GPI WSOP Player of the Year: Gorodinsky Brings His Lead To Berlin
Before the 2015 World Series of Poker kicked off in May, San Diego, California's Mike Gorodinsky had no plans to travel to Berlin, Germany this Fall.
Now, after winning the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, booking two other final table appearances and seven total cashes for upwards of $1.7 million this summer, that's exactly where he finds himself.
Gorodinsky's massive summer earned him 2157.19 points in the 2015 GPI WSOP Player of the Year race and since that's currently good for top spot on the list, he came over to Berlin for the 2015 World Series of Poker Europe to try to lock it up.
"I'm hunting the POY, that's right," he told PokerNews. "And now that I'm here I'd like to win it."
While fame and fortune don't exactly come attached to the title, Gorodinsky has some personal reasons he'd like to etch his name in the annals of poker history by winning it.
"There's a certain appeal to it," he explained. "It'll make my parents happy. If my name gets out there, it'll make them happy that they can brag to their friends about it. That's worth something for me at least."
With two WSOP bracelets now on his wrist, Gorodinsky also sees the value in bracelet hunting on this side of the Atlantic.
"For those people that are going for bracelets this is great," he said. "The fields are way smaller and it's a nice venue in a beautiful city. I'm enjoying it."
Gorodinsky built a stack in Event #1, but fizzled out before he could add to his POY points total. Sunday, he found himself climbing the leader board again as Day 1 of Event #3: €3,250 Eight-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha kicked off.
"I didn't necessarily think I was going to make another bracelet run, but if it happens great," he said.
Two-time 2015 WSOP bracelet winner Brian Hastings currently sits second behind Gorodinsky in the POY race and also made the trip to Berlin to try to catch him. It is a friendly rivalry, however, as the two had lunch together prior to the start of Event #3, taking each other on in a little Pineapple Open-Face Chinese Poker.
"He's really going for it," Gorodinsky said of Hastings' POY run. "So it's going to be tough."
As humble as they come for a poker player, Gorodinsky may attribute a lot of this summer's success to variance, but one thing is sure: He's in a winning frame of mind and has brought that positive vibe with him to WSOP Europe.
"It was just my turn maybe," he said of his fantastic results at the 2015 WSOP. "There has to be someone that runs really good for a summer and this summer it happened to be me.
"Really though, life's good. I'm in a good mindset, so I'm playing well. It's nice when the cards are going your way and you're playing well. It's a good combo."
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews.com from now until Oct. 24 as we continue to provide coverage from the 2015 WSOP Europe.
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