Mercier Drops To Ninth On Bluff Poker POY; Mizzi Wins

Sorel Mizzi wins the Bluff Magazine Player of the Year award.

Jason Mercier was the reigning Bluff Player of the Year in 2010, but the year did not turn out to be as good as his 2009 campaign. Mercier finished in ninth place in the POY standings, with Sorel Mizzi claiming the top spot.

Mizzi began his year in grand form by taking third in the Aussie Millions Main Event. The poker player won $659,000 for that finish. Mizzi also won two preliminary events during the PokerStars European Poker Tour in March.

Tom Marchese finished second to Mizzi in the POY standings, losing out by just over 500 points. Marchese was, however, the Card Player POY. Mizzi’s 1,777 points was the most ever accumulated by a player in the Bluff standings.

The Bluff POY award has been a springboard for some of the top players in the game. Back in 2008, John Phan won the award. Chad Brown won the award in 2006, and Phil Ivey, who many consider to be the best player in the game today, won in 2005.

Michael Mizrachi, who had the best run of any player at the 2010 World Series of Poker, finished 13th in the POY standings. Mizrachi cashed in several events at the WSOP, including the main event. Jonathan Duhamel, fresh off his main event win, finished nineteenth.

Mizzi took the lead in the POY standings back in March, and he never again trailed. Throughout the year, Mizzi continued to rack up final table appearances and tournament wins.