Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top 300 tournament poker players in the world using a formula that calculates a player’s best three results over six half-year periods. That first sentence is imperative to remember because, arguably, the best player in the game slipped from the GPI this week. We’ll get into that later. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.
The Top 10 as of September 26, 2011
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank from Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erik Seidel | 2,604.55 | 0 |
| 2 | Jason Mercier | 2,584.98 | 0 |
| 3 | Eugene Katchalov | 2,505.06 | 0 |
| 4 | Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier | 2,486.00 | 0 |
| 5 | Sorel Mizzi | 2,348.58 | 0 |
| 6 | Fabrice Soulier | 2,234.25 | 0 |
| 7 | Tom Marchese | 2,146.22 | 0 |
| 8 | Scott Seiver | 2,056.29 | 0 |
| 9 | Juha Helppi | 2,004.50 | +11 |
| 10 | Shawn Buchanan | 1,986.96 | 0 |
New to the top ten this week is Finnish pro Juha Helppi. With his 15th-place finish in the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event, Helppi boasts very solid Period 1 results. Helppi replaced Daniel Negreanu in the No. 9 spot, and with a loss of points this week, Negreanu slipped to No. 11. A fifth-place showing in the £10,000 High-Roller Heads-Up Tournament at the 2010 WSOPE had previously been a part of his Period 2 standings, but now falls into Period 3.
Another slight change in the top ten is that Erik Seidel’s lead over Jason Mercier increased from a tiny .07 to about 20. An eighth-place result in a £5,000 PLO Event from the 2008 WSOPE dropped from Mercier’s Period 6 calculations and was replaced by a lesser finish.
Welcome to the GPI
There are ten new additions to the GPI this week. Among them is 2011 WSOP November Niner Matt Giannetti, who is fresh off a win at the 2011 WPT Malta. Also joining the GPI is 2011 WSOP bracelet winner Oleksii Kovalchuk. With a ninth-place result in the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event, Kovalchuk has a very strong Period 1 to counter his other periods, with only one score in Period 2 to round out his entire GPI total.
New Additions
| Player | Total GPI Score | GPI Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Ville Haavisto | 1,279.56 | 152nd |
| Oleksii Kovalchuk | 1,189.40 | 196th |
| Matt Giannetti | 1,144.48 | 223rd |
| Ilan Boujenah | 1,138.38 | 228th |
| Simon Ravnsbaek | 1,105.91 | 247th |
| Matt Perrins | 1,075.41 | 275th |
| Eddy Sabat | 1,061.67 | 284th |
| Mustapha Kanit | 1,040.83 | 296th |
| Jonathan Karamalikis | 1,037.19 | 299th |
| Sebastian Ruthenberg | 1,036.84 | 300th |
The ten that fell from the GPI this week are Chris Tryba, Darren Woods, Govert Metaal, Jonathan Jaffe, Kristijonas Andrulis, Martin Kabrhel, Russell Carson, Zach Clark, Ronald Lee, and Phil Ivey.
Wait, what? Yes, you read that correctly. Phil Ivey is no longer in the top 300 of the GPI. Clearly, nobody is going to argue that Phil Ivey isn’t among the top 300 tournament players, but the fact is, is that the GPI requires players to actively and consistently post results. As unlikely as it seems, Ivey has no Period 1 scores. None. His last GPI-counting tournament cash, in fact, came in December 2010.
It isn’t that Ivey has been running cold lately. He simply has not been playing, for obvious reasons. In addition, his two WSOPE cashes from 2010 fell out of Period 2. Only one of those cashes was picked up into his Period 3 calculations, since his 2010 WSOP bracelet win and third-place WPT Bellagio Cup VI result already are counted in Period 3. When Ivey gets back on the tournament circuit, it won’t be long before he vaults back up the GPI.
Ups and Downs
The biggest rise of the week belonged to Frederik Jensen. Even though his 34th-place finish in the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event isn’t what you would call amazing, it offset his Period 1 results when his 14th-place finish at the the 2011 WPT Vienna dropped into Period 2. With the boost to his Period 2 results without losing ground in Period 1, Jensen saw a nice rise up the GPI ladder.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32nd | Sam Trickett | 1,761.84 | +54 |
| 36th | Roger Hairabedian | 1,703.76 | +54 |
| 75th | Ludovic Lacay | 1,550.15 | +127 |
| 96th | Alexander Dovzhenko | 1,465.66 | +113 |
| 111th | Giuseppe Pantaleo | 1,397.63 | +114 |
| 116th | Eric Haik | 1,383.07 | +73 |
| 137th | Stephane Benadiba | 1,321.26 | +62 |
| 138th | Salman Behbehani | 1,321.03 | +75 |
| 143rd | Tristan Clemencon | 1,305.35 | +74 |
| 144th | Dmitry Vitkind | 1,302.27 | +105 |
| 164th | Frederik Jensen | 1,250.59 | +126 |
Italian Nicolo Calia suffered the biggest hit this week. His third-place result in the High Roller event at the 2011 WPT Vienna fell from Period 1 to Period 2, leaving Calia with just one Period 1 score. Also falling was Yevgeniy Timoshenko. His drop was result of his cashes in the WSOPE Main Events from both 2009 and 2010 falling into lesser Periods.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 190th | Marc Inizan | 1,206.17 | -74 |
| 202nd | Saar Wilf | 1,168.04 | -74 |
| 206th | Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 1,161.04 | -83 |
| 235th | Maurizio Sepede | 1,121.58 | -50 |
| 242nd | Kevin Eyster | 1,111.68 | -56 |
| 253rd | Men Nguyen | 1,099.17 | -57 |
| 267th | Luca Pagano | 1,084.62 | -77 |
| 276th | Nicolo Calia | 1,072.76 | -134 |
| 278th | Bolivar Palacios | 1,070.04 | -72 |
| 282nd | Dragan Galic | 1,064.39 | -105 |
What’s In Store?
This week is the calm before the storm because October will provide plenty of action overseas. The 2011 EPT London is set to kick off on Friday. The following Friday will see the 2011 WSOPE begin, as well.
Which players are due for a fall next week? Unless she scores big in London and Cannes in October, Vanessa Selbst is going to drop fast from her current No. 24 spot on the GPI. Her last two six-figure scores are going to fall into previous periods. Next week, her fourth-place finish at the 2010 EPT London £20,000 High Roller Event will slip from Period 2 to Period 3. The following week (most likely, but not for sure because of the cutoff date), her win at the 2011 NAPT Mohegan will drop from Period 1 to Period 2.
To look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website. While you’re at it, follow the GPI on Twitter and its Facebook page.
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