The fourth annual Global Poker Awards, presented by the Global Poker Index, took place at the PokerGO Studio Friday night with 27 trophies handed out, including Hustler Casino Live predictably winning Favorite Live Stream.
Angela Jordison (lead picture) was also one of the big winners on the night even though she narrowly lost out on GPI Female Player of the Year to Cherish Andrews.
Jordison, a long-time cash game player in Oregon, took down the Breakout Player of the Year award, deserved recognition for a year in which she cashed for nearly $600,000 in live tournaments, including a career best $151,544 score for third place in a $1,000 no-limit hold’em tournament at the 2022 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
If you thought her 2022 run was a fluke, she’s already proven that inaccurate as Jordison has racked up $137,000 in cashes thus far in 2023, according to Hendon Mob.
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Hustler Casino Live on Center Stage
There was no shock and awe when Hustler Casino Live was announced as the winner for Favorite Live Stream. The Los Angeles-based show, which launched from Hustler Casino in 2021, has completely taken over the live-streamed poker industry the past couple of years.
On Friday night, co-owners Nick Vertucci and Ryan Feldman received recognition for their hard work and success.
Not only did the show’s co-owners get props from the poker community at the Global Poker Awards, a few players on Hustler Casino Live earned rewards, including Robbi Jade Lew, who took down the Best Hand award for the infamous J4 hand she won against Garrett Adelstein on Sept. 29.
Vlogger Ethan “Rampage” Yau, who has appeared on Hustler Casino Live multiple times, was one of two poker players to win multiple awards Friday night, joining Stephen Song, the winner of GPI Player of the Year and GPI Mid-Major Player of the Year. Yau earned the Fans Choice Award for Poker Personality and Best Vlogger.
Caitlin Comeskey, who has appeared on HCL’s “Max Pain Monday” show, also was a big winner at the fourth annual Global Poker Awards with her Rising Star in Content Creation trophy, beating out PokerNews‘ Jesse Fullen.
Although Fullen and Connor Richards, who was up for the Media Content: Written award, didn’t add some hardware to the PokerNews trophy case, Hayley Hochstetler, our talented WSOP photographer, did. Hochstetler, received the award for Media Content: Best Photo for her Matt Glantz shot after Glantz won the $1 million mystery bounty at the 2022 WSOP.
Listen to Caitlin Comeskey on the PokerNews Podcast here!
Strong WSOP, WPT, Wynn Presence
Jack Effel, the WSOP’s vice president, took home the Industry Person award, while Dan “Jungleman” Cates was honored for his back-to-back WSOP Poker Players Championship titles with the Best Final Table Performance trophy. And the WSOP Main Event bracelet, the most coveted piece of jewelry in the game, claimed the Fans Choice Award for Best Trophy.
The Wynn Las Vegas and World Poker Tour (WPT), who partnered to host the historic WPT World Championship in December, were also center stage at the PokerGO Studio Friday evening.
Wynn’s Ray Pulford, who has played an integral role in promoting numerous massive guaranteed tournaments, won Tournament Director of the Year and the WPT World Championship claimed the trophy for Best Event. Pulford and Wynn Executive Director of Poker Operations Ryan Beauregard, worked with the WPT to put together one of the biggest tournaments in poker history, a $10,400 buy-in event that had $29 million in the pot.
Full List of Global Poker Awards Winners
- Breakout Player – Angela Jordison
- Final Table Performance – Dan ‘Jungleman’ Cates (WSOP Poker Player’s Championship)
- Comeback Player – Phil Ivey
- Poker ICON – Gabe Kaplan
- Twitter Personality – Will Jaffe
- Best Streamer – Kevin Martin
- Best Vlogger – Ethan ‘Rampage’ Yau
- Rising Star in Content Creation – Caitlin Comeskey
- Industry Person – Jack Effel
- Tournament Director – Ray Pulford
- Best Event – WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas
- Mid-Major Tour/Circuit – RunGOOD Poker Series
- Best Broadcaster – James Hartigan
- Best Podcast – Only Friends Podcast
- Media Content: Written – Jennifer Shahade (Wall Street Journal)
- Media Content: Video – Greg ‘Goes All In’ Liow
- Media Content: Best Photo – Hayley Hochstetler
- Players Choice for Toughest Opponent – Stephen Chidwick
- Fans Choice: Best Hand – Robbi Jade Lew
- Fans Choice: Fave Live Stream – Hustler Casino Live
- Fans Choice: Poker Personality – Ethan ‘Rampage’ Yau
- Fans Choice: Best Trophy – WSOP Main Event Bracelet
- Charitable Initiative – Star Gold Coast
- GPI Female PoY – Cherish Andrews
- GPI Mid Major PoY – Stephen Song
- GPI PoY – Stephen Song
- PokerGO Tour POY – Stephen Chidwick
*Images courtesy of GPI.