Global Poker Index: EPT Deauville Winner Vadzim Kursevich Sees Biggest Rise Up the GPI
Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top 300 tournament poker players in the world by using a formula that takes a player's results over six half-year periods. Erik Seidel's lead on Jason Mercier remains undisturbed because there were no changes in the top 10 this week. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.
The Top 10 as of February 6, 2012
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank from Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erik Seidel | 3,069.84 | 0 |
| 2 | Jason Mercier | 2,986.07 | 0 |
| 3 | Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier | 2,839.23 | 0 |
| 4 | Eugene Katchalov | 2,760.52 | 0 |
| 5 | Shawn Buchanan | 2,672.49 | 0 |
| 6 | Sam Trickett | 2,436.82 | 0 |
| 7 | Will "The Thrill" Failla | 2,429.74 | 0 |
| 8 | Matt Waxman | 2,400.18 | 0 |
| 9 | Vanessa Selbst | 2,397.30 | 0 |
| 10 | Mike "Timex" McDonald | 2,377.53 | 0 |
Welcome to the GPI
Heinz Kamutzki debuts with the highest ranking this week following his 36th-place finish in the EPT Deauville Main Event. With that cash, Kamutzki now has a full slate of four results that will be counted in his Period 1 results.
New Additions
| Player | Total GPI Score | GPI Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Heinz Kamutzki | 1,329.54 | 116th |
| David Sonelin | 1,277.33 | 186th |
| Kevin Vandersmissen | 1,270.40 | 191st |
| Brock Parker | 1,262.55 | 193rd |
| Jacob Bazeley | 1,224.06 | 209th |
| Mohsin Charania | 1,181.40 | 229th |
| Yorane Kerignard | 1,142.08 | 251st |
| Ray Qartomy | 1,135.18 | 254th |
| Jan Bendik | 1,128.69 | 260th |
| Josh Brikis | 1,107.62 | 271st |
| Ognjen Sekularac | 1,101.52 | 275th |
| Anton Ionel | 1,100.42 | 276th |
| Matthias De Meulder | 1,087.76 | 278th |
| Christophe Benzimra | 1,096,43 | 279th |
| Bruno Lopes | 1,091.21 | 285th |
Falling from the GPI this week were Dan Shak, David Diaz, Jani Sointula, Jason Wheeler, Jon Spinks, Nacho Barbero, Kevin Calenzo, Maksim Kolosov, Mark Radoja, Nicolas Cardyn, Stephen Chidwick, Tamas Lendvai, Vojtech Ruzicka, Yuliyan Nikolaev Kolev, and Will Molson.
Ups and Downs
The biggest rise of the week belonged to Vadzim Kursevich. He won the EPT Deauville Main Event and now also has four Period 1 scores to be calculated in the GPI.
Others who rose in the GPI following successful showings at EPT Deauville include Mikhail Lakhitov, Luca Pagano, Ruben Visser, Paul Berende, Koen De Visscher and Marc Inizan.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 67th | Mikhail Lakhitov | 1,671.55 | +147 |
| 78th | Ruben Visser | 1,638.31 | +89 |
| 79th | Vadzim Kursevich | 1,635.44 | +160 |
| 108th | Luca Pagano | 1,511.46 | +138 |
| 112th | Marc Inizan | 1,498.70 | +89 |
| 151st | Jeff Papola | 1,385.54 | +108 |
| 163rd | Koen De Visscher | 1,357.67 | +107 |
| 165th | Paul Berende | 1,340.16 | +133 |
| 182nd | Andrey Danilyuk | 1,283.74 | +89 |
| 197th | Guillaume Darcourt | 1,256.40 | +72 |
Nicolo Calia took the biggest GPI tumble this week. Already with zero Period 1 scores on his GPI resume, his 43rd-place cash in the the 2011 WPT Venice Main Event slipped into Period 3.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 82nd | Joe Ebanks | 1,617.24 | -25 |
| 106th | Gavin Smith | 1,513.54 | -28 |
| 188th | David Vamplew | 1,273.15 | -34 |
| 198th | Daniel Chevalier | 1,251.79 | -34 |
| 235th | Sami Kelopuro | 1,171.28 | -45 |
| 253rd | Jesse Alexis Cohen | 1,136.13 | -50 |
| 262nd | Nicolo Calia | 1,124.22 | -73 |
| 270th | Cristiano Guerra | 1,108.87 | -44 |
| 288th | Ronny Kaiser | 1,090.39 | -72 |
| 290th | Mihails Morozovs | 1,088.51 | -72 |
What's In Store?
The 2012 WPT Venice Main Event Final Table was set on Thursday. Andrea Dato, currently No. 283 on the GPI, and Simon Ravnsbaek, (No. 195) are in first and second respectively, in the chip counts. Jason Wheeler was eliminated in seventh, just missing the final table. Expect Wheeler to be back on the list next week, and Ravnsbaek and Dato to see solid rises.
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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