Thursday, December 19, 2024

Scott Seiver Takes Home WSOP Player of the Year Title as Rocco and Ausmus Fall Short

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Cashing 17 times and winning over $1.44 million at the tournament tables in Las Vegas in 2024, Scott Seiver is this year’s WSOP Player of the Year. Hailed as an ‘all-time legend’ by his peers and coming close to winning an unreached promised land of four WSOP titles in a single series, Seiver’s three-win series arguably makes him the best single-series player the World Series of Poker has ever seen.

2024 World Series of Poker Player of the Year Final Standings:
Place Place Country Prize
1st Scott Seiver United States 4,404
2nd Michael Rocco United States 3,804
3rd Jeremy Ausmus United States 3,687
4th John Racener United States 3,557
5th Xixiang Luo China 3,481
6th Chance Kornuth United States 3,380
7th David Prociak United States 3,275
8th Chris Hunichen United States 3,095
9th Yuri Dzivielevski Brazil 3,034
10th Phil Ivey United States 3,004

Seiver Desire and Consistency Marks his Card as Future Hall of Famer

Scott Seiver’s determination to make this summer his own went way back, and he heralded the beginning of the WSOP with a declaration of intent. Bidding to win “multiple bracelets”, Seiver more than delivered on that promise, as he bagged a trio of titles that elevated him from four career victories in WSOP Events to seven over the course of eight magical weeks at the Vegas felt.

Seiver first won Event #10, the $10,000-entry Omaha 8 or Better Championship for $426,744. Seiver then took down Event #40, the $1,500 Razz for a $141,374 top prize and his sixth WSOP title of his career. Finally, Event #72, the $10,000 buy-in No Limit 2-7 Single Draw Lowball Championship also went Seiver’s way for $411,041, becoming the seventh player in poker history to win three WSOP bracelets in a single series.

After taking gold in the No Limit 2-7 Single Draw Lowball Championship, Seiver was beyond delighted.

“It means everything to me,” he said. “I was really devastated when I got second in this two years ago; I’ve always wanted this bracelet so much. This final table was unbelievably difficult. From two tables down, everyone was tremendous and honestly, that makes it even more special. I am good at this game, but I am not like world-class great. Getting to play with Jason Mercier and Billy Baxter was very special.”

Seiver a Hall of Fame Lock for 2025?

“I’ve dedicated a lot of my life to this game and this profession.”~ Scott Seiver, seven-time WSOP champion.

With his record of success at this year’s WSOP, Seiver may be the best in history to win three bracelets in a single series. Seiver has done it in the hardest part of poker history and to many, has made himself impossible to overlook as a Poker Hall of Fame inductee next summer, by which he’ll have turned 40.

That’s crucial, because any incoming member of the Poker Hall of Fame must be a minimum of 40 years old. 2024 nominees Josh Arieh, Mike Matusow and Barny Boatman are sure to be challenges, but none of them have seven WSOP titles, with Arieh closest on six.

“It’s always been something in the back of my mind, and as I’ve gotten older and more people I know have gotten in,” admitted Seiver when asked about the possibility of induction in 2025 by CardPlayer. “I’ve dedicated a lot of my life to this game and this profession, and it would mean a lot to me to show that I’ve left my mark on this field. By coming here this summer, I’m reminding people that I am someone that came through poker.”

Jeremy Ausmus Congratulates Rival  

With a massive 17 cashes in the series, Seiver’s bank balance looks $1.4m bigger than it did at the start of the 2024 WSOP. Seiver’s five final table appearances were only eclipsed by the seven that were reached by Jeremy Ausmus, who equalled the 2021 record of Phil Hellmuth in reaching that total.

“Man! I set this record in 2021,” said Hellmuth on X, formerly known as Twitter. “They said it would never happen again – seven official final tables in one summer at the WSOP – and then here comes Jeremy Ausmus! Nice job Jeremy, congratulations.”

A humble moment from the Poker Brat, and Jeremy Ausmus passed that spirit on by congratulating Seiver, who finished just two places above him.

“Congrats to Scott Seiver for winning WSOP POY,” said Ausmus. “You’re an all-time legend and winning three bracelets over the summer is an amazing accomplishment.  It was a fun battle with several people having a shot down the stretch.”

Ausmus took time to also pay tribute to the refined structure of the Player of the Year race.

“I have to say only counting the top 10 results and one online max is a big improvement to the formula,” he said. “In my opinion, it shouldn’t be about who wants to multi table and play every single event for [six] weeks, so nice change.”

Finishing this year’s WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard with 4,404 points – well clear of second-placed Michael Rocco (3,804) and the aforementioned Jeremy Ausmus (3,687) Seiver is now past $27.2 million in career earnings and his banner will hang in either the Horseshoe or Paris casino in Las Vegas next year.

 

 

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