GPI Euro Poker Awards In-Depth: Best Tournament Performance

We take a closer look at the nominees for Best Tournament Performance for the upcoming GPI European Poker Awards:

BARNY BOATMAN 

Born ›› Hendon, UK
Resides ›› London, UK
Team ›› Free Agent

GPI# ›› 601  |  2013 PoY# ›› 513
GPI Points Scored in 2013: 284.84

2013 ›› Wins: 2  |  Top 10: 3
2013 Earnings ›› $601,851

For most in this category, you can’t pin point the one tournament that set him apart from the others. That’s not the case for popular UK pro Barny Boatman (GPI#601) who captured our hearts this summer when he finally got his hands on a World Series of Poker gold bracelet, 13 years after earning his very first WSOP score.

The win was Boatman’s 25th career cash at the WSOP. Coming into the 44th edition of the WSOP, Boatman had a few close calls at the Rio and at Binion’s Horseshoe … including a runner-up finish in 2K Limit Hold’em Event #11 in the spring of 2002, missing out a bracelet at the hands of Jay Sipelstein. That final table would include now poker legends Erik Seidel, Johnny Chan and John Juanda.

Interesting fact: Boatman won this very award in 2002.

PHILIPP GRUISSEM 

Age ›› 26
Born ›› Krefeld, GER
Resides ›› London, UK
Team ›› Free Agent

GPI# ›› 4  |  2013 PoY# ›› 7
GPI Points Scored in 2013: 962.57

2013 ›› Wins: 4  |  Top 10: 8
2013 Earnings ›› $4,605,401

Back-to-back WPT Alpha8 Champion Philipp Gruissem (GPI#4) is the next player on our list. Two Alpha8 titles weren’t enough for Gruissem this past year as he also won the WSOP Asia-Pacific (APAC) 50K High Roller event in April.

You wouldn’t be wrong calling Gruissem the King of high-stakes tournament poker. In 2013 alone, Gruissem cashed in seven events with a buy-in of 25K or higher, winning three, and earned a 2nd, two 3rd and a 5th place finish in the others.

ROGER HAIRABEDIAN 

Age ›› 58
Born ›› Marseille, FRA
Resides ›› Marrakech, MAR
Team ›› Free Agent

GPI# ›› 19  |  2013 PoY# ›› 43
GPI Points Scored in 2013: 715.16

2013 ›› Wins: 2  |  Top 10: 20
2013 Earnings ›› $714,063

Roger Hairabedian (GPI#19) won his second World Series of Poker bracelet in as many years at WSOP Europe in 2013. “Big Roger” got the best of Erik Seidel (GPI#17) heads-up in the 2K NLH event.

Hairabedian’s 2013 season would include an incredible 20 Top 10 finishes, including a runner-up finish to Marvin Rettenmaier in the High Roller event at the WPT Merit Cyprus Classic and a 7th place finish at WPT Prague. Had Big Roger won in Prague, he would have surpassed Benjamin Pollak in the GPI National France Player of the Year race in the final hours of the 2013 poker season.

MARVIN RETTENMAIER 

Age ›› 27
Born ›› Leonberg, GER
Resides ›› London, UK
Team ›› PartyPoker

GPI# ›› 3  |  2013 PoY# ›› 12
GPI Points Scored in 2013: 918.51

2013 ›› Wins: 4  |  Top 10: 10
2013 Earnings ›› $663,496

It might not have been the season he would have wanted, but, former GPI#1 Marvin Rettenmaier (GPI#3) can’t be too upset over what most would say was yet another fine season on the live tournament circuit. The German is proving to be one of the most consistent players on tour. 2013’s biggest win would come in the WPT Merit Cyprus Classic High Roller event where Marvin would win the second of his back-to-back WPT event just a year earlier.

Rettenamaier’s 2013 season would also include wins on the Eurasian Poker Tour in the Ukraine and in a side event at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, a 10th place finish at the WPT Grand Prix de Paris and a pair of WPT final table appearances at WPT Baden in Austria and at WPT Caribbean in St. Maarten.

OLE SCHEMION 

Age ›› 21
Born ›› Germany
Resides ›› Germany
Team ›› Free Agent

GPI# ›› 1  |  2013 PoY# ›› 1
GPI Points Scored in 2013: 1163.13

2013 ›› Wins: 4  |  Top 10: 14
2013 Earnings ›› $510,720

What else can be said about 21-year-old wunderkind Ole Schemion (GPI#1) that hasn’t been said already? The 2013 GPI Player of the Year took over the race in one of the very last events of 2013 when he final tabled EPT Prague.

Schemion would finish the 2013 season with four wins and 14 Top 10 finishes highlighted by three victories in side events at the EPT Grand Final, matching Dan Smith’s (GPI#6) exploits from 2012. Schemion also collected a W a few weeks prior to his Monte Carlo run, winning the Lebanese Poker Tour Championship in Cyprus.

After starting the 2014 season ranked #2 in the World, the 2012 GPI European Poker Awards Rookie of the Year has since taken over the #1 spot on the GPI300.

KITAI WINS 2012 AWARD

A win at EPT Berlin in the spring of 2012 would enter David Kitai (GPI#97) into the unofficial Triple Crown club. That victory would allow Kitai to also pickup Best Tournament Performance honours for the 2012 poker season.

Past winners include: Pius Heinz (2011), James Bord (2010), Jeff Lisandro (2009), Peter Eastgate (2008), Annette Obrestad (2007), Victoria Coren (2006), Rob Hollink (2005), Martin de Knijff (2004), Gus Hansen (2003), Barny Boatman (2002) and Simon Trumper (2001).

THE LOWDOWN

Who will win this award? Tough to say. It’s obvious that many will look at Schemion’s pedigree and make him the favourite. But his his two German teammates will also receive many votes as will those sentimental voters who may be persuaded to give their votes to a couple of old-timers in Big Roger and Boatman … it’s going to be fun to see who wins it!

The 13th Global Poker Index European Poker Awards will take place on January 29, 2014 at the “Salle des Ambassadeurs” at the Casino de Deauville as part of the EPT Deauville Festival. The event is presented by PokerStars and Lucien Barriere Hôtels et Casinos.

Winners will be selected for Rookie of the Year, Best Tournament Performance, Poker Industry Person of the Year,Internet Player of the Year and European Event of the Year. Also presented on January 29th will be awards for Live European Player of the Year, the Rob Gardner Memorial Award for Poker Personality of the Year as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Several European 2013 GPI National Players of the Year will also be on hand to receive their awards.

Visit the European Poker Awards website for all the information!