Jason Tr. earns FNCPT Player of the Year honor for Season 2

Ingram - Last year, the Player of the Year title was awarded to Mike T. before the season ended. This year, the race came down to the last week of the season. Despite a solid efforts through 10 weeks of the season, three people could still claim the title of "Player of the Year" with a victory in Event #11: Jason Tr., Nick G. and Jim S. Because of his points lead, Jason needed only to finish 4th or better to win it outright. For either Nick or Jim to win it, they would have to win Event #11 and Jason would have to finish back in the standings.

Jim's dream ended early as he was the first player eliminated (by the royal flush of Anita G). It was still a solid season for Jim who managed to remain competitive despite missing 4 events. Jim finished the season 4th in overall points largely based on two wins (Event #2 and Event #5) and a second place finish (Event #8), adding $1,150 to his bankroll in the process.

For Nick to win POTY honors, he needed Jason to finish no better than 5th place. A ray of hope came when Jason was eliminated in 10th place with Nick still alive in the field. Things got even more tense for Jason as Nick continued to build his stack. And just when it looked like Nick might pull off the impossible, he was dealt a cooler, leaving him short-stacked. He pushed on the next hand and was eliminated in 4th place, earning enough points to finish second overall in the standings, still six-and-a-half points behind Jason. Nick ended the season with one victory (the scandalous Event #6), four cashes, and an extra $645 in his pocket.

For Jason, despite a less-than-satisfying finish to the season, he played well throughout. In fact, with a win in event #11, Jason could have actually topped Mike T's point total from the prior year, thought to be an unreachable goal just 12 months ago.

Jason started out the season strong with a win right out of the gate in Event #1. He also cashed in Event #3 (3rd place) before winning his second tournament of the season at Event #8. Jason was actually on the brink of a third victory in Event #9 -- the only thing that stood in his way was clouded judgment and impaired decision-making induced by being over-served Guinness Draught. Despite the one that got away, Jason added $1,070 to his career earnings with 4 cashes, and also pulled in a cool $200 from the props bets.

For his season's worth of labor, Jason will have his name engraved on the Player of the Year trophy. More importantly, he'll be the chip leader at the Championship table, the field for which will be finalized after the upcoming Qualifier.

Congratulations on an outstanding season, Jason, and good luck in the Championship!



~ Eric W.