Every player accumulates points based on (a) the number of total players in the tournament, and (b) their ranking/finish in the tournament.
A player's top 10 scores are added to arrive at their total points for the season. In other words, players drop their worst 6 scores for the season.
Total season points are used to determine:
Overall Player Rankings;
Player of the Year who wins $1,000;
Starting chip stack for (a) the Tournament of Champions; and (b) the Main Event.