Global Poker Index: Erik Seidel Claims Top Spot — Barely
Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top 300 tournament poker players in the world. This week, there is a new No. 1. Overtaking Jason Mercier by the slimmest of margins, Erik Seidel now sits atop the GPI for the first time. There was some more movement in the top ten that we'll also delve into. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.
The Top 10 as of September 12, 2011
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank from Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erik Seidel | 2,604.55 | +1 |
| 2 | Jason Mercier | 2,604.48 | -1 |
| 3 | Eugene Katchalov | 2,505.06 | 0 |
| 4 | Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier | 2,486.00 | 0 |
| 5 | Sorel Mizzi | 2,359.29 | 1 |
| 6 | Fabrice Soulier | 2,234.25 | 1 |
| 7 | Tom Marchese | 2,163.24 | -2 |
| 8 | Scott Seiver | 2,056.29 | +1 |
| 9 | Daniel Negreanu | 2,043.77 | -1 |
| 10 | John Juanda | 2,014.97 | 0 |
Thanks to his fourth-place finish in the Epic Poker League #2 Main Event, Seidel's Period 1 score improved. Why? This finish trumped his second-place finish in the 2011 World Poker Tour Hollywood Poker Open, leading to an ever-so-slight GPI-score gain of 6.06. That alone was was not enough to trump Mercier's score from last week, but don't forget that the GPI calculates a player's top three scores over six periods of six months.
Mercier's GPI score dropped by 14.19 because of a cash from 2008. His second-largest Period 6 score was a sixth-place finish at the 2008 European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event. However, that score is now more than three years ago and not only does that finish drop from Mercier's Period 6 calculations, but it no longer counts in his GPI score at all.
Sorel Mizzi and Fabrice Soulier also increased their GPI scores in the past week thanks to impressive results. Mizzi took down the €15,000 High Roller event at the World Poker Tour in Paris last week, giving his Period 1 results a much-needed boost. Soulier, meanwhile, finished in third place at the Epic Poker League #2 Main Event to up his score, as well.
Welcome to the GPI
Thirteen players are new to the GPI this week. Among them are Adam Levy and David Steicke, thanks to their respective showings in the Epic Poker League #2 Main Event.
New Additions
| Player | Total GPI Score | GPI Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Andras Kovacs | 1,313.55 | 142nd |
| Dori Yacoub | 1,240.31 | 172nd |
| Robert Suer | 1,231.71 | 177th |
| Heinz Kamutzki | 1,202.88 | 197th |
| Adam Levy | 1,196.76 | 201st |
| Stephane Benadiba | 1,190.87 | 205th |
| Byron Kaverman | 1,175.91 | 216th |
| Jean Thorel | 1,164.14 | 223rd |
| David Steicke | 1,145,46 | 238th |
| Joe Cassidy | 1,094.41 | 271st |
| Evgeny Zaytzev | 1,092.38 | 272nd |
| Kenny Hicks | 1,087.27 | 277th |
| Christophe Benzimra | 1,042.41 | 300th |
With 13 new additions, there were also 13 people who fell off the list. Gone from the GPI this week are Alex Keating, Alex Wice, Brett Richey, Georges Yazbeck, Hasan Habib, James Mitchell, Joe Elpayaa, Morten Mortensen, Simon Ravnsbaek, Shawn Busse, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Ville Haavisto, and Yuval Bronshtein.
Ups and Downs
A win at the 2011 WPT Grand Prix de Paris vaulted Matt Waxman to the No. 16 ranking on the GPI. The biggest rise of the week belonged to Tyler Bonkowski. Although his only recent result was a 36th-place finish in the aforementioned 2011 WPT Grand Prix de Paris, that is Bonkowski's third cash in the last six months, giving him a full complement of Period 1 scores to be counted toward the GPI.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16th | Matt Waxman | 1,901.67 | 53 |
| 60th | Nichlas Mattsson | 1,586.18 | 71 |
| 64th | Hugo Lemaire | 1,575.18 | 65 |
| 70th | Guillaume Darcourt | 1,559.35 | 73 |
| 75th | Dimitry Stelmak | 1,551.78 | 45 |
| 84th | Mike McDonald | 1,511.16 | 92 |
| 85th | Amit Makhija | 1,502.99 | 41 |
| 94th | Freddy Deeb | 1,482.31 | 54 |
| 122nd | Ali Eslami | 1,376.39 | 64 |
| 128th | Tyler Bonkowski | 1,351.22 | 94 |
On the other end of the spectrum, Nicolas Chouity suffered a very steep drop in the GPI. A fifth-place score in the 2011 Merit Spring Open Main Event slipped from Period 1 to 2, resulting in a 93-spot plummet. Sam Trickett also fell from his previous rank of No. 31 due to a result counting for a new period. In his case, his win in the PartyPoker.com World Open VI last September is now a part of his Period 3 calculations, rather than Period 2.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 88th | Sam Trickett | 1,490.87 | -57 |
| 117th | Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 1,384.62 | -36 |
| 123rd | Nikolay Evdakov | 1,375.58 | -30 |
| 140th | Dan O'Brien | 1,314.35 | -40 |
| 217th | Nicolas Chouity | 1,172.17 | -93 |
| 219th | Salman Behbehani | 1,167.78 | -51 |
| 224th | Brian Rast | 1,160.59 | -43 |
| 247th | Nenad Medic | 1,128.21 | -33 |
| 268th | John Monnette | 1.097.44 | -38 |
| 277th | Micah Raskin | 1,085.28 | -85 |
What's In Store?
Currently taking place is the 2011 Partouche Poker Tour Main Event. There is still a long way to go, but among the 101 players remaining (at the time of the writing of this article) are Juha Helppi, Will "The Thrill" Failla, John Eames, and Sam Trickett. Holding down the No. 21, No. 23, No. 47, and No. 88 spots respectively, will any of these players make a big leap up the GPI next week? Also, Christian Harder topped a field in a $3,000 Heads-Up event at the Borgata in Atlantic City on Wednesday. Might that result in a rise from his current No. 40 ranking?
Though he jumped into the top 20 this week, Matt Waxman may be due for a slide back down. His third-place finish in the 2011 Wynn Classic Main Event is due to slip from Period 1 to 2 either next week or the following (depending on the cutoff date), so his Period 1 results will dip a little bit.
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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