23-Year-Old Former College Soccer Player Wins WPT Player of the Year Race

The World Poker Tour (WPT) has named its Season 23 Participant of the Yr, a distinction that went to 23-year-old Harvey Castro.

Castro, a former soccer participant for Southern Methodist College, earned the POY victory thanks in no small half to ending runner-up within the WPT Rolling Thunder Important Occasion for $193,600 and later taking down the WPT Prime Lodge Championship for $225,020.

Castro Secures Victory

Castro secured the POY victory with 1,850 factors and $411,320 in 2025 tour earnings regardless of not profitable a WPT Important Occasion title. He beat out WPT Bay 101 Taking pictures Star champion Kharlin Sued, who gained the occasion in December for $480,700 and ended the 12 months with 1,600 POY factors.

In the meantime, WPT World Championship winner Schuyler Thornton completed third within the POY race with 1,575 factors after profitable $2.2 million within the largest occasion of the season.

Season 23 WPT Participant of the Yr Outcomes

Along with his WPT Prime Lodge Championship victory and runner-up end within the WPT Rolling Thunder Important Occasion, Castro completed fourth in a $10,000 6-Max occasion at WPT Seminole Laborious Rock Poker Showdown for $81,600.

Castro additionally had success on different excursions in 2025, together with ending runner-up in a $10,000 PokerGO Cup $10,000 occasion for $193,500.

Different gamers who made the highest ten within the WPT POY race embrace Seminole Laborious Rock Poker Showdown Championship winner Artwork Peacock (fifth – 1,425 factors), Danny Wong (eighth – 1,275 factors) and WPT World Championship runner-up Soheb Porbandarwala (tenth – 1,200 factors).

Get Head Begin on POY Race With WPT International

WPT Season 24 is at the moment underway and can see the tour going to Las Vegas in February with the WPT Venetian Las Vegas Spring Championship.

It is by no means too early for gamers to begin desirous about the POY race, they usually can get a head begin on the competitors by profitable WPT event seats on WPT International.

At the moment, WPT International is operating weekly satellites that assure packages to the $1 million assured $1,100 WPT Prime Cyprus Championship.

Connor Richards is a Senior Editor U.S. for PokerNews and host of the Life Exterior Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for 3 International Poker Awards for his writing.