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WSOP changes its POY Formula… Again

The only thing constant in life is change.

And it seems like the World Series of Poker (WSOP) has taken this saying to heart having recently announced yet another change to its Player of the Year ranking formula. This will make it the fourth time the formula has changed in the last 8 years.

It was back in 2015 that the POY ranking calculation, which was then handled by premier poker magazine Bluff, was transferred to the Global Poker Index which won the sponsorship rights to the POY. Not that Bluff did a bad job or anything… Ben Lamb, Greg Merson, Daniel Negreanu and George Danzer were POY winners from 2011 to 2014 when Bluff used their secret formula to calculate the WSOP POY. And these were all deserving winners for those years and you wouldn’t find too many people arguing about that. When GPI took over in 2015, Mike Gorodinsky was declared winner that year which again was quite acceptable given his run that year. However, for whatever reasons they deemed fit, the GPI decided to change around the formula in 2016 which eventually led to Jason Mercier winning the POY. No problem really if you see the table below; 2 bracelets, 11 final tables and almost a million in cashes brooks no argument.

Now keep looking at that table and as you can see one infamous name take down the honours for 2017 – Chris ‘Jesus’ Fergusson. It is widely believed that this latest change in the POY formula has precipitated as a result of Fergusson’s winning last year’s POY. One of the players from the circuit who is notorious for his role in 2014’s Black Friday scandal where the company he was part of i.e. Full Tilt Poker, which cheated players of more than $400 million, still burns in the hearts and minds of poker players around the world. While Fergusson and fellow conspirator and player Howard Lederer stayed out of the limelight all these years, they have started in the past year or so, playing in events across the US and Europe. While Lederer’s return to the felt was not very remarkable, Fergusson has actually done well for himself in the year gone by including winning a WSOP bracelet.

All of this has not gone down well with the poker community especially with players like Negreanu who have been vocal about the likes of Fergusson and Lederer having to apologise and explain their role in what went down and to keep them away from competing in poker tournaments. So, given that Fergusson won Player of the Year has led to a whole lot of chagrin for followers of the game. “In response to player feedback, WSOP has adjusted the formula to better reward bracelet winners and players who run deep, while still rewarding consistency,” is the official line from the WSOP and it is certainly no easy task. One can only hope that the current formula is a fair one and remain in place for years to come.

You can check out the new POY calculator and next year’s leaderboard HERE. 

All of this has not gone down well with the poker community especially with players like Negreanu who have been vocal about the likes of Fergusson and Lederer having to apologise and explain their role in what went down and to keep them away from competing in poker tournaments. So, given that Fergusson won Player of the Year has led to a whole lot of chagrin for followers of the game. “In response to player feedback, WSOP has adjusted the formula to better reward bracelet winners and players who run deep, while still rewarding consistency,” is the official line from the WSOP and it is certainly no easy task. One can only hope that the current formula is a fair one and remain in place for years to come.

You can check out the new POY calculator and next year’s leaderboard HERE. 

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