Last year it was Ben Lamb; two years ago it was Jeffrey Lisandro; before that it was Daniel Negreanu, Allen Cunningham, and even Tom Franklin. So the question for the 2012 WSOP is who will be the big star of the 2012 World Series of Poker?

In this article I’ll take a look at the 10 players who I feel have the best chance to win the World Series of Poker player of the Year award in 2012. Now, there are plenty of variables to winning this award, and one of the most important is a proficiency in multiple poker formats, as well as the commitment to play a full WSOP schedule –which is a tough grind in and of itself.

Bertrand “ElkY” Grosspellier

ElkY plays every game (even if he doesn’t know the game!) and is always ready to play. The Triple Crown winner has all of the intangibles to win the POY award.

Shaun Deeb

Just a month ago Shaun Deeb wouldn’t have been on my radar for the POY award, but after his dominating performance at the 2012 SCOOP series (where he won four titles including three in Stud events and a HORSE tournament) the online legend has proven he has the well-rounded game to win multiple bracelets.

Steve O’Dwyer

O’Dwyer is a bit of a Holdem specialist, but he has also proven a propensity to make final tables over the past year.

Will Failla

Failla is a seasoned pro who has been tearing up the tournament scene over the past year. With the skills to play PLO and Stud tournaments, “The Thrill” is definitely a POY contender.

Jason Mercier

Mercier is a well-rounded player, and a tournament finisher.

Mike McDonald

McDonald will compete in PLO and Holdem events, but his skills in Draw and Stud games are still in question. Still, “Timex” could easily walk away with multiple bracelets at the 2012 WSOP.

Scott Seiver

A high-stakes cash-game player, Seiver has to be adept in ALL poker formats, giving him an excellent chance to be at the top of the POY leader-board.

Chris Moorman

Moorman was a POY contender in 2011, and as arguably the best tournament player in poker there is no reason to assume he won’t be back in the hunt in 2012.

Daniel Alaei

Alaei is another player proficient in virtually every format, perhaps more than any other name on this list.

Joe Serock

Serock is on absolute fire in 2012, and if he brings even ½ of his run-good to the WSOP he could be the 2012 WSOP POY.

Tags: Allen Cunningham, Cash Game, Chris Moorman, Daniel Negreanu, Dominating Performance, ElkY, Game Player, Intangibles, Jeffrey Lisandro, Leader Board, Mercier, Mike McDonald, Plo, Poker Player, Shaun Deeb, Steve O, Tom Franklin, Triple Crown Winner, World Series of Poker, WSOP Schedule

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 24th, 2012 at 10:04 am and is filed under Poker News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.