Chris Ferguson Becomes WSOP Player of the Year and Some Players Don’t Mind

November 8th, 2017 | by Kaycee James

Chris Ferguson has won the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Player of the Year title and split public opinion in the process.

Chris Ferguson has resurrected his poker career by taking down the 2017 WSOP Player of the Year title. (Image: gl-wiki.com)

When Ferguson won the €1,650 ($1,900) Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better event at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) on November 1, it cemented his position at the top of the leaderboard.

In addition to winning his sixth bracelet and €132,411 ($153,941), the former Full Tilt executive’s victory sparked a severe backlash from a number of players.

Some Players Can Let Go

Still angry at him for the role they say he played in the downfall of Full Tilt, players including Daniel Negreanu made their displeasure at his achievement in the Czech Republic well-known. But as his closest rival in the Player of the Year race fell short of the money in the WSOPE Main Event, news of Ferguson’s latest title didn’t reach the level of vitriol some expected.

In response to a tweet announcing his Player of the Year win, Ferguson received a handful of congratulatory messages.

“Congrats on winning WSOP POY! Great job!!! It is truly amazing that u were able 2 finish with the abuse you had to withstand,” wrote Bill Mellecker.

Inside Kings Casino, Rozvadov, a selection of pros interviewed by Pokernews also had fairly positive response to the news. Felipe Ramos congratulated Ferguson, while Anatoly Filatov said that he didn’t know enough about the inner workings of Full Tilt to speak badly about the achievement.

Some Players Can’t Let Go

While there are certainly more positive responses than many would have expected, there are those that clearly haven’t forgiven the American pro. Markus Schottes simply tweeted “F U,” while Joe Ingram took the time to post a Wikipedia excerpt explaining why people are still angry with Ferguson.

Whatever people’s opinions, Ferguson has proved that his five-year hiatus between 2011 and 2016 hasn’t affected his skills. Despite the game evolving markedly during that time, his mathematical approach to the game has ensured he has been able to make the right moves at the right time to pick up another WSOP accolade.