The Global Poker Index (GPI) has announced the official winners of its 2025 GPI Player of the Year races.
Throughout the calendar year, poker players across the globe fought hard to earn points as they clawed and scratched their way to the top of the various leaderboards – but only a select few finished the year atop the pack. It was a photo finish for the overall GPI Player of the Year title as the Winter Poker Wars served as the final proving ground for this year's winner.
Punsri makes history for Asia
Thailand's own Punnat Punsri laid claim to the 2025 GPI Player of the Year title, becoming the first player from Asia to win the prestigious award.
While much of Punsri's volume came courtesy of Triton Poker Series events, he also found success on the Asian Poker Tour (APT), the European Poker Tour (EPT), the World Poker Tour (WPT) and the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Punsri's 61 cashes and 7 outright victories saw him add $10,951,495 to his lifetime earnings – taking him well clear of the $30,000,000 mark across his career.
With Jesse Lonis in pole position and hoping to improve on his runner-up finish in 2024, Punsri notched a third-place finish in the $25,000 NLH High Roller at the WPT World Championship in December to eke out an eight-point lead in the standings. Punsri's last-minute point pickup delivered him the title – and forced Lonis to settle for a runner-up finish for the second year in a row.
In no way a consolation prize, Lonis' points haul proved sufficient to claim the top spot in the United States National Player of the Year rankings and the North America Continental Player of the Year race – leading in both categories for the first time. Additionally, while Punsri finished with more GPI points than Lonis, the American managed to top the tournament earnings tally in 2025.
Jose 'Nacho' Barbero triumphed in the Latin America Continental Player of the Year rankings as Artur Martirosyan locked up the European accolade.
Foxen's 5th Female PotY title
For the fifth time in the last eight years, Kristen Foxen has risen above the women's poker community to secure the GPI Female Player of the Year title. In 2025, she won at a canter with more than 700 points separating her from runner-up finisher and 2024 GPI Female Player of the Year Cherish Andrews. With 39 cashes and 3 outright victories, Foxen added handsomely to her career earnings and dethroned Vanessa Selbst atop the Women's All-Time Money List in the process.
Foxen's impressive year also saw her add a second Canadian National Player of the Year title and finish 32nd in the GPI World rankings.
Lakhdari tops Mid-Major, Chidwick wins 10th National
Algeria's Omar Lakhdari secured the 2025 Mid-Major Player of the Year title thanks to his overwhelming success in buy-ins under $2,500. With 33 cashes and 5 outright victories, Lakhdari ended the year with nearly a 150-point lead over runner-up finisher Evan Sandberg – adding $957,403 in earnings to take his career tally over the $4M mark.
In addition to his Mid-Major dominance, Lakhdari finished atop the Algerian National Player of the Year rankings for the third year in a row.
Lakhdari wasn't the only player to defend their perch atop the national rankings. Stephen Chidwick added a tenth United Kingdom National Player of the Year title – extending his streak atop the leaderboard to eight years running. Portugal's Joao Viera captured an eighth National Player of the Year accolade, his third in consecutive years.
Christoph Vogelsang, of Germany, earned his first National Player of the Year award. In spite of his longevity at the highest stakes and multitude of impressive scores, Vogelsang's countrymen proved tough competition to contend with throughout his career, but in 2025 he overcame them all. Kenny Hallaert racked up a sizable point tally – thanks in no small part to his fourth-place finish in the 2024 WSOP Main Event – but it wasn't enough to outdo Thomas Boivin who earned his second Belgium National Player of the Year victory.
