After a year away, the Global Poker Awards are coming back, and they are leaving Las Vegas behind. The Global Poker Index and The Hendon Mob confirmed on Thursday that the seventh edition of the ceremony will be staged on 4 December at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas, in the middle of the WSOP Paradise festival.
It is a notable change of scene. As PokerNews points out, every edition since 2019 has been held at the PokerGO Studio inside ARIA, so this will be the first time in that run that the trophies are handed out somewhere other than Las Vegas. Baha Mar is also new territory for the WSOP, which moved its December series there after several years at Atlantis on Paradise Island.
Back after the 2025 cancellation
The return was far from guaranteed. In November 2025 the organisers called off that year’s show, explaining that preparing and producing the event simply took too long. The most recent ceremony therefore dates back to February 2025, when trophies were presented in 38 categories and Spain’s Adrian Mateos, fresh from his Purple Jacket win at the Poker Masters this month, was voted Players Choice for Toughest Opponent.
🌐♣️🏆 The Global Poker Awards Return for a 7th edition at WSOP Paradise in The Bahamas
Global Poker Index (@gpi) October 29, 2026
A shorter list built around players
The December show will be far leaner. Organiser Mediarex says it expects to present awards in eleven categories, and the emphasis has shifted firmly towards what happens at the tables. According to the announcement quoted by PokerNews, “The renewed focus on player awards reflects the outstanding performances across the international poker circuit”.
These are the categories announced so far:
- Most Feared Live Tournament Player
- Most Feared Live Tournament Mixed Games Player
- Most Feared Cash Game Player
- Best Table Mate
- Best Villain
- Breakout Player
- Fans Choice: Most Entertaining Player
- Best Live Streamer
- Best Vlogger
- Best Final Table Performance
- GPI Poker ICON
Plenty of familiar trophies have gone. Best Podcast, Best Poker Book, Best Industry Person and the media content awards are all missing, and the full rundown from PokerStrategy shows that the tournament director, journalist and live reporter prizes have been cut as well. Content creators keep a foothold through the streamer and vlogger categories, while Best Villain and Best Table Mate are brand new.
Fans pick the Most Entertaining Player
One award is already open to the public. Fans can vote for the Most Entertaining Player on the Global Poker Index website until 3 November, choosing from a shortlist of ten: Alan Keating, Daniel ‘Jungleman’ Cates, Daniel Negreanu, Nik Airball, Phil Hellmuth, Randy ‘3Coin’ Sadler, Will Givens, Jennifer Tilly, Michael ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi and Phil Laak. German outlet PokerExklusiv reports that nominees for the remaining ten categories will follow shortly.
One open question is how the evening will reach viewers at home. PokerGO previously broadcast the show but is no longer a WSOP partner, and no TV or streaming plans have been confirmed yet. WSOP Paradise itself runs from 2 to 17 December with 20 bracelet events on the schedule, so the awards night will land early in the festival while much of the poker world is gathered in Nassau.
