Nominees for 2011 European Poker Awards announced

The Nominees have been announced, and votes have started to be cast for the 2011 European Poker Awards, with the long-running awards ceremony slated to be held at the Aviation Club in Paris on January 25^th, 2012.

The EPA’s allow poker fans to cast votes for the players/events they feel are deserving of an EPA in each category. At the end of the process the Top-5 vote-getters as well as a nomination panel create the final list of nominees. A winner is then chosen from this final list by a panel of industry experts.

Leading the list of nominees in the 10 distinct categories is 2011 World Series of Poker Champion Pius Heinz (nominated in three categories), as well as Jake Cody, Bertrand ElkY Grospellier, and Sam Trickett (with two nominations each).

Here is the complete list of the 10 awards being handed out as well as the nominees in each category:

Player of the year

• Jake Cody (England)
• Bertrand “Elky”Grospellier (France)
• Pius Heinz (Germany)
• Eugene Katchalov (Ukraine)
• Andrey Pateychuk (Russia)
• Sam Trickett (England)

Best Tournament performance

• Jake Cody (England)
• Pius Heinz (Germany)
• Fabrice Soulier (France)
• Benny Spindler (Germany)
• Sam Trickett (England)

Rookie of the year

• Adrien Allain (France)
• Pius Heinz (Germany)
• Sam Holden (England)
• Oleksii Kovalchuk (Ukraine)
• Andrey Pateychuk (Russia)

Europe’s Leading Lady

• Liv Boeree (England)
• Victoria Coren (England)
• Nesrine Kourdourli (France)
• Barbara Martinez (France)
• Natalia Nikitina (Russia)
• Cecilia Pescaglini (Italy)

Poker Staff Person of the year

• Nicolas Fraioli (Tournament Director at the Aviation Club de France, France)
• Warren Lush (International Public Relation Department Bwin Party, England)
• Edgar Stuchly (EPT President, Austria)
• Kirsty Thompson (President of the UKIPT,England)
• Simon Trumper (Dusk Till Dawn Live Poker Director, England)

Internet Player of the year

• Jude Ainsworth (Ireland)
• Viktor Blom (Sweden)
• Rui Cao (France)
• Chris Moorman (England)
• Ilari Sahamies (Finland)

Rob Gardner Memorial Award for the poker personality of the year

• Barny Boatman (England)
• Neil Channing (England)
• Bertrand “Elky”Grospellier (France)
• Tony Guoga (Lithuania)
• Jesse May (Denmark)

Best European Event of the year

• EPT Londres
• International Poker Open Dublin
• Finale du Partouche Poker Tour
• WPT Grand Prix de Paris
• WSOPE Cannes

Lifetime Achievement Award

To be determined by the voting panel.

For more information on the European Poker Awards (now in their 11^th year) you can visit their website at www.europeanpokerawards.com.

Here is a look at my choices for each category:

Player of the year

My Choice — Sam Trickett (England)

Best Tournament performance

My Choice — Pius Heinz (Germany)

Rookie of the year

My Choice — Pius Heinz (Germany)

Europe’s Leading Lady

My Choice — Victoria Coren (England)

Poker Staff Person of the year

My Choice — Simon Trumper (Dusk Till Dawn Live Poker Director, England)

Internet Player of the year

My Choice — Ilari Sahamies (Finland)

Rob Gardner Memorial Award for the poker personality of the year

My Choice — Tony Guoga (Lithuania)

Best European Event of the year

My Choice — WSOPE Cannes

Lifetime Achievement Award

As in past years, this award could go to virtually anyone.