Global Poker Awards 2022: Poker's brightest stars celebrate in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS — Following a 23-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the third annual Global Poker Awards returned to the PokerGO Studio inside the Aria Resort and Casino to celebrate the poker industry's biggest names and brightest stars, and highlight the best moments of 2021. 

“It’s been 23 months of misery, and here we are,” Eric Danis, President of the Global Poker Index & The Hendon Mob Poker, said to kick off the event. “I’m proud to say that we have representation from 13 countries this year, making this truly the global poker awards.” 

Jumping right into the global theme of the evening, the first three awards of the night were handed out to individuals from three different countries as Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ali Imsirovic took home the award for Male Player of the Year and was the player’s choice for the toughest opponent, Azerbaijan’s David Mzareulov took home Mid-Major Player of the Year, and Russia-born Nadya Magnus took home the Female Player of the Year. 

Global Poker Awards 2022 winners list

“My son Roman always said you can play. You just can’t get lucky. Well, kiddo, look at me now. I got all the luck in the world,” Magnus said as she accepted her award. “My mom taught me how to play cards at the age of six — not poker but cards — and she kept it a secret from my dad (because) he would never approve gambling. Of course, now he approves of my game…This one (is) for you.” 

MORE: Global Poker Awards 2022: Five biggest snubs

After the players got the spotlight to open the night, attention turned to those behind the scenes who make tournament poker possible with their tireless work ethic. Aria’s Paul Campbell walked away with the award for Tournament Director of the Year for the second time in three years, Matt Savage took home the award for Industry Person of the Year, and the World Series of Poker - Main Event was named the best event of the year. 

“This is not just an individual award. I have the greatest tournament staff in the world,” Campbell said. “I love this job. I love this industry. I love the players, and I’m just so proud of the recognition and so proud of what we’ve accomplished at Aria.” 

In a night where stars were not only honored for their accomplishments on the felt but off of it, Veronica Brill was awarded the 2022 Charitable Initiative Award for organizing the poker world in helping Kenneth "K.L." Cleeton, who was born with a severe form of spinal muscular atrophy, get an adapted van augmented with a ramp and lowered floor to make the 1,700-mile trip from his home in Effingham, Illinois to Las Vegas for the 2021 WSOP. 

“I met K.L. when I interviewed him for my YouTube channel, I found out he was this brilliant young guy, entrepreneur, and he was stuck at home for two years because the van that he used was broken,” Brill said during her acceptance speech. “In poker, we have a lot of conflicts, but when we need it most, we come together and do what’s right. We help each other. This is not an award for me, this is an award for the poker community, and I am just accepting this on their behalf.” 

Moving back to the felt, Adam Friedman took home the award for Final Table Performance after capturing the WSOP Dealer’s Choice Six-Handed bracelet for the third time in a row and denying Phil Hellmuth his record 17th WSOP bracelet. 

Continuing the theme of back-to-back winners, Jamie Kerstetter took home the award for Twitter Personality of the Year for the second year in a row, and while fellow nominee Kevin Mathers failed in his bid to unseat Kerstetter for Twitter Personality, he did walk away with the Hendon Mob Award for distinguished service to poker. 

Not to be forgotten, the journalists that cover the poker scene also walked away with awards as Christian Zetzsche took home best live tournament reporter, Enrique Malfavon was awarded Best Photo (pictured below), Lance Bradley walked away with Best Media Content - Written, Poker in the Ears (James Hartigan & Joseph Stapleton for PokerStars) for the Best Podcast, Remko Rinkema for Best Media Content - Video, and Jeff Platt took home the title of the Best Broadcaster. 

The moment the 2021 @WSOP Main Event bubble burst.

Nice shot, @EnriqueMPhoto. pic.twitter.com/uPptuxngQE

— Donnie Peters 🍕 (@Donnie_Peters) November 12, 2021

With over 50,000 unique votes, fans were able to get in on the action as they voted Doug Polk with the Best Hand of the Year, the Best Trophy to the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup, and Poker Personality of the Year to Japan’s Masato Yokosawa.  

While the poker world may have lost Mike Sexton in 2020, his longtime broadcast partner Vince Van Patton was on hand to accept the Poker Icon Trophy on his behalf. 

“(Mike) was such an interesting person, funny, smart, charismatic, enduring wonderful person that just shared poker, he was supposed to be in poker,” Van Patten said. “He came to Vegas and said poker was going to be huge, 20 years ago on tape, no one really believed it, and it happened. He would love things like tonight because he loved poker and all of you so much.” 

Rounding out the final awards for the evening, Benjamin Spragg unseated two-time defending champion Lex Veldhuis for Streamer of the Year, Johan Guilbert took home the GPI Breakout Player of the Year award — which might have been the most hotly contested category of the night — and Maria Konnikova was awarded the GPI Award of Merit for her book "The Biggest Bluff."