Global Poker Index: Mercier Dethrones Seidel
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. There was a change on top of the GPI this week as a new yet familiar face is once again on top of the mountain. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.
The Top 10 as of February 13, 2012
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank from Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Mercier | 3,003.82 | +1 |
| 2 | Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier | 2,853.56 | +1 |
| 3 | Erik Seidel | 2,789.21 | -2 |
| 4 | Eugene Katchalov | 2,709.37 | 0 |
| 5 | Shawn Buchanan | 2,672.49 | 0 |
| 6 | Will "The Thrill" Failla | 2,429.74 | +1 |
| 7 | Matt Waxman | 2,400.18 | +1 |
| 8 | Vanessa Selbst | 2,371.85 | +1 |
| 9 | Mike "Timex" McDonald | 2,337.53 | +1 |
| 10 | Matt Marafioti | 2,295.53 | +1 |
The inaugural Epic Poker League Main Event fell into Period 2, impacting both Erik Seidel (runner-up in that event) and Jason Mercier (third) in the standings.
In Mercier's case, he has enough high-quality scores remaining in Period 1. That, along with the points gained from his finish in the Epic Poker League inaugural event, boosted his Period 2 results and helped increase his score this week. On the other hand, Seidel's Period 1 was left with just three cashes. As a result, he slipped to the No. 3 spot.
Welcome to the GPI
Only four new players are on the GPI this week with Vojtech Ruzicka coming in at No. 169, thanks to a win at the German Championship of Poker Main Event.
New Additions
| Player | Total GPI Score | GPI Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Vojtech Ruzicka | 1,1330.04 | 169th |
| Andrew Tend | 1,084.22 | 290th |
| David Diaz | 1,076.00 | 298th |
| Amnon Filippi | 1,073.24 | 200th |
Adam Levy, Brandon Meyers, Georges Yazbeck, and Nicolo Calia were the ones who fell off the GPI this week.
Ups and Downs
Several players saw nice gains this week. Andrea Dato vaulted up the standings following his third-place result at WPT Venice. Kevin MacPhee and Shaun Deeb took first and second, respectively, in the EPT Deauville Six-Max High Roller last weekend.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45th | Oleksii Kovalchuk | 1,848.44 | +12 |
| 98th | Simon Ravnsbaek | 1,529.69 | +97 |
| 102nd | Kevin MacPhee | 1,518.33 | +88 |
| 106th | Anton Wigg | 1,495.70 | +13 |
| 117th | Michael Tureniec | 1,475.70 | +21 |
| 119th | Shaun Deeb | 1,474.31 | +66 |
| 153rd | Andrea Dato | 1,384.12 | +130 |
| 156th | Ronny Kaiser | 1,370.54 | +132 |
| 165th | Ognjen Sekularac | 1,349.99 | +110 |
Justin Bonomo took the biggest plunge down the GPI this week. His 18th-place finish in the inaugural Epic Poker League Main Event dropped into Period 2, leaving him with only one Period 1 result. The same can be said for Chino Rheem, the winner of that tournament, who also dropped a fair amount this week.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 136th | Dmitry Vitkind | 1,430.05 | -37 |
| 137th | Gavin Smith | 1,424.40 | -31 |
| 147th | Chino Rheem | 1,397.33 | -47 |
| 182nd | Hafiz Khan | 1,288.75 | -73 |
| 205th | Ted Lawson | 1,238.14 | -46 |
| 247th | Markus Ristola | 1,143.97 | -75 |
| 251st | Manuel Bevand | 1,140.79 | -52 |
| 261st | Nichlas Mattsson | 1,127.59 | -44 |
| 280th | Stephane Benadiba | 1.093.39 | -59 |
| 299th | Justin Bonomo | 1,074.98 | -83 |
What's In Store?
EPT Copenhagen, LAPT Grand Final Carnival Poker Festival, DeepStacks Poker Tour Seneca Niagara, and WSOPC Palm Beach are all due to start over the next few days, so expect results from those events to shake up the GPI for the next two weeks.
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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