Punnat Punsri Makes History as GPI Player of the Year, Kristen Foxen Wins Fifth Women’s Title

Punnat Punsri and Kristen Foxen had been confirmed because the GPI Participant of the Yr and GPI Feminine Participant of the Yr on Wednesday, capping off historic 2025 seasons for each gamers.

Punsri’s maiden Participant of the Yr victory marks a watershed second for Asian poker, with the Thai native turning into the primary participant from the continent to seize the International Poker Index’s most prestigious annual honor.

In the meantime, Foxen continues her outstanding run as considered one of poker’s foremost feminine stars, securing a report fifth GPI Feminine Participant of the Yr title in simply eight years.

The race to be topped the world’s high poker participant of 2025 proved to be a thriller, as Punsri, Jesse Lonis, and Artur Martirosian served up an epic three-way battle, with the eventual winner nonetheless unclear at the same time as we entered the ultimate days of December. Nonetheless, Punsri would emerge from the nailbiting contest victorious, edging out Lonis in second — who suffers agonizing back-to-back close to misses — and Martirosian in third.

For Foxen, nonetheless, the result was by no means doubtful. Her stellar yr, which additionally noticed her rise to the highest of the Girls’s All-Time Cash Checklist, left her with a commanding lead over earlier champion Cherish Andrews in second and Meng Ling Lin in third, making the affirmation of her fifth Feminine Participant of the Yr award all however a formality.

Whereas each gamers’ titles are confirmed, there will probably be no ceremony to formally accumulate them after organizers introduced final November the cancellation of this yr’s International Poker Awards, citing time constraints as the first purpose.

Punsri Topped in Historic Second for Thai Poker

Punsri’s victory was constructed on outstanding consistency all through 2025, with a string of deep runs and marquee outcomes separating Asia’s first Participant of the Yr from a world-class chasing pack.

A daily on the Triton Poker circuit, Punsri continued his outstanding report of constructing no less than one last desk at each single Triton cease since 2022, including three extra titles in 2025 on poker’s most unique high-stakes tour to gather slightly below $11 million whole in reside event earnings.

However Punsri’s success stretched far past Triton. The Thai professional scored main cashes at WSOP, EPT, and APT occasions all through an distinctive season that culminated with a visit to Las Vegas in December for the WPT World Championship, the place he secured simply sufficient factors to clinch the crown.

“I Gave It Completely All the things”

Talking with PokerNews, Punsri described being named the world’s finest event poker participant of 2025 as “extremely surreal,” including, “The title is very significant to me as a result of it displays success throughout a variety of stakes and codecs around the globe … Consistency throughout these environments is one thing I take nice satisfaction in.”

Reflecting on his long-standing ambition to turn into the world’s primary, Punsri stated, “I at all times aspired to achieve the highest of the GPI rankings since I pursued the total circuit in 2022, regardless of how difficult it’s for an Asian participant. As 2025 progressed, it grew to become clear that profitable POY was probably attainable, so with the encouragement of individuals closest to me, I gave it completely every thing.”

Whereas the achievement marks a major private milestone, Punsri was fast to shift the main target to his residence nation, describing the title as “much more particular” because it coincided with Thailand’s official recognition of poker as a Thoughts Sport in 2025.

“A future I as soon as solely imagined now feels inside attain.”

“This landmark choice affirms poker as a recreation outlined by technique, decision-making, emotional management, and psychological endurance — qualities that proved particularly important to me all through a difficult yr. The chance to repeatedly develop and refine these abilities is what made me fall in love with the sport within the first place.”

Wanting forward, Punsri additionally spoke of his hopes for the sport’s brilliant future in Thailand, including, “With poker persevering with to achieve recognition in Thailand, a future I as soon as solely imagined now feels inside attain.”

“I’m excited to examine Thailand as a vibrant hub for the sport — welcoming acquainted faces from the tour, bringing gamers collectively over the meals I really like, and fostering a thriving, passionate poker group. I stay up for seeing extra Thai expertise excel and succeed on the worldwide stage.”

2025 GPI Participant of the Yr Prime 10 Standings

5-Time Foxen Flooring the Area Once more

In what turned out to be a procession for the GPI Feminine Participant of the Yr award, Foxen simply secured her fifth title in eight years after an unbelievable season that noticed her earn greater than $4.6 million in reside event winnings all through 2025.

Her yr was highlighted by a string of high-profile outcomes, together with three PokerGO Tour wins by April and a number of last tables at Triton Tremendous Excessive Curler Sequence stops. The head got here at Triton Jeju II, the place her third-place end within the $125k No Restrict Maintain’em earned $1.1 million — the biggest money of her profession — and propelled her previous Vanessa Selbst on the Girls’s All-Time Cash Checklist.

But extra success would comply with on the PGT and at NAPT, earlier than a number of sturdy WSOP Paradise outcomes rounded out a yr that left her with an unassailable lead by December.

“Superb” 2025 For Girls’s Poker

Catching up with PokerNews at WSOP Paradise in December, Foxen was eager to focus on the “many wonderful accomplishments” for girls in poker in 2025 past her personal record-breaking season.

“The Triton title being received for the primary time by a girl [Xuan Liu], Shiina [Okamoto] together with her back-to-back wins,” she stated, referring to different standout performers of the yr. Turning to her nearest rival within the Feminine Participant of the Yr race, Foxen added, “I feel one one who has been not noted is Cherish Andrews, who had a implausible yr and loads of success and is now establishing herself within the high-stakes group.”

“It is very cool, I think about we’ll see that proceed”

Reflecting on the broader momentum for girls in poker, she continued, “It is very cool [to be part of such a big 2025 for women in poker], I think about we’ll see that proceed, I feel.”

2025 GPI Feminine Participant of the Yr Prime 10 Standings

Omar Lakhdari Wins GPI Mid-Main POY

Congratulations are as a way to Omar Lakhdari from Algeria, who claimed the GPI Mid-Main Participant of the Yr award, confirming his standing because the season’s most profitable sub-$2,500 buy-in participant by dominating the class.

Lakhdari completed practically 150 factors in entrance of American Evan Sandberg, as he made 9 top-three finishes throughout a number of main occasions all year long that included a WSOPC Essential Occasion win in Middelkerke, a WPT Prime Championship Chamada title, and two Chamada Poker Sequence Essential Occasion wins.

The GPI Continental Participant of the Yr rankings additionally acknowledged a few of poker’s best performers: Jesse Lonis, who completed second total, was topped North American POY; Nacho Barbero earned Latin America’s POY title; Artur Martirosian, third total, claimed Europe’s POY; and Punsri secured each the Asian and total GPI Participant of the Yr awards.

A full checklist of GPI Nationwide Participant of the Yr winners is offered on the GPI web site, with 93 gamers reaching the minimal 1,000 factors required to be topped. Highlights embody Stephen Chidwick, who secured the UK’s high spot for a tenth time, together with eight consecutive titles, whereas three nations celebrated their first-ever GPI Nationwide POY winners: Patrick Stacey from the Cayman Islands, Ali Muthana Al-Kubasi from Iraq, and Ghassan Bitar from Monaco.

*Images courtesy of Triton and International Poker Index

Eliot Thomas is an Editor at PokerNews, specializing in on line casino and poker protection. He has reported on main occasions around the globe, together with the World Sequence of Poker, European Poker Tour, and Triton Tremendous Excessive Curler Sequence.