Ever since 2019, the Global Poker Index has hosted the Global Poker Awards. Poker is far more than a game of cards; driven people and prominent entities keep finding new ways to contribute to the poker community.
There are 38 categories in total for the 2024 awards, and the nominees and winners for most of the categories are decided by a vote of the people. Considering that the vote for the first categories started on January 15, it’s time to look at the current standings of the categories in question.
Comeskey on a Hot Streak
At this stage, the nominee voting is completed for all the categories. For some categories, winners have already been announced, while some winners have already been announced in various categories.
We at PokerPro are, of course, extremely proud to have an article on our site nominated for the “best media content: written”-category. Jonathan Raab’s investigation on the BotFarm corporation received the attention it deserved when it was released in September, and it’s no surprise, seeing as it’s a very important and relevant subject. We’re rooting for you, Raab!
When looking at the nominees in all the categories, it becomes evident that Caitlin Comeskey is recognized for all of her hard work in the poker community. The content creator/player is nominated in 4 different categories: “best X personality,” “best short-form content creator,” “best media content: short-form video,” and “peoples’ choice for the most entertaining player.” Comeskey won the title “rising star in content creation” during the 2022 awards, and since then, she’s been a serious contender for a GPI award every year. In fact, she’s defending her “best short-form content creator” title from 2023.
However, the competition isn’t easy for Comeskey. Marle Spragg is also nominated in three of the same categories, and one could argue they both deserve to win at least one title each for their hard work, which, without a doubt, has helped the international poker community grow.
Joseph Stapleton may be best known for his work as a poker commentator, but “Joe” is nominated not only in the “on-air talent” category. He’s a contender in the “best podcast” category for “Poker in the Ears” which he produces together with James Hartigan. He’s also nominated for “best poker book”; he wrote “Trapped” together with Neil Gibson, a poker comic that’s been very well received by the critics.
Others who are nominated for multiple categories are well-known poker characters such as Daniel Negreanu, Barny Boatman, and Dara O’Kearney.
Announced Winners and Exciting Categories
Most of the categories in the GPI Awards will see a winner get crowned by the vote of the people. However, some players won specific categories just by being the best in their field in 2024. By topping various 2024 GPI rankings, David Coleman, Han Feng, Cherish Andrews, and Jesse Lonis have already won one category each. Jeremy Ausmus joins the league of winners so far, seeing as he was named “PokerGO Tour PGT Player of the Year”.
Global Poker Awards – winners announced so far:
 David Coleman | USA | GPI Poker Player of the Year |
| Han Feng | USA | GPI Mid-Major Player of the Year |
| Cherish Andrews | USA | GPI Female Player of the Year |
| Jesse Lonis | USA | Most Weeks at GPI #1 in 2024 |
| Jeremy Ausmus | USA | PokerGO Tour PGT Player of the Year |
There are still many winners to be crowned for some of the most exciting categories. One very tangible is, of course, the “best event” category. God knows there are a lot of great live poker events running all year around all over the world; every event should be honored for being nominated in this category.
Global Poker Awards – nominees for best event:
| ClubWPT Gold $5M Invitational | Wynn Las Vegas |
| EPT Barcelona Main Event | Casino Barcelona |
| Irish Open Main Event | Royal Dublin Society |
| World Series of Poker Main Event | Horseshoe Las Vegas |
Also, one must not forget that poker, being the giant of an industry it is, requires the right person to steer the ship. There are many people working day and night for poker players to be able to enjoy playing the game under the perfect prerequisites, and these must not be forgotten. That’s why it’s thrilling to see a category such as “best director of poker operations”, which honors some of the people who enable great poker experiences from all over the world.
Global Poker Awards – nominees for best director of poker operations:
| Ryan Beauregard | USA |
 Federico Brunato | Italy |
 Kerryjane Craigie | England |
| Ben Erwin | USA |
Once again, there are 38 categories in total, and GPI is doing a tremendous job ensuring that people involved in poker in different ways get the recognition they deserve. People can still head over to the Global Poker Index webpage and cast their vote in any of the categories for the fans’ choice awards. One thing’s for sure; it won’t be easy to elect winners from such a list of worthy nominees.
