Global Poker Awards Honors Bin Weng, Kristen Foxen, Doyle Brunson, and More
5 minutes
Last Updated: February 25, 2024
It was a big night for the poker industry, as the 5th Annual Global Poker Awards Ceremony was held at Aria’s PokerGO Studio with a live stream on the popular platform.
During the ceremony, a total of 29 trophies were handed out, with leading poker players, organizations, personnel, entertainers, and media receiving recognition for the work they put in throughout 2023.
It was Bin Weng, who was previously named WPT Player of the Year, who walked away with the most prestigious trophy of the event, the GPI Player of the Year, paying tribute to the incredible year he has had at the felt.
Others, like Kristen Foxen, Nick Pupillo, Daniel Sepiol, and Stephen Chidwick, also had their game recognized during the ceremony, as they received awards directly related to their table performances.
Several industry-related awards were also handed out, including those for best poker series and events and those for the top industry personalities of the year.
Content creators were honored as well, as GPI awards for best vlogger, X personality, and short-form content creator were all given away on the night.
The folks at PokerGO didn’t forget about the media’s contributions either, as three media awards were also handed out, ensuring key individuals from all parts of the industry were awarded for their hard work.
The late Doyle Brunson received the Poker Icon award, honoring his lifetime of dedication to the game of poker and his career as a whole. PokerGO’s Mori Eskandani accepted the award during the emotional final moments of the night.
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Bin Weng and Kristen Foxen Receive POY Awards
While the Global Poker Awards is a fairly comprehensive ceremony with nearly 30 unique award categories, some trophies carry more weight than others.
The GPI Player of the Year category is by far the most prestigious one, and this year, the trophy was deservedly won by Bin Weng, a player who absolutely crushed it on the live poker circuit.
Weng’s incredible performances throughout 2023 earned him the WPT Player of the Year title as well, and the points accumulated across this and other tours ensured that he would walk away as the winner of the GPU POY as well.
Weng won millions of dollars at the felt in 2023 without even dabbling in the super high roller scene or events like Triton Poker.
His 2023 was a textbook example of pure domination, as his name seemed to be associated with every major final table throughout the year.
Joining Weng with a POY trophy of her own was Kristen Foxen, who was awarded the GPI Female POY trophy.
Kristen’s incredible performances in 2023 included winning her fourth WSOP bracelet and coming second at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, to name but a few.
She continued building on her 2023 momentum with several notable results at the PokerGO Tour in early 2024, demonstrating her success last year was well-deserved.
Foxen’s continued success was honored with her fourth Female POY award as she continues to build her legacy as one of the best female poker players to ever play the game.
The final POY award went to Nick Pupillo, who was awarded for the best Mid-Major performance in 2023, paying tribute to his incredible success in mid-stakes events.
Pupillo’s success included winning a WSOP bracelet in the $2,500 Mixed Limit Triple Draw event in June, the $3,000 Mixed Games Championship at the WPT World Championship in December, and dozens of other notable results.
Poker Tours, Events, and Industry Personalities Awarded Trophies
Apart from a number of notable poker players who were honored at last night’s ceremony, several prominent industry personalities received their awards as well.
Most notably, WPT President Adam Pliska walked away with the Best Industry Person award for his work with the WPT and the continued growth the Tour has exhibited in 2023.
The success of WPT was further honored with the Best Mid-Major Tour award, which went to WPT Prime, a Tour that has exploded over the last few years.
The Best Tournament Director award went to EPT Tournament Director Toby Stone, while Ali Nejad received a trophy for Best Broadcaster.
Apart from WPT Prime, events like the WSOP Main Event and Wynn Millions were also decorated, while GGPoker’s Game of Gold received the GPI Award of Merit.
Content Creators Get in the Spotlight
The importance of content creators and influencers in the poker industry cannot be understated and the Global Poker Award certainly did not forget about them.
Content creators received awards in multiple categories, with Bert Stevens getting his trophy for Best Streamer, Caitlin Comeskey for Best Short Form Content Creator, and Marle Spragg for Best X/Twitter Personality.
Also worth noting were the media awards, as reporters were awarded in three separate categories for photo, video, and written content.
The Best Media Content – Photo award went to Rachel Kay Winter for her “Schulman Cool” photo, which was one of the most iconic in 2023.
The Best Media Content – Video award was given to PokerGO: Doyle Brunson Celebration of Life, paying tribute to both PokerGO’s amazing content and the Godfather of Poker himself.
Finally, it was David Hill of WPT.com who received the Best Media Content – Written award for his “The Tales of Billy Baxter: The Final Days of Stu Ungar” piece.
Full List of Global Poker Awards Winner
As previously mentioned, the Global Poker Awards ceremony awarded a total of 29 trophies last night. Here is a full list of those who received their awards and the different categories they were awarded for:
- Player of the Year: Bin Weng
- Female Player of the Year: Kristen Foxen
- Mid-Major Player of the YEar: Nick Pupillo
- GPI Breakout Player: Jans Arends
- Best Industry Person: Adam Pliska
- Best Tournament Director: Toby Stone
- Best Stand-Alone Poker Festival: Wynn Millions
- Best Event: WSOP Main Event
- Best Mid-Major Poker Tour: WPT Prime
- Best Broadcaster: Ali Nejad
- Charitable/Community Contribution: Nadya Magnus
- Best Final Table Performance: Daniel Sepiol at WPT Championship
- GPI Award of Merit: GG Poker Game of Gold
- Poker Icon: Doyle Brunson
- Hendon Mob Award: Casey Kastle
- Best X/Twitter Personality: Marle Spragg
- Best Vlogger: Jaman Burton
- Player’s Choice – Toughest Opponent: Stephen Chidwick
- Best Podcast: The Chip Race
- PokerGO Player of the Year: Isaac Haxton
- Best Short-Form Content Creator: Caitlin Comeskey
- Best Streamer: Bert “Girafganger” Stevens
- Fan’s Choice – Personality: Greg ‘Greg Goes All In’ Liow
- Fan’s Choice – Best Live Stream: PokerStars Live
- Fan’s Choice – Best Trophy: Asian Poker Tour Taipei Lion Trophy
- Fan’s Choice – Best Hand: Triton London
- Best Media Content – Photo: Rachel Kay Winter “Schulman Cool”
- Best Media Content – Video: PokerGO: Doyle Brunson Celebration of Life
- Best Media Content – Written: The Tales of Billy Baxter: The Final Days of Stu Ungar (David Hill for WPT.com)
