The PokerStrategy.com Top Ten Players of 2012: Part 2

Barry Carter is back with the second part of his countdown of our favourite players of 2012, both from the PokerStrategy.com community and the world stage.

Click here for part 1 of the countdown.

5. Jens Kyllonen

Space man

The swings in the nosebleed PLO games online are so huge that consistency really is a sign of an amazing player, and that is exactly what JensKyllonen is.

He had an amazing 2011 online, winning over $2.5 million, and is all set to repeat that success this year, currently up around $2.5 million over a large sample yet again.

What is really amazing about this success is that he also does a very good job of staying under the radar, a sign of a true cash game professional.

He even turned heads this year when it was revealed he was spending $200k on a flight into space. Demonstrating he is not only a top player but he also knows how to spend his money.

4. Phil Hellmuth

The Poker Brat is back

He answered his critics in 2011 with three runner-up places in WSOP mixed events, but in 2012 Phil Hellmuth really answered his critics. 

It started in June when he got a long time monkey off his back by winning a non-Hold'em bracelet, capturing his 12th in a Seven Card Razz event.

Two big final tables followed in HORSE and a seven-figure score in One Drop, but he silenced all his remaining critics a few months later in Cannes, winning the WSOPE Main Event for €1,022,376 and his 13th bracelet.

Hellmuth is up almost $5 million in 2012 and narrowly missed out on the WSOP Player of the Year title (Again).

With the new found success has also come a new found attitude, are we finally seeing the real Phil Hellmuth?

3. Marvin Rettenmaier

Back-to-back Marvin

2012 was the year of "Mad" Marvin Rettenmaier, who not only proved he was one of the biggest characters on the circuit, but also one of the best.

Marvin 'xcrash154' Rettenmaier won the toughest WPT event of the year, the Championship event at the Bellagio for $1,196,858.

But the real story came when he did the impossible, winning the very next WPT event too, taking down WPT Cyrprus for $287,784.

He even rounded off the year nicely by winning €365,300 after taking down an EPT Super High Roller event.

2. Greg Merson

Long live the king

Six months ago nobody had heard of Greg Merson, but at the end of 2012 he is already being heralded as one of the game's greats.

He didn't just win the main event, he put on one of the most impressive displays seen at a main event final table.

Perhaps most interestingly, he also won over $1 million taking down the $10,000 six max championship, an event many consider to be the toughest No Limit tournament of the year.

The fact he won the toughest two No Limit events of the year landed him the WSOP Player of the Year title and also made him an overnight legend of the game.

It is safe to say we haven't seen the last of Greg Merson.

1. Antonio Esfandiari

That's what $18 million looks like

The man they call the 'Magician' has always had a high profile, being one of the big 'TV Pros' emerging out of the poker boom.

Despite his popularity, Antonio Esfandiari was never quite a member of most people's 'top ten world elite' lists, but in 2012 that changed.

Taking down the biggest prize in poker history, $18,346,673, in the $1 million buy-in One Drop event, certainly helped to get people's attention.

However, One Drop was essentially just a 48 runner tournament, and somewhat distorts the all time money rankings.

What actually made Antonio one of the players of the year was his continued success. He captured his first WSOPE bracelet in September for €126,207 and earlier this month made the final table of the WPT Five Diamond World Classic for the third year in a row.

So with over a $19 million winning year, it was pretty hard to keep the Magician off this list.

By Barry Carter

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