Recently, there have been quite a few end-of-year lists on various poker websites -- the best players of 2009, the biggest news stories of 2009, and so on. But I haven't seen any with a category for the best poker photography of 2009.
I'm obviously biased on this, because I took the best photos of my career this past summer for the WSOP Photo Blog I did for PokerRoad.
Since nobody else has rated the year in poker photography, I am going to boldly declare that this photo of Phil Ivey's second bracelet ceremony is the Best Poker Photo of 2009:
As arrogant as it is to self-declare my own photo as the Best Poker Photo of 2009, I don't think I'm alone. More people (players, peers, and fans) have praised this photo than any other I've taken.
On a technical level, this photo isn't that great. On an artistic level, I've done better. But this photo works because it offers a compelling perspective for one of the most memorable moments of the year -- Phil Ivey winning his second bracelet of the WSOP. And there's no denying the fact that Phil Ivey was the big story of this year's WSOP.
I'm a reasonable man, and if anyone would like to nominate a different photo (mine or somebody else's) as the Best Poker Photo of 2009, send me a comment via Twitter (@BJNemeth).
But until this photo is dethroned, I'm calling it the Best Poker Photo of 2009.