up finish to David Vamplew (GPI#62) in the 10K NLH Turbo event on the final day of competition.

Those four scores see Hajiyev start the season at the top of the GPI’s 2015 Player of the Year race.

Ramin Hajiyev | 2015 Player of the Year results:

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KARAMALIKIS, PETRANGELO JUST A FEW POINTS BEHIND

Australian pro Jonathan Karamalikis (GPI#116) and rising US pro Nicholas Petrangelo (GPI#78) are hot on Hajiyev’s heals, trailing the Azerbaijani pro by just a few points. Karamalikis, who also scored on four occasions at the PCA, will hopefully get to enjoy some home cooking as the Aussie Millions kicked off earlier this week in Melbourne.

Bryn Kenney (GPI#2) moved to a career-best #2 in the World on Wednesday due to his strong performances at the PCA. Those results see him start the year ranked #6 in the Player of the Year race.

We find Scott Seiver (GPI#7) in 8th place in the PoY race. Seiver, who finished 10th in the 2014 PoY race, actually held the lead for a week … he was also named GPI Player of the Month for February 2014.

Other notables near the top of the PoY race include Jose Carlos Garcia (4th), Joe Kuether (7th), Jonathan Little (9th), Thomas Muehloecker (10th) and 2010 WSOP Main Event winner Jonathan Duhamel (13th).

2015 GPI PLAYER OF THE YEAR | TOP 25

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