Jeremy Ausmus used another strong World Series of Poker (WSOP) performance to pull away from the competition in the PokerGO Tour Player of the Year race.
The six-time bracelet winner added another notch on his poker resume, one that just might help him soon reach the Poker Hall of Fame. Daniel Negreanu was his closest competitor in the PGT Player of the Year race. But it wasn’t all that close.
Ausmus Has a Big Year of Poker
Ausmus racked up 2,966 PGT points throughout 2024. Negreanu was a distant second place at 2,054 points. Seth Davies (1,855), Jesse Lonis (1,843), and Michael Rocco (1,835) round out the top five. David Coleman, who was recently announced as the 2024 GPI Player of the Year, finished in 10th place (1,637).
PGT Player of the Year Leaderboard
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremy Ausmus | 2,966 |
| 2 | Daniel Negreanu | 2,054 |
| 3 | Seth Davies | 1,855 |
| 4 | Jesse Lonis | 1,843 |
| 5 | Michael Rocco | 1,835 |
| 6 | Jonathan Tamayo | 1,776 |
| 7 | Jim Collopy | 1,757 |
| 8 | Nick Schulman | 1,710 |
| 9 | Aram Zobian | 1,707 |
| 10 | David Coleman | 1,637 |
Negreanu won a bracelet last summer, ending an 11-year drought. He ran hot prior to the start of the WSOP in PokerGO Tour events, finishing in the top three of five high rollers before the 2024 WSOP began, which included two wins.
But Ausmus outperformed everyone. The high-stakes poker legend tied Phil Hellmuth’s 2021 record with seven final table appearances in a single WSOP. He didn’t win a bracelet and that cost him the WSOP Player of the Year award to Scott Seiver, but he crushed it throughout the year, not just during the summer.
Ausmus cashed for a career-best $6.7 million in all live tournaments last year, according to The Hendon Mob, 90% of which came in PGT events. He didn’t win a tournament in 2024 until October when he took down a $15k PGT PLO event. But he reached 17 final tables that counted in the PokerGO Tour Player of the Year standings.
The PokerGO Tour season officially ends on Saturday with the PGT Championship $1 million freeroll invitational. First place will pay $500,000, and no surprise that Ausmus was among the biggest stacks on Day 1 at the time of publishing.
Ausmus can begin his quest to defend his Player of the Year title on Jan. 20 in Las Vegas at the PokerGO Studio when the PGT Kickoff Series begins.
The newest PGT champion will have an interesting case this summer when the Poker Hall of Fame voting takes place. Seiver and Nick Schulman both become eligible at age 40 this year, and many believe one of those two will be inducted. But if the 45-year-old Ausmus dominates the first half of 2025, the first-ballot hopefuls might have to wait another year.
*Feature image courtesy of PokerGO.
