I stand next to an ironing board fit for a Lilliputian. A dozen yellow roses darken around the edges as death comes in for the kill. A bottle of tea tree oil prepares to skin its knees in its fight against the Mozzie bites. A Post-It Note reminds me to get walnuts. Roasted and salted almonds wink at me. And I think about what I am going to do with the three dead batteries in an assortment of variable yoga poses in a small white cup.
Sam Soverel?
Sam Soverel ponders the best route to the summit of the Poker Central High Roller of the Year Leaderboard. He’s been there before, but the altitude sickness wasn’t as severe.
This time it’s more arduous.
Soverel needs another route, and he’s out front, plotting every step of the way.
The Story After London.
The reigning Poker Central High Roller of the Year arrived in London to see the queen in pole position to retain his title. He crushed the British Poker Open (BPO), making money in five events, winning two, and earning close to £800,000 in gross profit.
The net result of Soverel’s sumptuous performance is an extended lead in the High Roller of the Year rankings, but Cary Katz put on a robust performance of his own, ensuring Soverel’s angelic wings didn’t reach its full span. Katz made money in three BPO events and won the SHRB London.
The one area that Katz has the edge over Soverel (other than his short-stack ninja superpowers) is mobility. The Poker Central founder made the trip to Rozvadov for the partypoker MILLIONS Europe event and racked up points for making the final table of the €25,500 and €100,000 events. Soverel didn’t make his way to Leon land.
Katz sits in second place.
Ali Imsirovic is in third place after making the final table of a £26,000 event at the BPO, and finishing runner-up to Katz in the SHRB London. Chidwick moves into the fourth place after cashing in four BPO events, winning one. David Peters failed to catch up some much-needed yardage after only cashing once in the BPO, and once at the MILLIONS Europe event.
Crystal Ball Time
There’s a long way to go, and you get the impression, Soverel’s chances of retaining his velvet slippers, depends on his attitude towards flying. If he turns into a pterodactyl, he will win this thing. If he goes all B.A.Baracus on us, he will lose it.
44-events are remaining, and the key to the schedule are the events that don’t take place in Las Vegas. Soverel won the award last year, because of his consistency in small field events wholly contained within his hometown. The only trip outside of Vegas that Soverel made money was the MILLIONS World in the Bahamas.
So far this year, that’s changed with Soverel popping up in Los Angeles, Florida, and most notably, London.
There are a lot of points up for grabs during the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) in Rozvadov. The Poker Masters follows, and then a trip to the Bahamas for MILLIONS World. It will be interesting to see who goes to Rozvadov, and the effect it will have on the rankings. If Soverel stays at home and Katz makes the trip, we could have a new leader going into the Poker Masters.
2018 High Roller of the Year Leaderboard Final Standings
- Sam Soverel – 1,765 pts ($2,615,907)
- Isaac Haxton – 1,530 ($5,285,144)
- David Peters – 1,430 ($4,914,208)
- Jake Schindler – 1,325 ($3,251,546)
- Cary Katz – 1,300 ($1,471,800)
2019 High Roller of the Year Leaderboard
- Sam Soverel – 1,940 pts ($3,455,968)
- Cary Katz – 1,790 ($4,451,212)
- Ali Imsirovic – 1,445 ($2,611,242)
- Stephen Chidwick 1,430 ($2,908,724)
- David Peters – 965 ($2,102,219)
I clench my fist around the batteries and head to the supermarket.
In my mind, I see Soverel strolling on his treadmill, thinking, “Rozvadov? Really?”