Global Poker Awards Return at WSOP Paradise
The Global Poker Awards will return December 4 at Baha Mar in The Bahamas during WSOP Paradise. The Global Poker Index and The Hendon Mob announced an 11-category seventh edition with a stronger focus on players, according to reports from PokerNews and Poker.org.
Eleven categories put players at the center
The announced 2026 categories are:
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
Most of the list recognizes performance or table presence. Best Live Streamer and Best Vlogger retain a place for creators, while broader media and industry categories from earlier editions are absent from the announced lineup.
A new home after organizers planned a year without the show
Organizers said in November 2025 that they did not expect to hold a 2026 ceremony because of the time required to prepare and produce it. The new announcement reverses that plan with a smaller program tied to an existing major festival. It is also the first Global Poker Awards ceremony outside Las Vegas since 2019, PokerNews reported.
WSOP’s official schedule places WSOP Paradise at Baha Mar from December 2 through December 17. Holding the awards on December 4 puts the ceremony during the festival’s opening days, when much of the international tournament community will already be in Nassau.
Nominees for most categories had not been announced when the return was revealed. Poker.org reported that voting for Fans’ Choice: Most Entertaining Player was open through November 3.
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