Roughly five weeks of action are in the books at the 2017 World Series of Poker, and for the fifth straight week, there's a new player at the top of the Kings Casino Rozvadov Player of the Year chase. Leading through the overnight results of July 2nd is Tampa, Florida's John Racener, fresh off three more event cashes in recent days.
Points-wise, the largest of the three recent cashes for Racener was his 17th-place finish in Event #54, $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship. Racener earned 63.9 points in that event, and along with smaller cashes and POY-point awards in Event #60, $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed and Event #61, $3,333 WSOP.com ONLINE No-Limit Hold'em High Roller. The results bumped Racener's current POY total to 691.66.
Racener has also cashed 13 times to date in the 2017 WSOP, which has him tied with the player who's in second position in the POY chase at the moment, Chris Ferguson. Ferguson cashed twice over the past several days, including paydays in the Crazy Eights and in Event #58: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. Ferguson's series-to-date POY points total sits at 643.94, nearly 50 points behind Racener.
Ray Henson is in third this week, slipping back one position from last week's update. Henson recorded his fourth final table of the summer, a seventh-place showing in Event #51, the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship, plus another cash. Henson's POY total currently shows 614.87.
Ryan Hughes also slid one spot this week, from third to fourth, despite picking up his 11th and 12th cashes of the summer in the Crazy Eights and in Event #59, $2,500 Big Bet Mix. Hughes' current total of 592.87 has him still within 100 ponts of Racener's lead.
Holding steady in the rankings in fifth is John Monnette. Monnette added a nice points-earning cash in Event #54, the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship to his previous total, he's less than nine points behind fourth-place Hughes' mark to date.
Spots six through ten are tightly packed within a 20-point range. Barry Greenstein holds that sixth spot at 559.63. Greenstein has hovered just outside the top ten in previous weeks but jumped up in this update with three cashes, including a final-table run in Event #57, $2,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better.
The Kings Casino Rozvadov Player of the Year race offers over $20,000 worth of prizes. The player who leads the POY chase after July's WSOP Main Event will receive a free buy-in into the €10,000 Main Event at 2017 WSOP Europe, to be held at King's Casino this fall. The overall 2017 POY winner, which won't be determined until WSOP Europe's 11 bracelet events are complete, then wins a $10,000 seat into the 2018 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas.
All “open” WSOP events are included as part of the POY chase. Not part of the POY competition are this summer's Ladies, Casino Employees, Seniors, Super Seniors and Global Casino Championship events.
All POY point totals remain unofficial and are subject to change. Listed totals may not reflect the entirety of POY points.
Current Player of the Year Top 10:
1. John Racener 691.66
2. Chris Ferguson 643.94
3. Raymond Henson 614.87
4. Ryan Hughes 592.87
5. John Monnette 583.92
6. Barry Greenstein 559.63