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Card Player Magazine’s Player of the Year Awards
(May 11, 2006)
As professional tournament poker continues to grow beyond all expectations, its best players are starting to be recognized in much the same way that pro athletes, actors, and musicians have been. They are also being honoured for their talents, and on February 15th, Card Player Magazine hosted the first-annual Player of the Year Awards at the famous Henry Ford Music Box Theatre in Hollywood, California. The event was co-sponsored and produced by Bodog.com, so everyone knew it would be a good party as well a great opportunity to pay tribute to some of poker’s brightest stars.
The red-carpet affair was hosted by funny-man Brad Garrett of Everybody Loves Raymond fame, who wasted little time in delighting the crowd with scalding roasts directed towards just about every player in attendance. Of course it was all in good fun, and the audience seemed to eat it up.
Music was provided by ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clark and former Eagles member Don Felder. Although not exactly an A-list line-up of performers and presenters, clearly the who’s who of competitive poker were in attendance.
2005 Player of the Year, Men Nguyen
Two awards were announced prior to the show. Men Nguyen claimed his fourth player of the year award, while poker legend Doyle Brunson bagged the Lifetime Achievement Award. Phil Ivey was a big winner on the evening too, as he walked away with honours in three different categories, including Best No-Limit Player, Best Heads-Up Player, and Most-Feared Player.
Here’s a complete list of the night’s winners:
Player of the Year – Men Nguyen
Poker Ambassador - Mike Sexton
Best No-Limit Player - Phil Ivey
Best Female Player - Jennifer Harmon
Most-Entertaining Player - Mike Matusow
Lifetime Achievement Award – Doyle Brunson
Best Heads-Up Player - Phil Ivey
Best Cash Game Player - Chip Reese
Best Mixed-Game Player - Chip Reese
Breakthrough Player - Michael Gracz
Most-Feared Player - Phil Ivey
Most-Underrated Player - Allen Cunningham
People’s Choice Award for Favorite Player – Daniel Negreanu
People’s Choice Award for Favorite Celebrity Player – Jennifer Tilley
Bodog chief Calvin Ayre was on hand and afterwards claimed “these kind of nights will soon be commonplace as our industry continues to eclipse milestones”. An open bar meant the cocktails were flowing and the Bodog girls kept everyone happy – at least the men.
All in all, it was a very successful and highly entertaining evening. Congratulations to all of the winners of what hopefully will become the Oscars of poker.
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