As you may know, Season X of the World Poker Tour is reaching a crescendo. Entering the most exciting championship phase in years, the stakes are getting higher and the players got better and better with each stop along the way. The last tournament was highly attended and very well played. The WPT Jacksonville BestBet Open was held from April 27 to May 2.

Shawn Cunix reigned victorious in Jacksonville after beating fellow frontrunners Will Failla and Tony Dunst. Cunix secured a seat in the World Championship in Vegas by starting strong and never fully letting go of his lead. With some bold betting on the blinds, a gutsy call and a straight flush, Cunix narrowly held onto the top spot and battled out his final tournament, ending in the last match for the big money, but at a deficit compared to fellow finalist James Calderaro. After a long and well played tournament, Cunix eventually ended ahead of the pack, ironically with a set of threes and in excess of $400,000.

Next up on the World Poker Tour is the last stop on the route as well as every poker player’s dream. Having the WPT World Championships in Las Vegas this year is going to amp up both the excitement level as well as the quality of play. The stakes are obviously very high and as we have watched these players advance on the Tour, their styles are both similar and distinct with the one common denominator being they are all used to winning.

The Bellagio in Las Vegas will be home to the World Championship round from May 19 to 26. The World Poker Tour Super High Roller World Championship and the end of this year’s tour is also at that poker haven and overlaps with the other, held this year from May 23 to 25.

Still up for grabs is the year biggest personal honor, the World Poker Tour’s Player of the Year. With the totality of play for the last twelve months under consideration as well as performance on the Tour. Things were rattled and reorganized in Jacksonville, but Will (“The Thrill”) Failla is in the lead as of now and can only be unseated by the individual performances at the Championships in this competition. In past years, winners of the Player of the Year and the World Championship have remained distinct and if things hold steady that will still be the case for Season X.

The final determination is not made until after the Championships. Seventy-five players are officially in the running, but to this point, Failla remains confident. He does have reason to do so and history supports his belief. He has four Season X cashes, which in recent past has been a reliable predictor (9 of the 10) of eventual victor of World Poker Tour Player of the Year. Failla is the only one in the top 100 contenders for the prestigious prize with such support in the numbers. Everything will be determined by May 26, so stay tuned here for updates and predictions.