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GPI Names Punnat Punsri, Kristen Foxen, and Omar Lakhdari as 2025 Players of the Year
- Punnat Punsri wins GPI Player of the Year, first Asian to achieve this, with 4,458 points.
- Kristen Foxen achieves fifth Female Player of the Year title with a significant lead.
- Omar Lakhdari tops Mid-Major rankings with consistent wins.
With the final results locked in, the Global Poker Index has closed the book on the 2025 season and confirmed three familiar names at the top of its annual leaderboards. Punnat Punsri, Kristen Foxen, and Omar Lakhdari have been named Players of the Year across the GPI’s main competitive categories.
Although the Global Poker Awards ceremony is not taking place this year, the GPI rankings remain the most widely accepted statistical benchmark for tournament performance. Here’s how each of the 2025 races played out.
Punnat Punsri Makes History as GPI Player of the Year
2025 GPI Player of the Year
For the first time since the GPI rankings were introduced, the overall Player of the Year title has gone to an Asian player. Thailand’s Punnat Punsri finished the year on top with 4,458 points, edging out a late surge from Jesse Lonis (4,450) and Artur Martirosyan (4,323).
That mix of consistency and top-end results ultimately pushed him past Lonis by just eight points, a finish that highlights how tight the race remained until the final weeks of the year.
2025 GPI Player of the Year – Top 5
| Position | Player | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punnat Punsri | Thailand | 4,458 |
| 2 | Jesse Lonis | USA | 4,450 |
| 3 | Artur Martirosyan | Russia | 4,323 |
| 4 | Alex Foxen | USA | 4,295 |
| 5 | Brandon Wilson | USA | 4,219 |
Kristen Foxen Claims Fifth GPI Female Player of the Year Title
2025 GPI Female Player of the Year
The Female Player of the Year race followed a more familiar pattern. Kristen Foxen secured the title for the fifth time in eight years, finishing with 3,734 points and a comfortable lead over the rest of the field.
Foxen’s season included several defining moments, none bigger than surpassing Vanessa Selbst as the all-time female money list leader. That milestone came in September at the Triton Super High Roller Series Jeju, where Foxen finished third in the $125,000 Main Event for a career-best $1.1 million score.
She added a win at PokerGO Cup Event #7 for nearly $350,000 early in the year and went on to accumulate more than $4.6 million in live earnings across 2025, finishing over 700 points ahead of runner-up Cherish Andrews.
2025 GPI Female Player of the Year – Top 3
| Position | Player | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kristen Foxen | Canada | 3,734 |
| 2 | Cherish Andrews | USA | 2,993 |
| 3 | Meng Ling Lin | China | 2,836 |
Omar Lakhdari Tops the Mid-Major Rankings
While the spotlight often falls on the high rollers, the Mid-Major Player of the Year award tells a different story. This category tracks results in open events with buy-ins of $2,500 or less, and in 2025, Omar Lakhdari was the clear standout.
The Algerian pro finished with 2,786 points, comfortably ahead of Evan Sandberg. His season featured multiple titles, including a WSOP Circuit Ring in Middelkerke, Belgium, a WPT Prime victory in Chamada, and wins in two separate Main Events at the Chamada Poker Series.
Lakhdari’s year was built on volume, travel, and repeat success, a profile that fits the mid-major category as closely as any in recent seasons.
Continental Player of the Year Winners
In addition to the global titles, the GPI also recognized top performers by region:
-
North America: Jesse Lonis
-
South America: Nacho Barbero
-
Europe: Artur Martirosyan
-
Asia: Punnat Punsri
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