Global Poker Index: Hall Off To Fast Start in 2012
Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top 300 tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes a player's results over six half-year periods. Jason Mercier is still No. 1 for the time being and it doesn't appear that his reign will be ending anytime soon. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.
The Top 10 as of January 9, 2012
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank from Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Mercier | 3,014.34 | 0 |
| 2 | Erik Seidel | 2,851.80 | 0 |
| 3 | Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier | 2,829.10 | 0 |
| 4 | Eugene Katchalov | 2,749.99 | 0 |
| 5 | Sam Trickett | 2,582.47 | 0 |
| 6 | Shawn Buchanan | 2,430.85 | +2 |
| 7 | Vanessa Selbst | 2,412.31 | -1 |
| 8 | Matt Waxman | 2,395.23 | +1 |
| 9 | Will "The Thrill" Failla | 2,359.99 | -2 |
| 10 | Sam Stein | 2,248.98 | +3 |
Welcome to the GPI
Dan Shak leads the list of new GPIers this week following his runner-up showing in the PCA Super High Roller event this weekend.
New Additions
| Player | Total GPI Score | GPI Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Shak | 1,069.61 | 267th |
| Paul Berende | 1,045.97 | 280th |
| Nicolas Cardyn | 1,043.57 | 281st |
| Jan Bendik | 1,036.43 | 285th |
| Nikolay Evdakov | 1,028.35 | 289th |
| Amnon Filippi | 1,024.99 | 290th |
| Ognjen Sekularac | 1,024.48 | 291st |
| Greg Brooks | 1,021.03 | 293rd |
| Ville Haavisto | 1,019.61 | 294th |
| Andrew Robl | 1,008.74 | 298th |
Falling from the GPI this week were Alex Kostritsyn, Anton Ionel, Bolivar Palacios, Dana Kellstrom, Faraz Jaka, Jonathan Turner, Josh Brikis, Martin Staszko, Pius Heinz, and Robert Suer. With the WSOP Main Event results now six months old (November Nine results date back to July), Heinz and Staszko felt the effects of their scores slipping into Period 2.
Ups and Downs
The biggest rise of the week belonged to 2011 PCA Main Event Champion Galen Hall. It's been a good start to 2012 for Hall, who finished in third place in the PCA Super High Roller Event over the weekend. He also finished 64th in this year's PCA Main Event (which will be reflected in his GPI score next week). Jonathan Duhamel finished in fourth place in the PCA Super High Roller and rose in the ranks to No. 52.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44th | Freddy Deeb | 1,794.36 | +26 |
| 52nd | Jonathan Duhamel | 1,735.55 | +30 |
| 57th | Vanessa Rousso | 1,702.00 | +30 |
| 75th | Andras Kovacs | 1,633.03 | +31 |
| 81st | Dermot Blain | 1,590.64 | +37 |
| 115th | Galen Hall | 1,409.46 | +63 |
| 189th | Jesse Alexis Cohen | 1,210.98 | +27 |
| 217th | Mike Binger | 1,158.56 | +27 |
| 227th | Brian Powell | 1,143.10 | +50 |
| 243rd | Andrey Zaichenko | 1,107.91 | +31 |
Fabrizio Gonzalez slipped the furthest this week. His 22nd-finish place in a $5,000 PLO/8 event at the 2011 WSOP fell into Period 2, leaving him with just one Period 1 score. WSOP Player of the Year Ben Lamb also saw his GPI stock drop this week as his Main Event finish fell to Period 2, leaving him with no Period 1 results.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 105th | Ben Lamb | 1,466.25 | -60 |
| 142nd | JP Kelly | 1,322.52 | -53 |
| 195th | Nick Binger | 1,207.02 | -54 |
| 204th | Peter Jetten | 1,190.70 | -60 |
| 235th | David Bach | 1,128.13 | -74 |
| 258th | Mike Sowers | 1,081.42 | -76 |
| 284th | Sebastian Ruthernberg | 1,037.26 | -77 |
| 288th | Erick Lindgren | 1,033.82 | -61 |
| 292nd | John Andress | 1,023.22 | -53 |
| 297th | Fabrizio Gonzalez | 1,016.75 | -95 |
What's In Store?
The PCA Main Event and PCA $25,000 High Roller will be wrapped up Monday, so both results will be taken into consideration for next week's rankings. Faraz Jaka and Byron Kaverman, who are currently deep in the PCA Main Event, will most definitely improve in next week's rankings.
A $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em 8-Max event also wrapped up at the PCA and Jonathan Duhamel took it down, so he will be sure to improve upon his current No. 52 ranking. Pius Heinz finished in fifth place, so he'll be back on the GPI next week. Finishing third in that tournament was Jason Mercier, so he'll be adding to his GPI lead next week.
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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