Just months after Daniel Negreanu took the title from long time holder Jamie Gold, the record for the top money winner has changed hands to none other than Phil Ivey.

Poker Millionaire Jamie Gold has been holding on to the record for the most live tournament winnings for what seems like forever, but now there is a new man claiming his place.

Daniel Negreanu, also known as the “Poker Kid” has recently exceeded the record held by Gold for live tournament winnings.

Presenting the public's top ten nominations for the 2009 class

After a five-week process that saw hundreds of votes cast weekly on WSOP.com, the public has made clear who they think should be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.  It will now be up to the current Hall of Famers and a panel of media members to determine who actually does join this exclusive club.

The following represents the Top 10 nominated individuals at WSOP.com from May 26-July 2.

Although the 2009 World Series of Poker is still underway, some big names have left the competition.

On Saturday Chris Moneymaker and Doyle Brunson left the competition. Brunson stated, “WSOP 2009 is over for me. It’s disappointing, but also a sense of relief. Now back to the real world.”

Although predictions are already pouring in when it comes to WSOP Player of the Year, it’s unsure if those players will transform their success into a main event win.

For instance, the 2009 WSOP odds to make the final table (played on November 7) don’t list Jeff Lisandro or Ville Wahlbeck, even though both men top the leaderboard this week.

The 2009 World Series of Poker Player of the Year race can be followed by visiting the WSOP official website.

Ville Wahlbeck
- This 33-year old Finnish poker player has won nearly $850,000 thus far at the 2009 World Series of Poker.  The total was acquired in four different events.  He finished 1st place in Event #12 - WSOP World Championship Mixed Event and collected just shy of $500,000 there.  Wahlbeck won another $172,000 at Event #23 - WSOP No Limit Deuce to Seven Lowball World Championship.

According to Doyle Brunson, Daniel Negreanu is sure to be named the 2009 WSOP Poker Player of the Year.

"Every time I look, Daniel is deep in a tournament," Doyle commented.  "Looks like he will be Player of the Year at the WSOP...Congrats (Daniel)…Good job!!"

Phil Hellmuth, the World Series of Poker bracelet record holder, recently released a new book entitled Deal Me In. The book is considered a “must read” for any poker player due to its nature. Hellmuth gathered 20 of his professional poker playing friends to reveal all of their secrets.

Is it possible that Celebrity Apprentice is looking for another top poker player to join their reality television show? Maybe! After the whole Annie Duke/Joan Rivers situation, Celebrity Apprentice may consider casting another player. Since Annie Duke performed especially well (not just with her tasks but helping boost ratings as well), it would be smart of them to take advantage of this edge.

Poker pro Daniel Negreanu recently admitted on his blog that he’s considering trying out for the next season.