The WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic is a $10,400 buy-in, $5 million GTD tournament that runs from October 19-23. PokerNews spoke with Elias before Day 2 and got his thoughts on potentially scoring that one elusive WPT accolade. He came into Day 2 of the Five Diamond main event with 103,000 chips, but was eliminated and will have to earn points at one of the final pair of stops if he's to challenge for the title. Surprisingly, despite all his WPT-related accolades, a Player of the Year title has eluded Elias. The four-time WPT Champions Club member and all-time leader in cashes and final tables sits eighth in the race with 1,225 points on the back of his runner-up finish at the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown and a cash at WPT Venetian. It didn’t quite work out, but I made some gambles (in the first two days of the Five Diamond main event) and got a big stack so hopefully, I can turn it into another final table.” The One Accolade That’s Eluded EliasĪ WPT Player of the Year discussion isn’t a discussion without the mention of multiple WPT record holder Darren Elias. I went down to L.A (WPT Legends of Poker). “(POY) is kind of what I’ve been going for after my second at Venetian. Vanier has himself off to a great start at Five Diamond with 1,286,000 chips, the second-biggest stack to start Day 3. The man in seventh place in the race, Mike Vanier, will be looking to add to his 1,250 points, earned through a second-place finish at WPT Venetian for 1,050, with the rest coming from cashes at the Legends of Poker and WPT Choctaw. Vanier In Position to Move Up the Standings “I flew 45 hours from Jordan to here for this event, so I hope I can make the Hard Rock (Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open), but if I don’t make the Hard Rock, I will definitely be at the Wynn (WPT Championship) for sure. The recently married POY leader, who resides in Amman, Jordan, will certainly have to make the most effort travel-wise if he ends up needing more points to lock up the title after this week. To be Player of the Year means a lot to me.” It’s a challenge for all the pros, and I’m an amateur, I’m a businessman. Qartomy continued, “It’s a dream for everybody.

I’ve been playing WPTs for so long, I’ve finished at six final tables, and I hope this year will be my turn.”

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