The Global Poker Awards are back, and Jeff Platt is returning as MC. This time, the celebration and ceremony moves to the WSOP Paradise series at the Baha Mar Resort this December.
Many of poker's biggest names will be gathered in The Bahamas for the final major bracelet events of the year, including the chase for the prestigious WSOP Player of the Year title. You can find out more about that here.
The awards will look a little different this time around, with a greater emphasis on the players. While some poker content creators may feel a tad abandoned, two fun awards are still up for grabs. Check the article below for more details.
Taking shots
One thing that won't change is Platt's willingness to take his usual potshots at just about anyone in his vicinity during his opening monologue. Attendees in the front rows should be prepared and forewarned: you just might be the easiest targets for Platt's flaming barbs.
“We’ve come up with some great ideas so I can just torch people,” says Platt. “And I promise you that if nothing else this year, I will be absolutely ruthless. I cannot wait for it.”
PokerOrg caught up with Platt earlier this week to find out what fans can expect from the return of the GPI Awards and what else is new for this year’s WSOP Paradise series.
The Global Poker Awards are back
Why are the Global Poker Awards returning after skipping a year? And why is WSOP Paradise the right place to host them?
I think it makes sense for all parties involved for World Series of Poker to look at the Paradise series as a big end-of-year celebration of everything that happened this past season.
And a partnership with GPI to bring back the Global Poker Awards just made a lot of sense, especially since we can host it at our amazing new venue.
So, I think everything lined up. WSOP sees it this way. GPI sees it this way. We’re glad it all came together.
PokerOrg's Brad Willis is a former winner of Best Poker Journalist, a category which will not be returning.Why eliminate so many of the previous award categories and focus more on the players?
GPI did remove a lot of the awards featured in prior years. I think this year, WSOP and GPI really wanted to make it about the players.
Poker players are always all over the place. This is the one time of year when all the biggest names are in one place. Summer is different. In The Bahamas, they can't escape; they’ve got nowhere else to go.
We think we found the perfect time to host everybody and make this GPI event a more player-centric awards show, which is great for the players and for the poker fans as well.
We wanted to keep some content awards in there, so that's why you see Best Live Streamer and Best Vlogger awards being presented this year.
Nobody is safe from Jeff Platt
What do you enjoy most about hosting the awards?
This is the event I get most nervous for every year, because it's so different.
I would love to think the show is in my wheelhouse, but it's just a completely different setup, a completely different rundown than everything that I'm used to.
The 4-5 minute monologue at the beginning of the show is probably my favorite part of it.
Willl you go full ‘Don Rickles’ on the players?
My favorite part of poker is always making fun of my poker friends. This event is the perfect setup for that.
I work on the jokes with Justin Hammer and Ben Ludlow. Those two guys are my lifelines because they are so funny.
Who's at the top of your list to roast this year?
I think this year, with so many big names in attendance, it opens the door for me to go after the Negreanus and Hellmuths and Foxens of the poker world. I’ll put them under a different spotlight than they're used to.
And we've always tried to tweak the monologue to who's there. The jokes land better when the person is actually in attendance.
The players will receive the brunt of my wrath. And you know, I'll take some shots at WSOP as well [laughs].
What about Martin Kabrhel and Nicky Palma? They've been in the spotlight a lot this year.
I'll come after Nicky and Martin. Those guys will definitely be targets.
And this year we'll have more guest presenters who will also be big names in poker. We'll have GGPoker Ambassadors and WSOP talent who will present these awards. I think that's a fun concept we're working on this year, too.
Will fans be able to watch the awards show live on stream?
I can't promise anything as of yet. It will probably be its own one-hour show. It won’t be streamed live. We will record everything and then use the best parts of the show for the final cut.
The always boisterous Nicky Palma has been on a roll as of late. Will the 'run good' continue in The Bahamas while facing Platt's wrath?WSOP Paradise updates
What can you share about the 'Paradise Parlay' and the rewards available to players coming up for the Bahamas series?
I think it'll be fantastic. I found out yesterday that about 2,000 players are eligible for the Paradise Parlay.
If they made the final table at any bracelet event during the year and play Day One of the Super Main Event, we'll give them $500. If they won a bracelet and just play the Super Main, you will receive $1,000.
And then there are more rewards the further you go in different Paradise events. We've guaranteed at least a million dollars in that. For more info on the parlays, players can visit WSOP.com.
What else can poker fans look forward to from the WSOP Paradise broadcasts?
We've nailed down our live streaming schedule and we'll be jumping around to a bunch of different events.
For our live streams, we once again have the best of the best behind the mic in Ali Nejad and Nick Schulman. That’s our A-team for our premiere bracelet series, and we're pretty pumped about it.
We will also be following and highlighting the WSOP POY race. And we've also announced that the WSOP Countdown Show is back for the Paradise series.
Norman Chad will return to share his signature rants and colorful commentary on the WSOP Countdown Show at Paradise. You hired Norman Chad again? When will you learn, Jeff?
Yes. We somehow convinced Norman to join us once again, despite some of his comments about firing him and hiring a woman from your recent interview with him.
I think fans will also see our good friend Maria Ho on some episodes, which will be great. Overall, we're really, really excited about the whole Paradise end-of-year celebration. We look forward to seeing everyone there.
For more info on the upcoming Paradise series follow Jeff on X, the WSOP on YouTube and X, and the GPI on X. And if you must, follow Norman Chad on X
