Every year in the sport of poker, players ask each other and sometimes even argue who is this years best player? When this discussion comes up you most likely will hear the names of Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth because of their unbelievable talents at the table even if they do not win a single tournament in the year, but that is not the situation this year. Hands down the best player of 2008 is without a doubt John “Razor” Phan.
John Phan has put up some impressive numbers and wins this year when it all started out in the middle of March at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star event when John received over $135,000 for his 6th place finish in the event. John didn’t really get his year started though until the 2008 World Series of Poker when he entered event #29 the $3,000 No-Limit Hold em’ event which he won for a prize of over $434,000 and his first World Series of Poker bracelet. It was then less then a week later when John had entered event #40 the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball-Limit which he took down his second World Series of Poker bracelet and a prize of over $150,000.
It was then less then a month later when John started to enter the World Poker Tour events and once again started heating up when he entered the WPT $15,000 No-Limit Hold em’ Championship event during the Bellagio Cup IV and worked his way to a 5th place finish and taking home over $190,000. Then come the middle of August when John entered the WPT $10,000 No-Limit Hold em’ championship event during the 2008 Legends of Poker event at the Bicycle Casino when John outlasted all other opponents and took down the biggest win of his career with over $1.1 million in winnings.
With all of these impressive performances that John Phan has put together, it has earned him so far the number one spot in the player of the year rankings. There still are a lot of tournaments to go but if John can keep up his dominating performances then I see no problems that will prevent John Phan from taking down the 2008 player of the year title.