GPIPoY: Kid Poker Takes Lead Into Final Stretch

The final push to the 2013 poker season is on and Daniel Negreanu is the man to beat down the stretch:

NEGREANU BUILDS SOLID LEAD

Daniel Negreanu’s (GPI#1) win in the WSOP Europe High Roller event has allowed him to build a 166 point lead in the 2013 GPI Player of the Year race. It will certainly take a solid end of year from one of Negreanu’s opponents in order to overtake him in the standings.

One way to have a better chance to move past Kid Poker would be to play more events than him. Negreanu has already indicated that he will only play in two more tournament series this year, both in December:

November will be a month of rest for me, not playing any poker tourneys till December's WPT Bellagio and EPT Prague. Gonna workout hard!

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) November 2, 2013

Negreanu played both the WPT bestbet Jacksonville Fall Poker Scramble and WPT Montreal last season, events that he won’t play this year. WPT Caribbean, the Master Classics of Poker and possibly WPT Alpha8 St. Kitts a few other events that his opponents could play and gain valuable points in as Negreanu waits in the wings for his December push.

SHORR, RAGHAVAN MAKE LATE CHARGES

Shannon Shorr’s (GPI#6) late push this season has allowed him to contend in both the GPIPoY and the GPI300 races. Shorr, who earned two Top 10 finishes at WSOP Europe, including an eighth place finish in the Main Event, has also earned double cashes at EPT Barcelona and EPT London this fall.

But Shorr’s totals are about to move up yet again. Shorr finished eighth in the kickoff event to the Master Classics of Poker Saturday, adding another €16,273 to his 2013 totals.

Ravi Raghavan (GPI#18), who also final tabled the WSOPE Main Event, is about to be reacquainted with success as he will defend his title at the WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in early December.

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