Katz Climbs as High Roller Race Returns to Vegas

The High Roller of the Year race is off and running. Each week, Poker Central is your home for the results, stats, and stories from the world’s biggest events. From 2019 U.S. Poker Open to Super High Roller Bowl VI and everything in between, Poker Central is your High Roller of the Year headquarters.

After a trip to California, the High Roller of the Year race returned to Las Vegas. Three ARIA High Roller events ran through the first weekend of March Madness and while the results didn’t shake up the leaderboard, there were some meaningful moves. Ali Imsirovic’s runner-up finish in the opening $10,000 event brought the Poker Masters champion close to the top-five, while reigning High Roller of the Year winner Sam Soverel moved inside the top-15.

The current top-five is shown below and more High Roller of the Year information, including an upcoming schedule, can be found here.

Consistency is King

While a few home runs during the High Roller of the Year season will draw headlines and award big points, the real contenders will be the players that regularly get on base. Over the last few years, no one has done that at a higher clip than Cary Katz. His 56 career ARIA cashes are five more than Jake Schindler and a mind-numbing 24 more than David Peters, making Katz the most consistent player in ARIA High Roller history.

What makes Katz so dangerous though is the fact that he doesn’t just spray singles and doubles. Over the last year, Katz has more than a dozen ARIA podium finishes, including two from this past weekend. He beat David Peters to win Friday’s $25,000 High Roller and then finished 2nd to Sam Soverel on Saturday. Those three are bonafide five-tool players and their consistency throughout the High Roller of the Year season should make for an exciting race.

Summer Schedule Released

The High Roller of the Year race has slowed since the U.S. Poker Open, but that all changes in a few months. The summer will be full speed ahead for HROY contenders and hopefuls, with 35 events running from May 23 to July 16. That schedule includes four World Series of Poker events, including the $50,000 Poker Players Championship and series-ending $100,000 NLH High Roller which will award big multipliers.

More information and the up-to-date High Roller of the Year schedule can be found here.

Quick Hits

Lauren Roberts recorded her third cash of 2019 in Thursday’s $10,000 event and the result moved her back into the top-15 with 280 points…Three female players are in the top-15, with Maria Ho (9th) and Kristen Bicknell (15th) joining Roberts (13th)…Mori Eskandani runs the show (literally) and ran this weekend’s opening $10,000 event. The Poker Hall of Famer beat Ali Imsirovic heads up for $128,000 and 100 HROY points…300 points separate Sean Winter (1st) and Imsirovic (6th), creating an already sizable gap at the top of the High Roller of the Year standings.

Looking Ahead

The High Roller of the Year race continues in April with Bellagio High Rollers and ARIA High Roller Series events. Dates and multiplier information is provided below:

Follow Poker Central for weekly High Roller of the Year updates and subscribe to watch High Roller of the Year qualifying events exclusively on PokerGO. A complete HROY schedule can be found here and more information about the year-long points race can be found here.