Three short poker tales including Dario Sammartino taking the lead in the 2017 Global Poker Index Player of the Year race, Javier Gomez winning the $2m GTD Card Player Poker Tour Main Event at the Venetian, and an underwater poker game.

Dario Sammartino has sprayed gravel in the face of Nick Petrangelo in the race to become the 2017 Global Poker Index (GPI) Player of the Year (POY).

The Italian ranked #4 in the ranking has taken the lead after an incredible performance at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

The top ranked Italian in the GPI cashed in eight events, securing over $2.1m in earnings, with the competition barely registering a whimper. Seven of Sammartino’s cashes came in events with a buy-in exceeding $10,000, and a raft of different disciplines.