CardPlayer.com has opened the polls for the Reader's Choice portion of the 2006 Player of the Year Awards. You can vote at their website in the following three categories:
Most entertaining player of 2006
Favorite tournament poker player from 2006
Favorite poker television show from 2006
To vote you must add your comments to the appropriate thread in their forums, and explain why you think that player/show should be the winner. After skimming through it appears that Daniel Negreanu has the majority of the votes as Most Entertaining Player so far, though some people definitely have their own opinions: (copied verbatim from the forum)
How can it NOT be ERIC MOLINA????
He chucked the ALL IN chip at that jerk Gold, He called a guy with a good chip stack BLIND. He ended that guys chances of winning the event without even looking at HIS CARDS. He got a penalty. He bluffed all his money in a horrible spot.
That kid is awesome. If he works out some we might see him punch a guy. He might steal an old guys chips when that guy isnt looking. He could throw the all in chip at a dealer after a bad beat.
Matusow is just annoying, he always says how good he is yet he is really low on money, he sucks at the WPT, where better players like grinder and DN do very well.
Hellmuths act is pathetic, he says hes gonna stop being the poker brat, and lose the shades, but he is ON CONTRACT TO ALWAYS WEAR THE SHADES when he is on tv. Thats lame. He isnt so entertaining hosting celebrity poker.
Could you imagine molina hosting that? That guy should be picked up by full tilt.
Plus he gives validity to the theory that all Nova students are ******.
Vote Eric Molina
Alrighty. Moving on.
Though I haven't counted, it appears that Negreanu also has the lead in Favorite Tournament Player of 2006. Hellmuth, Ivey, Cunningham, and Hachem have also received a lot of votes, and JC Tran and Matusow have been mentioned repeatedly.
As far as Favorite Poker Television Show - really is there any question? High Stakes Poker has garnered almost every single vote so far.
Last year's winners at the POY Gala were as follows:
Breakthrough Player
Michael Gracz
Best Cash Game Player
Chip Reese
Poker Ambassador
Mike Sexton
Best No-Limit Player
Phil Ivey
Best Heads-up Player
Phil Ivey
Best Mixed Game Player
Chip Reese
Most Underrated Player
Allen Cunningham
Most Feared Player
Phil Ivey
Best Female Player
Jennifer Harman
Most Entertaining Player
Mike "The Mouth" Matusow
People's Choice Award-Best Celebrity Poker Player
Jennifer Tilly
People's Choice Award-Favorite Overall Player
Daniel Negreanu
Lifetime Achievement Award
Doyle Brunson
Card Player of The Year
Men Nguyen
