2016 WSOP POY: Jason Mercier Leaps Into Lead With Two Wins and a Second
Nearly three weeks’ worth of poker have been played in the 2016 World Series of Poker, which means the top of the 2016 WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard as powered by the Global Poker Index is getting crowded with high achievers and headline-makers.
After a week including two bracelet wins and a runner-up finish sandwiched in between, it’s no surprise to find Jason Mercier currently atop the POY rankings. Here’s a look at the current top 10 as reported by the GPI:
| Position | Player | WSOP POY Points | Cashes | Highlights |
| 1 | Jason Mercier | 1195.98 | 4 | Won $10K 2-7 NL (#16); Won $10K H.O.R.S.E. (#24); 2nd in $10K Razz (#20) |
| 2 | Ryan Laplante | 933.28 | 8 | Won $565 PLO (#12) |
| 3 | Bart Lybaert | 843.85 | 7 | 2nd in $1K NLH Top-Up Turbo (#4); 7th in $1,500 8-Game (#15) |
| 4 | Daniel Weinman | 826.80 | 6 | 7th in $1,500 Razz (#13) |
| 5 | Paul Volpe | 807.00 | 4 | Won $1,500 8-Game Mix (#15); 4th in $1,500 Dealer’s Choice (#5) |
| 6 | John Monnette | 800.49 | 5 | 2nd in $1,500 2-7 NL (#7); 3rd in $10K Dealer’s Choice (#11); 9th in $10K H.O.R.S.E. (#24) |
| 7 | Michael Semenov | 789.75 | 3 | 5th in $10K Dealer’s Choice (#11); 7th in $1,500 Millionaire Maker (#14); 5th in $10K H.O.R.S.E. (#24) |
| 8 | Yueqi Zhu | 765.81 | 6 | 2nd in $1,500 Dealer’s Choice (#5); 3rd in $10K Razz (#20) |
| 9 | Robert Mizrachi | 735.04 | 4 | Won $10K Seven-Card Stud (#3) |
| 10 | Benny Glaser | 728.59 | 3 | Won $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low (#26); 5th in $10K 2-7 NL (#16) |
After collecting an early small cash in Event #15: $1,500 Eight-Game Mix, Mercier went on a tear last week, winning Event #16: $10,000 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship, finishing second in Event #20: $10,000 Seven-Card Razz Championship, then winning a second bracelet this summer (and fifth in his career) in Event #24: $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship.
Meanwhile Ryan Laplante, who topped a huge 2,483-entry field to win Event #12: $565 Pot-Limit Omaha, has already picked up eight cashes before the WSOP’s halfway mark to position himself in second at present. Early POY leader Bart Lybaert is still high on the list in third, with Daniel Weinman, Paul Volpe, and John Monnette all remaining in the POY top 10 as they were a week ago.
The bottom four spots in the current WSOP POY top 10 are newcomers, with Michael Semenov (currently in seventh position) earning special mention after making three final tables, including in two $10K events. Yueqi Zhu (eighth) has had a couple of near-misses as well, taking second and third in events, while bracelet winners Robert Mizrachi (ninth) and Benny Glaser (10th) have also moved up.
Sitting just outside the top 10 this morning is Daniel Negreanu in 11th place. He’s cashed four times so far this summer, including final-tabling the $10K Razz Championship where he took fourth. Yevgeniy Timoshenko (12th), Adam Owen (13th), Mohsin Charania (14th), and Jean-Pascal Savard (15th) are also all close to the top 10 heading into today’s action.
Also worth noting is Ian Johns who like Mercier has won two bracelets this summer, though the points for his win in Event #28: $10,000 Limit Hold’em Championship have yet to be added to his total. That followed a victory by Johns in Event #8: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. earlier in the month.
According to the GPI’s WSOP POY calculator, Johns should be earning enough points from his second 2016 bracelet win (and third in his career) to vault him up over the 900-point mark and into the top three once the rankings are updated again today.
Here’s that WSOP POY calculator, where you can estimate point values for all of the qualifying events:
Click here to follow the constantly-updated 2016 WSOP Player of the Year race on the GPI site.
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