Mike “Timex” McDonald has been announced as the European Poker Tour Player of the Year for Season 12, very narrowly beating out Steve O’Dwyer for the title by less than one point. The two professional poker players have both been on the live tournament scene for several years and have racked up a number of trophies and achievements between them.

The two players entered into the 2016 PokerStars and Monte-Carlo Casino European Poker Tour (EPT) Grand Final neck and neck in the race for player of the year title. Steve O’Dwyer initially took the lead with an impressive ninth-place finish in the €50,000 Super High Roller, but he slipped slightly in the rankings after finishing in the €25,750 High Roller down in 31st place. Mike McDonald boosted his total with a 10th-place finish in a €550 event. As the EPT season was nearing a close, McDonald finished with a cash in seventh place in the very last event of the festival, the €10,200 Six-Max No-Limit Hold’em Turbo. This late victory allowed him to move ahead of O’Dwyer by .96 points. To scoop the Player of the Year accolade, McDonald cashed in at eighteen EPT events overall during season 12. His best result, both for cash and points, was a first-place finish in the EPT Malta €25,750 High Roller for a massive prize of €498,575.

The Player of the Year award system has three tiers in total, so two other players were also awarded with titles. McDonald’s award was in the Platinum tier, which covers all EPT events, no matter what level of buy-in. The Gold tier represents all tournaments with buy-ins of $3,000 or less, and in this category Miguel Silva won the title after beating out Walter Treccarichi by a score of 1,851.51 points to 1,598.59 points. The Silver tier represents all tournaments with buy-ins of $600 or lower, and Adam Milewski narrowly beat Raiden Kan by a score of 51.77 points to 50.75 points to win this title.

Some commentators have felt that the system needs to be revised, as it can cause a worthy player to lose out on a title due to points technicalities. Many feel that Steve O’Dwyer was a victim of a formula that lacks any common sense. This season, O’Dwyer had more wins, more final tables, and far more earnings than Mike McDonald who won the title.

The EPT Player of the Year is powered by the Global Poker Index.

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