World Poker Tour’s Season XXI wrapped up with the conclusion of the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas and Bin Weng held off the field with ease to claim WPT Player of the Year after a stellar season on the circuit.
The victory was fueled by televised WPT back-to-back final tables in the spring, both of which played out at the Luxor in late May. Weng won the first one and fell short in the second one. The win earned Weng in invitation to the WPT Champion’s Club and a spot on the Mike Sexton Cup.
The champ was followed by Dan Sepiol, who tied with Calvin Anderson for the second spot on the leaderboard. Sepiol won the WPT World Championship at the end of the season and Anderson took down the WPT Prime Championship during the same series at the Wynn. Istvan Briski and Scott Eskenazi rounded out the top five on the strength of their wins this season.
World Poker Tour Season XXI Player of the Year Final Standings
| Rank | Player | POY Points | Cashes | Final Tables* | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bin Weng | 2,175 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Dan Sepiol | 1,600 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Calvin Anderson | 1,600 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Istvan Briski | 1,425 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 5 | Scott Eskenazi | 1,300 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Georgios Sotiropoulos | 1,250 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | Aaron Pinson | 1,250 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Jared Jaffee | 1,225 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | David Kozma | 1,200 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Sri Sangannagari | 1,150 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
*includes only WPT Main Event final tables
Weng’s win at the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown was his first on the tour, and it made up a large chunk of his 2,175 points in 2023. Despite a fourth-place finish in the WPT Choctaw final table, he picked up enough points to put him at the top of the leaderboard for the rest of the season.
“His Skill is Only Matched by His Humility.”
“I have seen a fair share of outstanding player performances throughout my years with the World Poker Tour,” said WPT CEO Adam Pliska in a press release.
“However,” Pliska continued, “Bin may have put on the best string of achievements that I have seen in a long time. And his skill is only matched by his humility.”
Click here to read more about Weng’s win at WPT SHRPO.
The humble Pennsylvanian moved just above $8.5 million in career earnings at the end of the year, according to the Hendon Mob, $3.8 million of which have come on the WPT. He joins a list of previous POY winners that includes Anthony Zinno, Daniel Negreanu, Chad Eveslage, and three-time WPT champion Brian Altman.
Those achievements also include a run to 22nd at the WPT bestbet Scramble in Jacksonville and a few points at the end with a cash in the WPT Prime Championship. Outside of the leaderboard, Weng won the $10,500 WPT EveryOne for One Drop over the summer for $2,227,054 and the $25,700 High Roller at the end of the WPT World Championship for $958,279.
Bin Weng’s Deep WPT Runs in 2023
| Month | Event | Entries | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | $3,500 WPT SHRPS Main Event | 2,290 | 1 | $1,128,250 |
| May | $3,800 WPT Choctaw Main Event | 612 | 4 | $143,000 |
| July | $10,500 WPT EveryOne for One Drop | 1,676 | 1 | $2,227,054* |
| November | $5,000 WPT bestbet Scramble Main Event | 365 | 22 | $12,900 |
| December | $25,300 WPT High Roller | 194 | 1 | $958,279* |
*did not count towards WPT POY standings
“Winning a WPT title was one of my dreams in Poker. Accomplishing that goal was an incredible feeling,” Weng told the WPT. “Adding the WPT Player of the Year title is a bonus I couldn’t have ever imagined.
The WPT will return for its 22nd season in January with WPT Cambodia, the first-ever Main Tour stop in Southeast Asia. The WPT Prime Tour will also get out of the gates with WPT Prime Aix-en-Provence from January 26-February 5.
*Images courtesy of World Poker Tour.
Live Reporting Executive
Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL