Ankit Ahuja Defends GPI POY India Title & Ranks #5 in Mid-Majors Category; Bin Weng, Kristen Foxen & Nick Pupillo Among Other Winners

The Global Poker Index (GPI) announced its 2023 Player of the Year awardees on January 3, celebrating a year marked by record achievements in poker. Indian poker players, despite a lukewarm year for live poker tournaments back home, made significant strides on the international stage. With his extraordinary gameplay, Ankit Ahuja stood out in the GPI India rankings.

At age 34, Ahuja not only successfully retained his GPI Player of the Year India title with an impressive 3,406.43 points, surpassing Santhosh Suvarna‘s 3,247.23 points, but also made a mark by ranking fifth in the Mid-Majors Category. His achievements in the year included 43 cash finishes, accumulating about $1,266,472 in live tournament earnings. His journey was highlighted by 12 final table appearances and a notable win at the EPT Cyprus Eureka Main Event in October, cementing his reputation in the European poker circuit.

Ahuja’s stellar performance in 2023 also earned him the prestigious fifth rank in the Mid-Majors Category, marking him as a formidable player on the global stage.

The GPI India leaderboard showcased the depth of Indian poker talent, featuring notables like WSOP bracelet winners Abhinav Iyer (2,193.92 points) and Kartik Ved (2,158.81 points), as well as Natural8 India Ambassador Kunal Patni (2,117.58 points).

Our only female Young Gun, Kanchan Sharma, topped the GPI POY India (Female) rankings with 589.70 points. WSOP bracelet winner Nikita Luther, who became a global sensation with her grand showing at GGPoker’s Poker After Dark: Game of Gold, placed a close second in the GPI POY India (Female) rankings with 581.19 points.

Internationally, the GPI Players of the Year titles were clinched by Bin Weng and Kristen Foxen, both of whom displayed remarkable consistency and skill throughout the year. In a tightly contested race, Nick Pupillo emerged as the Mid-Major Points Champion for 2023, narrowly surpassing Preston McEwen.

Ankit Ahuja Maintains Dominance in GPI Player of the Year India For Second Consecutive Year

Ankit Ahuja had another blockbuster year at the live poker felts, bagging the Global Poker Index (GPI) Player of the Year India title for the second year running. Amassing 3,406.43 points, Ahuja held his ground and managed a surprise victory over Santhosh Suvarna, 2023’s top Indian earner, who finished a distant second with 3,247.23 points. Adding to his accolades, Ahuja secured a commendable fifth-place finish in the Mid-Majors Category.

Ahuja’s year in live poker tournaments was nothing short of extraordinary, as he amassed a staggering $1,266,472 from 43 cash finishes in some of the biggest live tournaments across Europe, Australia and the USA.

Ahuja’s most notable achievements of 2023 include:

• 1st in $1.1K Eureka Main Event at the EPT Cyprus for $362,365
• 5th in Event #1: €1.1K ESPT Main Event at the EPT Barcelona for €177,810
• 6th in Event #19: $2.5K NLHE – Freezeout at the 2023 World Series of Poker for $76,357
• 3rd in $2.2K NLHE – Warm Up at the Merit Poker Gangster Series for $75,500
• 2nd in A$5K NLHE – 8-Max Action Clock at the WPT Australia for A$77,618
• 2nd in £2.2K NLHE – High Roller at the UKIPT Nottingham – Grand Final for £36,700
• 8th in WPT Rolling Thunder Main Event for $43,800
• 6th in $3K NLHE at the Wynn Millions Poker Series for $27,004

The top ranks of the GPI Player of the Year India standings were further graced by luminaries like WSOP bracelet winners Abhinav Iyer (2,193.92 points) and Kartik Ved (2,158.81 points) and Natural8 India Ambassador Kunal Patni (2,117.58 points).

2023 GPI POY India Results

1. Ankit Ahuja – 3,406.43
2. Santhosh Suvarna – 3,247.23
3. Abhinav Iyer – 2,193.92
4. Kartik Ved – 2,158.81
5. Kunal Patni – 2,117.58

Bin Weng’s Stellar Year Leads to Maiden GPI Player of the Year Title

At the close of 2022, Bin Weng may not have been a household name among poker enthusiasts, but he swiftly altered that perception in the first week of 2023 itself. Weng’s meteoric rise was ignited by his triumph at the $5,300 The Return: A Borgata Championship Event, where he secured his inaugural $1 Million prize, marking the beginning of his trailblazing journey to become the GPI Player of the Year.

Weng’s 2023 campaign was a string of spectacular victories:

• January: Clinched $1 million at the $5,300 The Return.
• February: Conquered the $1,700 WSOP Circuit Main Event in Las Vegas for $227,344.
• April: Took home $1,128,250 at the $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.
• July: Emerged victorious in the $10,000 WPT EveryOne for One Drop, pocketing $2,227,054.
• October: Won $147,078 in the $1,100 Mystery Bounty at the Wynn Fall Classic.
• December: Ended the year with a bang, earning $958,279 at the $25,300 WPT World Championship High Roller.

As recorded by the Hendon Mob, Weng’s earnings skyrocketed to $6.60 Million in 2023 alone, a staggering leap from just over $1 Million in lifetime tournament cashes at the start of the year. If his exceptional form persists into 2024, he is on track to surpass the $9 Million mark in lifetime earnings in the upcoming spring.

Weng’s impressive tally of 55 cashes in 2023 earned him 5,008.99 points, placing him a significant 621.27 points ahead of his closest competitor, Jose Ignacio Barbero. Barbero, a formidable player in his own right, continues to amass his substantial tournament earnings, now totalling a staggering $17.20 Million.

2023 GPI POY Results

1. Bin Weng – 5,008.99
2. Nacho Barbero – 4,387.72
3. Ren Lin – 4,260.94
4. Isaac Haxton – 4,168.62
5. Danny Tang – 4,107.14

Kristen Foxen Claims Fourth GPI Female Player of the Year Title

Kristen Foxen has once again etched her name in the annals of poker history, securing her fourth GPI Female Player of the Year title with a remarkable 2,970.93 points. This latest accolade adds to her impressive collection, having first claimed the title in 2017 and achieving back-to-back victories in 2019 and 2020, during which she was known by her maiden name, Kristen Bicknell.

Her remarkable year included 36 cash finishes, reaching 13 final tables, and notably capturing her third World Series of Poker bracelet in the $888 Crazy Eights online event. Foxen`s most lucrative achievement of the year came from a second-place finish in a $10,000 event at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in August for $216,079. Foxen’s career earnings have soared beyond $6.80 Million, ranking her 14th on Canada`s all-time money list.

Trailing Foxen in the 2023 standings was the 2021 GPI Female Player of the Year, Nadya Magnus, who finished 403.96 points behind. Notably, Cherish Andrews, crowned the 2022 GPI Female Player of the Year, concluded the year in fifth place, 890.42 points adrift of Foxen’s benchmark.

2023 Women’s GPI POY Results

1. Kristen Foxen – 2,970.93
2. Nadya Magnus – 2,566.97
3. Kitty Kuo – 2,402.78
4. Victoria Livschitz – 2,242.02
5. Maria Ho – 2,095.09

Nick Pupillo Comes Out on Top in Nail-Biting Finish in the GPI Mid-Majors Category

In a nail-biting showdown for the Global Poker Index’s (GPI) Player of the Year in the mid-majors division, Nick Pupillo emerged victorious, narrowly clinching the title by a mere 67.03 points ahead of Preston McEwen.

The mid-major category, tailored explicitly for tournaments with entry fees capped at $2,500, has been Pupillo’s playground since 2014, where he has consistently racked up victories and cash finishes. His performance in 2023 was particularly remarkable, with 53 cashes, the bulk of which were in events within the mid-major classification.

Highlighting his successful year, Pupillo secured his third World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit ring in an online event in November, a $1,000 buy-in tournament that netted him $36,974. However, the crowning achievement of his 2023 campaign was winning his first WSOP bracelet in the summer. He triumphed in the $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball event, walking away with $181,978.

This latest accomplishment adds to Pupillo’s impressive résumé, as it’s not his first time being recognized as a Player of the Year, having previously won the esteemed title from the Heartland Poker Tour in 2019.

2023 GPI Mid-Major POY Results

1. Nick Pupillo – 2,819.77
2. Preston McEwen – 2,777.98
3. William Kopp – 2,693.59
4. Ankit Ahuja – 2,652.64
5. Blake Bohn – 2,540.31

Content Courtesy: Global Poker Index