PokerStars and Ambassadors win big at Global Poker Awards 2025

February 24, 2025

by PokerStars Staff

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4 Minute Read

It was a big night for PokerStars at the Global Poker Awards 2025. There were wins in several major categories with recognition for events, Ambassadors, and team members behind the scenes.

These wins reinforce why PokerStars is at the forefront of the industry. Some standout winners included:

• Best Industry Person – Francine Watson: Recognized for her invaluable contributions to the way we watch poker and the community, Watson’s leadership and commitment have helped shape the global poker scene.
• Best Final Table Performance – Barny Boatman: Barny’s breathtaking performance at the EPT Paris final table demonstrated not just his skill, but also his unwavering determination, reminding us that the final moments are where legends are born.
• Best Live Streamer – Spraggy: With engaging content and a dynamic presence online, Spraggy has elevated live streaming in poker, making the game accessible to a broader audience and engaging fans around the world.
• Best Episodic Poker Series – The Big Game on Tour by PokerStars: The long-awaited return of the Big Game and its unique Loose Cannon format was a huge success, giving us hours of great entertainment.

But they weren’t the only PokerStars winners…

PokerStars Ambassador Marle Spragg took home the Best Short-form Content Creator award, while her teammate Alejandro “Papo MC” Lococo was named the Most Entertaining Player in a category voted for by the fans.

PokerStars’ photographer extraordinaire Danny Maxwell captured Barny Boatman’s Paris victory perfectly, and also captured the award for Best Photo, while Rania Nasreddine’s epic back-to-back EPT final tables saw her named the GPI Breakout Player.

Maxwell’s award winning photo of Boatman at EPT Paris 2024

We’re also thrilled that the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) was given the Best Mid-Major Tour/Circuit award, while the iconic Irish Open – which PokerStars has sponsored for the past two years – was named Best Stand-alone Festival/Series.

The Irish Open’s recognition at the Global Poker Awards highlights its status as a trailblazer in the poker world. Its success is a testament to how traditional tournaments can evolve into dynamic, community-driven festivals that resonate with players and fans worldwide.

Take a look through all the Global Poker Awards 2025 winners and photos here.

ABOUT THE NOMINATIONS

This section of the article was originally published on January 27, 2025.

The sixth annual Global Poker Awards has announced its nominees and PokerStars Ambassadors lead the charge with 24 nods overall.

The talented Caitlin Comeskey, one the most recent signings to Team PokerStars, tops the list with four award nominations, followed by Marle Spragg and Joe Stapleton who have three each.

Comeskey is up for Best X/Twitter Personality, Best Short-Form Content Creator, Best Media Content: Short-Form Video, and People’s Choice for Most Entertaining Player. In the latter category — one of several that poker fans can vote on here — she’s up against fellow PokerStars Team Pro Alejandro ‘Papo MC’ Lococo.

Marle Spragg goes head to head with Comeskey in the Best X/Twitter Personality, Best Short-Form Content Creator, and Best Media Content: Short-Form Video categories, while Ben “Spraggy” Spragg and Lex Veldhuis face off in the hotly-contested Best Streamer category.

Stapleton is up for Best On-Air Talent, Best Podcast (alongside James Hartigan), and Best Book for his poker-themed comic Trapped. The Big Game on Tour is also nominated for Best Episodic Poker Series, which Stapleton can also lay claim to.

The legendary Jason Koon — who also announced his signing with PokerStars in November — is up for Toughest Opponent.

Comeskey and Koon joined PokerStars in November and are both up for awards

We’re also thrilled that PokerStars live events — and the teams behind them — have been recognised for their contributions to live poker.

EPT Barcelona is short-listed in the Best Event category, Toby Stone and Nick O’Hara are up for Best Tournament Director, Kerryjane Craigie for Best Director of Poker, Danny Maxwell for Best Photo, and Francine Watson for Best Industry Person, recognising many years of delivering world-class content to poker fans and views worldwide.

Toby Stone is once again up for Best TD

Taking on the World Series of Poker Main Event in the Best Event category is EPT Barcelona and poker community favourite, the PokerStars-sponsored Irish Open Main Event. The Irish Poker Open is also nominated for Best Stand Alone Series. The 2025 instalment runs April 10-21, which adds four additional days to the schedule.

Last but not least, a big shout out to poker legend Barny Boatman whose hero call with 19 players left in the EPT Paris Main Event, which he went on to win for €1,287,800, is up for Best Hand. He’s also recognised in the Best Final Table Performance category.

The full list of nominations can be found here.

Congratulations to everyone nominated and best of luck on February 22.