31 Jan 12

The European Poker Awards: So Much More To Celebrate

Back from his trip to the European Poker Awards, Barry Carter reflects on how he would like to see them evolve in the future.

In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined I would one day accepting the Player of the Year Award at the European Poker Awards; but there I was last week doing just that.

No, it really happened; it wasn't a dream. Unfortunately for me, I was merely picking up the award on behalf of Sam Trickett, who was bashing up the cash games at the Aussie Millions at the time. 

I was actually quite embarrassed as I accepted the award, partially because it was laughable that any player of the year award would make it into my hands under any circumstance, but mainly because I hardly know Sam, my (drunk) speech on his behalf went something like this:

"I'm British, he is British, that's why I am accepting the award for him. I met him once, he seemed like a really nice guy, and I have no doubt he is the best player in the world right now".

Though I have met him only once, it was, for me, a significant meeting. I made the same final table as him in a £300 UK tournament in 2007. Nobody knew who he was back then, but we all remembered him afterwards. I came 9th that day, he won it, and he truly battered everyone at the table on his way to doing it.

I tipped him for great things back then, and four years later here I was accepting an award on his behalf and calling him (Genuinely) the best player in the world right now, not just Europe.

And he did also seem like a nice guy at the time, that part was genuine too.

Barry Carter accepts the Player of the Year award on behalf of Sam Trickett (He looks as surprised as anyone to be standing there)

More than just European

This was my third year as a judge at the awards, and every year it gets better. The venue is bigger every time, and the nominees get more and more impressive. Sam Trickett, Pius Heinz, ElkY, and Ilari Sahamies all won awards on the night, and all of them are beating up world poker, not just European poker.

On a personal note, it was great to see two people I have worked alongside from time to time taking down awards. Warren Lush from bwin.party is, until now of course, one of the unsung heroes of the industry, and has always been a great help to those of us who write about poker, so it was great to see him win the staff award.

Jesse May is a personal hero of mine, so I was honoured to be in the room to see him take the lifetime achievement award, because he has done so much to make poker more exciting for anyone who watches the game on TV.

Everyone has different views on poker awards, some people think they are a big deal, some think they are a waste of time. In a game where money is a way of keeping score, I don't think the biggest winners will lose much sleep if they miss out on a European Poker Award.

More than just the best players

For me, the real beauty of the awards (Other than a great party) is recognising the non-playing achievements. The staff award, personality award, event of the year, and lifetime achievement are about much more than playing. They are a thank you to the people that help make this industry what it is today. Acknowledgments that otherwise might not make it into the public sphere.  

I think we need more staff/industry focussed awards next year, and there are two I would like to suggest:

One of them is probably quite selfishly motivated, and that is I would love to see a media based award. This could be for a presenter, commentator, broadcaster, editor, social media guru, blogger, or journalist.

Now obviously, it is in my interest to create an award I have a (very slim) shot of getting a nomination for, but I had this in mind more for the Jesse Mays, Kara Scotts, poker channels, poker magazines, poker news websites, tournament bloggers, and Kevmaths of this world. The people that have played a big part in telling the masses the story of poker. I also think it would inevitably bring more coverage to the awards, which nobody can really argue against.

The winners on the night (Barry hiding behind Jesse May)

More than just high stakes

The other award suggestion, one which I feel much more strongly about, would be an award for the advancement of the game among recreational players. An award for people and institutions that are making the game of poker more exciting and accessible for regular players, not just the high stakes pros.

The EPAs are understandably focused on the biggest players and the biggest events, but creating a fantastic poker experience for low to mid-stakes poker players is what this industry is built on, and currently what the awards are missing. Places like Dusk Till Dawn and Montesino, events like the International Poker Open, the Sky Poker TV channel, tours like D4 Events, APAT, and the PokerStars regional tours, and dare I say it, websites like PokerStrategy.com.

The guys who are providing world class experiences for affordable buy-ins, the guys who are nurturing small stakes players into big names, the guys who are making poker exciting enough for new players from the ground up that they stick with the game long enough to make poker an industry.

I happen to love the European Poker Awards, my suggestions for awards are not criticisms of what is there, simply a recommendation on how to evolve them even further. When the EPAs started 11 years ago, poker was an unknown tiny industry in Europe, dwarfed by its American cousin.

Today poker is a vast and complex industry, European poker dominates the rest of the world, and low to mid-stakes poker is the heart of the industry - let's recognise that.

by Barry Carter