On Friday, the nominees for the 2008 European Poker Awards, which will be handed out on January 15th, were announced with several notable players garnering multiple nods for their achievements in the past year.
At the forefront of the awards is 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) World Champion Peter Eastgate, who seemingly came out of nowhere in the past year to earn two nominations. Eastgate, the Dane who became the youngest winner of the WSOP Main Event ever with his November victory over Russia’s Ivan Demidov at age 22, was joined on the multiple nominee list by other players who have had significant success in the past year not only in America, but on the European continent.
BoylePoker.com sponsored pro Marty Smyth picked up two nominations for the Best Tournament Performance of 2008 and also in the Player of the Year category. Smyth has had a remarkable year, winning the $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Championship at the WSOP – for which he collected $859,549 – the World Open for $250,000, and the Poker Million. “I’m very flattered to be nominated,” said Smyth. “It’s a great honor, but I’m up against some very tough and worthy competition. Winning one of the awards would really be the icing on the cake for what was a very special year for me.”
Jesper Hougaard earned nominations in two categories as well after what many have one of the toughest achievements in poker. Hougaard, from Copenhagen, Denmark, became the first person to win World Series of Poker bracelets on each side of the Atlantic Ocean in one year. He captured one of the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournaments in Las Vegas in June and then turned around and won the £1,500 No Limit event in London during the schedule of the WSOP Europe. The double victory in one year is something that could take quite some time to be matched.
Here is a list of the top awards and who has a chance to make European poker history:
Rookie of the Year:
Stephen Chidwick
Ivan Demidov
Davidi Kitai
Jesper Hougard
Stefan Ruthenberg
Alexander Kostritsyn
Peter Eastgate
Best Tournament Performance:
Neil Channing
Bertrand Grospellier
David Benyamine
Marty Smyth
Jesper Hougard
Sebastian Ruthenberg
Peter Eastgate
Player of the Year:
Bertrand Grospellier
David Benyamine
Andreas Krause
Marty Smyth
Neil Channing
Europe’s Leading Lady:
Sandra Naujoks
Isabelle Mercier
Kara Scott
Annette Obrestad
Svetlana Gromenkova
Casino Staff Person of the Year:
Thomas Kremser
Sylvie Berlanger
Jonathan Raab
Simon Trumper
Madeleine Harper
Rob Gardner Award for Innovation:
Rob Yong
PokerStars Team: Francine Watson/Conrad Brunner/Mad Harper
Gene Gioia
Jonathan Raab
There will also be a Lifetime Achievement Award given, but it has not been announced yet who will be awarded this prestigious honor.
Handicapping the awards will be virtually impossible due to the achievements of the nominees during the 2008 poker season. We will have to wait for January 15th at the Aviation Club in Paris to find out who will take center stage to celebrate poker and their achievements in 2008 at the European Poker Awards.