One of the most controversial figures of the poker industry Chris Ferguson won the WSOP 2017 Player of the Year title.
WSOP announced it on Twitter after John Racener – the last player with a chance to overtake Ferguson – busted out of the WSOPE Main Event.
Ferguson was already in the lead with his 17 ITM’s and 2 top 4 finishes in the WSOP during the summer. He extended his lead by reaching the money six times as well as taking down Event #7: €1,650 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better. The WSOPE Main Event was the last POY-eligible event of the year.
Before it started John Racener was the closest to Ferguson with a 136 points deficit, followed closly by Ryan Hughes with a 184 deficit. With Racener busting, Ferguson officially claimed the title. By clinching the POY Chris received a buy-in to the $10,000 WSOP Main Event and a banner with his face amongs the former POY’s in the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. His performence earned him a place amongst elite players such as Daniel Negreanu(2004), Ben Lamb(2011) or Jason Mercier(2016).
Because of his role in "Black Friday" in 2011 Chris’ success received mixed responses in the pokerworld. While some players – such as Phil Hellmuth – congratulated him, others were not so welcoming. Daniel Negreanu was one of the loudest critics, he shared his opinion under Hellmuth’s Twitter post.
Whether Ferguson deserves a second chance after Black Friday is a divisive question in the poker world.
Let us know what you think!
