The 2016 World Series of Poker is in it’s home stretch, with only some more days until the November Nine is about basically event. The overall few events on the WSOP leading into the massive dance were some heavy hitters that made a huge effect at the 2016 Card Player Player of the Year race standings. Here's a look back on the events that almost all shaped the leaderboard this week.

2016 WSOP $111,111 One Drop High Roller

How does one judge who the Player of the Year need to be? Probably the most final tables made? Probably the most titles?

As of at this time 22-year-old German poker pro Fedor Holz leads in each a kind of categories. Holz most recently defeated a field of 183 players to win the 2016 WSOP $111,111 buy-in One Drop High Roller, capturing his first gold bracelet, the $4,981,775 first-place prize and 1,680 POY points.

This was Holz 13th final table of the year, probably the most of any player thus far this year. Bryn Kenney isn't far behind that stat, though, with 12 final tables to his name. Of these 13
final table showings Holz has emerged victorious five times for 2 more titles than some other player at the live tournament circuit in 2016.

And with $14,517,350 in year-to-date earnings Holz has greater than $8.5 million more in live tournament cashes than the following highest earner Rainer Kempe, who defeated Holz heads-up to win the $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl earlier this summer.

As as a result of his dominance in all the key metrics of poker tournament performance Holz has retaken the outright lead within the 2016 Player of the Year race with 5,738 total points. His next nearest competitor, Justin Bonomo, is over 1,200 points behind.

Holz defeated Dan Smith heads-up for the win. Smith was fresh off a third-place finish within the WSOP $25,000 pot-limit Omaha high roller for $487,361 and 784 points. After busting that event he just barely was in a position to late-register for this tournament on the last possible minute. He added another $3,078,974 and 1,400 points for this runner-up showing.

With two titles, five final tables and $4,137,205 in year-to-date earnings Smith has climbed to sixth place within the overall POY standings with 3,279 points.

2016 WSOP $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em

While most players near the highest of the POY leaderboard achieve their ranking through volume, Tony Dunst has found his way into the highest five via another approach: make fewer final tables, but if you do run deep you'll want to do it in a huge-field event and finish within the top six.

Dunst most recently took down a WSOP $1,000 no-limit hold’em event, outlasting a field of 2,452 players to win his first bracelet, the $339,254 top prize and 1,080 points.

This was only Dunst’s third final table of the year. He started 2016 off with a runner-up showing within the $10,000 AUD Aussie Millions main event, cashing for $700,000 and earning 1,900 points. He also placed sixth within the WPT Canadian Spring Championship for an additional $42,479 and 360 points.

As because of the these scores Dunst has joined the highest five within the POY standings with 3,340 points and $1,081,733 in earnings thus far this year.

2016 WSOP $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em

A total of 863 players turned out for the general $5,000 no-limit hold’em event of the 2016 WSOP to construct a $4,056,100 prize pool.

In the tip Yue Du came out on top, taking home his first bracelet, the $800,586 first-place prize and 1,824 points.

Dominik Nitsche finished fourth for $248,640 and 912 points. This was the two-time bracelet winner’s eighth final table finish of the year.

Nitsche’s one title up to now in 2016 came when he took down a €2,200 no-limit hold’em preliminary event on the European Poker Tour Dublin festival. He won $173,338 and 720 points in that event after outlasting the 416-entry field.

Nitsche now sits in 15th place at the POY leaderboard because of this latest score, with 2,893 points and $1,288,735 in earnings to this point this year.

Here is a glance on the current top 20 within the POY standings:

Rank	Player	POY Points	Earnings
1	Fedor Holz	5,738	$14,517,350
2	Justin Bonomo	4,470	$2,420,823
3	David Peters	4,061	$4,703,092
4	Joseph Mckeehen	3,738	$2,972,270
5	Tony Dunst	3,340	$1,081,733
6	Dan Smith	3,279	$4,137,205
7	Anthony Gregg	3,223	$1,775,529
8	Ari Engel	3,202	$1,221,686
9	Sam Soverel	3,140	$1,058,314
10	Andjelko Andrejevic	3,072	$1,214,747
11	Chance Kornuth	3,010	$1,668,585
12	Adrien Allain	3,000	$1,005,700
13	Bryn Kenney	2,979	$3,655,974
14	Cary Katz	2,970	$1,800,521
15	Dominik Nitsche	2,893	$1,288,735
16	Brandon Shack-Harris	2,880	$1,045,730
17	Michael Gathy	2,830	$846,827
18	Igor Kurganov	2,714	$1,651,145
19	Paul Volpe	2,621	$743,111
20	Aaron Mermelstein	2,580	$502,505

Read More... [Source: CardPlayer Poker News]