#GPIEPA: Who could become finalists in the Breakout Player category

Note: These are not official nominees for the category. Members of the Nomination Panel are currently casting their votes for the GPI European Poker Awards. This is simply a compiled list of players that may merit consideration when the Nomination Panel members make their selections.

The 14th edition of the GPI European Poker Awards will be presented at the Portomaso Marina Hilton Hotel in Malta on March 25th. One category where the nomination panel is going to have a tough time coming up with their two selections is in the Breakthrough Player of the Year category where there are several worthy candidates – here are just six of them…

In order to help the members on the nomination panel, here are a few names to keep in mind. Please note that these aren’t necessarily the “sure bet” candidates for the award. The purpose of the article is to take a look at a few players who enjoyed great years in 2014, from those who won major tournaments to some who broke out on a smaller scale…

ANATOLY FILATOV (RUS)

GPI#37 | 2014 PoY#12 | 2014 Wins: 1 | 2014 Top 10: 6 | 2014 Winnings: $1,003,258

Although he has been around the live tournament circuit for a couple of years, Russian sensation Anatoly Filatov (GPI#37) really broke through in 2014, cashing in 15 events, earning a big victory and crossing the million dollar mark in winnings for the season.

After a slow start to the season, Filatov would get things rolling in March, earning three scores at EPT Vienna, including collecting a second place finish – losing to Fabrice Soulier heads-up – in the High Roller event, earning the biggest windfall of his career. He also racked up EPT results in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and London.

In September, Filatov won the High Roller event at partypoker WPT Merit Classic North Cyprus in what was one of four cashes during the series. He capped off his 2014 season at the City of Dreams in Macau where he earned a 7th place finish in the Asia Championship of Poker (ACOP) High Roller event.

Filatov began 2014 ranked #1405 on the GPI World Poker Rankings. He cracked the GPI300 for the very first time of his career in April and finished the year ranked #32 in the World. His terrific season earned him the GPI National Russia Player of the Year title.

HENRIK HECKLEN (DEN)

GPI#97 | 2014 PoY#28 | 2014 Wins: 1 | 2014 Top 10: 9 | 2014 Winnings: $864,707

Just like Filatov, Danish pro Henrik Hecklen (GPI#97) did manage to earn a few cashes on the circuit prior to 2014, but there is no doubt that his coming out party was this past season.

After starting the year off with five scores, all of them Top 10 finishes, Hecklen made his way to Las Vegas to compete in the 45th World Series of Poker. He would earn a 6th place finish in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em event, a 7th in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship and finally, he would make a very deep run in the WSOP Main Event, bowing out in 75th position.

Things got even more interesting for Hecklen at the EPT Barcelona Festival where he won the Estrellas High Roller event for €293,000. He would finish second to Olivier Busquet (GPI#14) in the UKIPT High Roller event at EPT London just a few weeks later.

The 2014 Danish National Player of the Year cracked the Top 100 on the GPI World Poker Rankings on the final week of the season. He accumulated over 2,300 points this season.

ARTUR KOREN (GER)

GPI#79 | 2014 PoY#65 | 2014 Wins: 2 | 2014 Top 10: 7 | 2014 Winnings: $628,973

With over 10 cashes in 2013 – including five at the 44th World Series of Poker – some voters may decide that that was Artur Koren‘s (GPI#79) breakout year on the circuit, and that’s fine. But I don’t subscribe to that theory. Koren’s 2014 season, in my mind, was his breakthrough year on the circuit.

Koren’s 2014 season included the first two wins of his poker career, starting with the Turbo 6-Max event at EPT Vienna in March. In November, Koren won the European Poker Championship Poker EM Main Event in Austria.

A few weeks before his big win in Austria, Koren was attempting to win his very first major event at EPT London. Once the dust settled, he would leave London with a 4th place finish and a £168,900 payday, the biggest of his young poker career.

Starting 2014 ranked #380 in the World, Koren moved up over 300 spots to end the year at #60 for what was, at the time, his career-best ranking in the World Poker Rankings.

DOMINIK PANKA (POL)

GPI#403 | 2014 PoY#116 | 2014 Wins: 2 | 2014 Top 10: 4 | 2014 Winnings: $1,946,698

If the 2014 European Breakout Player of the Year trophy was awarded after the first 30 days of the season, Dominik Panka (GPI#403) would have won in a landslide!

Panka started 2014 denying Mike McDonald‘s (GPI#13) attempt at becoming – at the time – the very first player to win twice on the European Poker Tour. Panka came out of nowhere to become an instant star with his win in the 2014 PCA Main Event.

Those thinking Panka’s win at the PCA was a fluke would be certainly be proved wrong just a few days later once he wrapped up yet another impressive performance, winning the EPT Deauville High Roller event, earning over $1.7M with his two victories – not bad for a month’s work!

Although the rest of Panka’s 2014 season, for the most part, was a little quiet, he did make some noise at the EPT Barcelona Festival, finishing in 11th position in the Main Event.

An unranked player just 15 months ago, the Polish pro ended 2014 in 192nd position on the World charts.

ERWANN PECHEUX (FRA)

GPI#75 | 2014 PoY#63 | 2014 Wins: 1 | 2014 Top 10: 12 | 2014 Winnings: $433,977

Pegged as one of the players to watch in Europe coming into 2014, French pro Erwann Pecheux (GPI#75) certainly delivered the goods. Pecheux earned an impressive 29 cashes last season, including 7 scores at the World Series of Poker last summer in Las Vegas.

His 2014 poker season also included a trio of Top 3 finishes in WPT National events in Paris, Cannes and Brussels.

Pecheux dominated the GPI Challenger Cup race in 2014, collecting the most points in events with a buy-in up to $2,000.

The young Parisian, who started the season ranked outside the Top 100, finished the year as the 59th top player in the World, winning the French National Player of the Year race.

OLIVER PRICE (UK)

GPI#51 | 2014 PoY#11 | 2014 Wins: 1 | 2014 Top 10: 5 | 2014 Winnings: $1,025,085

Oliver Price (GPI#51) made his way near the top of the UK charts following his breakthrough 2014 campaign. Price would begin 2014 in style by finishing 3rd at EPT Deauville for the biggest cash of his career. Price would then follow that up a week later with his first career victory at GUKPT London.

Price would then cash in five major tournaments, including a 5th place finish in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em tournament at the World Series of Poker. He would end the season with 14 cashes.

Starting the season ranked outside the Top 1,000, Price would crack the GPI300 for the first time in March and end the year ranked a career-best #36.

GPI EUROPEAN POKER AWARDS

The 2014 GPI European Poker Awards will take place on March 25th, 2015 at the Portomaso Marina Hilton Hotel in Malta.

Over 100 poker industry members have received their ballots and will cast their votes for all categories for the 14th GPI European Poker Awards. If you are a poker industry member and have not received your voting instructions via e-mail – or should you have any questions – please reach out to us at [email protected].

*Dominik Panka picture courtesy of Neil Stoddart, EPT