Yunkyu Song Wins Season 22 World Poker Tour Player Of The Year

Yunkyu Music claimed the honour of Season 22 World Poker Tour Participant of the 12 months due to a robust run in 2024 that noticed him money 5 occasions on tour whereas making three closing tables. He additionally gained the WPT Prime Playground championship close to Montreal, Canada. That rating in late October was good for $164,251 and his first recorded event win on the dwell circuit. The 25-year-old is a local of South Korea who grew up in Washington state, and his profession earnings are actually near $1.5 million after his spectacular run over the previous 12 months.

Music’s largest qualifying rating was for his runner-up end on the WPT bestbet Scramble $5,000 buy-in foremost occasion in November. He earned a career-high payday of $252,059 after navigating by way of a area of 361 entries to make the ultimate two. Music’s third final-table look was a fourth-place end on the WPT Rolling Thunder foremost occasion in March, which was good for $105,000.

Along with that trilogy of six-figure scores, Music additionally completed fiftieth on the WPT Prime Voyage championship and took 145th place within the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker foremost occasion to place his closing POY factors tally at 2,275.

That gave Music a slight edge over POY runner-up Dylan Smith, who put up 2,150 factors whereas cashing 4 occasions with two final-table appearances, each scored at Seminole Arduous Rock in Florida throughout April and November. Smith gained the title on the Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker foremost occasion the place Music additionally cashed.

“It’s superb to see the ledger of Yunkyu’s accomplishments all year long, incomes factors in so many alternative occasions throughout North America,” mentioned WPT CEO Adam Pliska. “We congratulate the younger competitor and sit up for seeing him subsequent season.”

Music was awarded $15,000 in WPT Passports for securing the Season 22 WPT POY title. Smith nabbed $10,000 because the runner-up, whereas $5,000 went to three-time WPT champion Eric Afriat, who completed third with 1,750 factors. These passports can be utilized to purchase in to WPT occasions in the course of the upcoming season.

Season 23 kicks off in February after the tour will take the whole month of January off. The WPT Cambodia pageant is first up. It’s highlighted by the $1,100 WPT Prime Cambodia occasion (Feb. 14-18) and the $3,500 WPT Cambodia foremost occasion (Feb. 19-24).

Music was not the one participant to lock up a tour-specific POY award on the finish of 2024. The Mid-States Poker Tour topped Umut Ozturk for a second straight 12 months. The MSPT Corridor of Fame member recorded 19 in-the-money finishes, breaking his personal earlier report of 17 cashes in a season.

The Minnesota resident got here up clutch down the stretch, making two closing tables in December to assist clinch the back-to-back POY honors. He completed with 6,825 factors. 2022 POY winner Joshua Reichard ended up ranked second within the closing standings this 12 months, with 12 cashes totaling 5,425 factors.

Photograph Credit score: World Poker Tour