Jesus Crucified!?! Chris Ferguson Causes Change to WSOP POY Scoring System?

Player complaints regarding the scoring system used to determine the 2017 WSOP Player of the Year (POY) title, which was won by an unapologetic Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, were heard loud and clear, resulting in an adjustment to this year's scoring formula by WSOP officials.

The former Full Tilt Poker owner had an incredible year on the felt in 2017, cashing in 23 WSOP events in Las Vegas and Europe that included winning his sixth gold bracelet. However, a large majority of Ferguson's in the money finishes were of the min-cash variety, which prompted many pros to gripe about the system used to tabulate POY point totals.

A recent press release from the WSOP advised of the "updated and improved" POY scoring mechanism that takes a page from the playbook of the "highly successful" points calculation system used for WSOP Circuit events for many years. The presser stated: 

"In response to player feedback, WSOP has adjusted the formula to better reward bracelet winners and players who run deep, while still rewarding consistency."

The new POY formula's most noticeable change is the point ratio awarded for topping the field versus that of registering a min-cash. In 2017, the ratio varied anywhere from 3.25-1 to 8.16-1. This year, it will always be about 20-1.

Holding Grudges

Ferguson, of course, was at the helm of Full Tilt along with Ray Bitar and Howard Lederer when Black Friday hit in 2011. In the aftermath that followed, it was learned that the former FTP execs greatly mismanaged player funds.

The failure of Ferguson to publicly apologize for the debacle remains a sore spot among a number of players - even some seven years after the fact. His POY victory just added fuel to the fire.

However, the WSOP press release makes a point of stating that Ferguson would have still won under the new scoring system - without mentioning him by name:

"The overall winner from 2017 would have remained unchanged."

The 2018 WSOP kicks off on May 29 at the Rio in Las Vegas, where Ferguson's likeness will adorn the wall along with those of previous POY champions.