Most humans are born with between 2 to 4 million sweat glands; ducts that allow for the process of perspiration.
The purpose of sweat is to keep you cool.
It’s rare, but there are people in the world suffering from hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia – they don’t have any sweat glands, and they have a low mortality rate because of the risk of overheating.
In even rarer cases, there are people, who, when exposed to situations that make them nervous and anxious, don’t produce a drop of sweat, and don’t suffer from that long-named condition I don’t feel like retyping.
You may call them superheroes, and in the poker world, one of them goes by the name of Alex Foxen.
On December 7, I reached out to the President of the Global Poker Index (GPI) and The Hendon Mob (THM) to ask him who he thought would win the 2019 GPI Player of the Year (PoY).
In his response, Danis told said it was the tightest race in the history of the award, and ended his statement with, “and even someone ranked as low as #12, like the defending champion, Alex Foxen, could win it.”
As that guy got a crystal ball?
Foxen leads the GPI PoY race with a little over a week left before the moonlight dims on 2019 after an incredible two-month spurt of form in November and December culminated in his first World Poker Tour (WPT) title.
The 2018 GPI PoY winner, topped a record field of 1,035 (429 re-entries) entrants, in the $10,400 No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE) WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, to capture the $1,694,000 first prize, and overtake Bryn Kenney at the top of the 2019 GPI PoY rankings, after starting the day in tenth place.
The win was Foxen’s 12th in the money (ITM) finish in Nov & Dec. Included in his haul: two final tables at the Poker Masters, three ITM finishes at MILLIONS World, and six final tables at the WPT Five Diamond, an incredible feat of consistency from one of the best NLHE tournament players in the world.
As the final table came into view, four players looked as hard as cured leather. Foxen, of course; joined by two WPT Champions Club members and a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner.
Jonathan Jaffe won the CAD 3,850 NLHE WPT Montreal in 2014 for $409,657, Daniel Park won a 2,452-entrant $1,000 NLHE Super Turbo Bounty event at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in the summer, and then you had Seth Davies.
Davies, who won the CAD 3,500 WPT Candian Spring Championships in 2016 for $203,992, also won the $25,000 NLHE High Roller on the day the WPT Five Diamond Main Event began, beating a field of 53-entrants to the $424,000 first prize. Davies won the same event in 2018, beating Isaac Haxton heads-up on his way to the $341,920 first prize. It’s been the best year of his life, with $4.1m in live tournament earnings, while also finding the time to slip a ring on his partner’s finger.
Let’s see how Foxen managed to lock these three in the vault on his way to a fantastic victory.
The Nutshell Action
Seat 1: Alex Foxen – 9,750,000
Seat 2: Peter Neff – 2,075,000
Seat 3: Seth Davies – 4,825,000
Seat 4: Jonathan Jaffe – 9,075,000
Seat 5: Toby Joyce – 4,575,000
Seat 6: Daniel Park – 11,100,000
Peter Neff doubled through Jonathan Jaffe twice, first when pocket fours beat AcQc, and then when AcQC beat pocket tens.
Alex Foxen then took the chip lead from Danny Park. He would never relinquish it. Park raises to 275,000 from the small blind, and Foxen called in the big blind. The flop of QsJc6h slithered onto the flop like a snake, Park bet 325,000, and Foxen called. A club draw hit the turn when the 8c appeared, and the same action ensued, this time for 475,000. That club flush materialised on the river when the 2c landed on the felt with a thump, Park bet 775,000, Foxen raised to 3,175,000, and Park called. Foxen showed Qc3c for the flush, and Park mucked his hand.
Then we lost Jonathan Jaffe.
Park opened to 275,000 from the hijack, Foxen called from the cutoff, and Jaffe moved all-in for 2,250,000 from the big blind. Park grabbed his blanket and nestled back into his chair. Foxen called, and all the tumblers fell into place to unlock the fifth-place money for everyone but Jaffe when pocket nines beat KcQs.
Toby Joyce doubled through Park when AhKc turned and rivered trip kings to beat pocket treys, but Park doubled back when pocket nines beat KcJs, before also doubling through Neff when KsTs hit AsJc for six thanks to a ten on the flop and another on the river to give him trips versus top pair.
Toby’s double-up run good ended when he moved all-in holding pocket tens versus a Joyce three-bet with AhQd. Joyce called, and a queen on the river bit like a blade. Tang was out.
Peter Neff secured fourth-place when Seth Davies treated him like a candle in the wind. Neff moved all-in for 3,875,000 from the under the gun holding KdQc, and Davies licked his Ac and Js before placing them over the wick dousing Neff’s flame for good.
Alex Foxen – 25,700,000
Toby Joyce – 8,625,000
Seth Davies – 7,075,000
Davies doubled through Foxen when Ac5s beat KhTc.
Joyce doubled through Foxen when Ac9d beat Ad6d.
Davies did it again when KsJc beat Ah9c.
He didn’t do it a third time.
Davies moved all-in from the button for 3,600,000, and Foxen called from the big blind. Davies showed Ac5c, and Foxen had him dominated with AhQh. The board changed nothing; Davies was out in third.
Heads-Up Chip Counts
Alex Foxen – 29,500,000
Toby Joyce – 11,900,000
Joyce never managed to intrude on Foxen’s chip stack. The final hand came when Foxen limped the button with AcJs and called when Joyce moved all-in holding Jh9c. The jack-high flop paired both players, but ultimately, Foxen’s ace kicker would prove to be the crucial factor, sending the Irishman to the rail without his cigar.
Foxen’s win means he’s now earned $6,346,433 in 2019, beating the $6,632,556 he made in 2018 when finishing the year as the GPI PoY, a feat he is a shoo-in to repeat.
Final Table Results
- Alex Foxen – $1,694,995
- Toby Joyce – $1,120,040
- Seth Davies – $827,285
- Peter Neff – $617,480
- Danny Park – $465,780
- Jonathan Jaffe – $355,125
Four other high rollers who produced a little sweat in this one were Darren Elias (14th), Ali Imsirovic (16th), Cary Katz (44th), and Daniel Negreanu (62nd).