Two of the finest poker players are battling it out right through the end of the year to see who will be the United Kingdom’s top-earning online player of 2014. As it stands now with two weeks/updates left to go, the man on top is Patrick Leonard. He’s a remarkably strong player based out of Newcastle upon Tyne in the U.K. Although his age isn’t listed online, his photos (such as the one nearby) show he’s likely somewhere in his 20s or early 30s (at the most).
According to Poker News, they expect Leonard and his main competition, Vicente Delgado, to duel it out until the end of the year. Apparently the two have been “leapfrogging” one another for the top spot throughout 2014, though it’s looking good for Leonard as we get closer to January. He’s a solid 500 points ahead of his competition, so it’s highly likely that we’ll see Patrick Leonard named the number-one online player in the U.K.
That being said, the London-residing Delgado could make some surprise moves before the year’s end. He’s had an impressive 2014, to say the least, and moved into the #9 position in the world. Delgado also has some strong career-to-date winnings, with PocketFives indicating that he’s won just about $1.5 million.
In addition to Leonard and Delgado, another notable name in the rankings is Rick Trigg, a Sheffield, U.K. native who sits in third place overall as the year comes to a close. While he’s about 650 points from the top spot, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on this guy. Consider also that he’s getting closer to Delgado, meaning that Trigg could end up as the runner-up of 2014. It wouldn’t be surprising with the bigger wins that he’s had this past year. Over the summer, for example, he was able to take home $17,804 in the Betfair-hosted Sunday Special alone, with plenty of other close-to-$10,000 winnings elsewhere. Also, given that he’s still pretty young at only 30 years old, expect to see Trigg’s name for a while. Who knows, maybe he’ll end up taking the top spot internationally one day. Pocket Fives reports that he’s currently sitting at #13, so it’s definitely not out of the question.
Really, it’ll be interesting to see where all of these players end up in a year’s time, and if one of them can become the new face of online poker the world over. That’s especially true for Leonard, who’s next step appears to be a solidified world ranking.