Global Poker Index: Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier On Verge Of Taking Over Top Spot
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 continues to hold down the top spot, but come next week he will almost certainly give way to a new No. 1. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.
The Top 10 as of April 23, 2012
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank from Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Mercier | 2,934.67 | -- |
| 2 | Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier | 2,910.67 | -- |
| 3 | Sorel Mizzi | 2,670.68 | +4 |
| 4 | Eugene Katchalov | 2,551.10 | -- |
| 5 | Steve O'Dwyer | 2,385.82 | +1 |
| 6 | Shawn Buchanan | 2,366.95 | -1 |
| 7 | David "Doc" Sands | 2,343.87 | -4 |
| 8 | Mike McDonald | 2,332.84 | -- |
| 9 | Juha Helppi | 2,328.50 | +8 |
| 10 | Jonathan Duhamel | 2,288.28 | -1 |
With a win in the €10,000 No-Limit Hold'em 8-Max Re-Entry last week at EPT Berlin worth €231,000, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier significantly cut into the lead Jason Mercier held previously. Next week, another recent Grospellier score will push him over the top, but we'll get into that later.
Sorel Mizzi cracked the top three for the first time after his win at WPT Vienna in the €9,700 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller Event for a cool €114,070. Steve O'Dwyer took third place in that tournament and moved up to No. 5 as a result.
Welcome to the GPI
Kevin Iacofano returned to the GPI in the No. 215 position following his 58th-place result in the Main Event at EPT Berlin. He is closely followed by fourth-place finisher Mario Puccini, who made his debut at No. 218.
New Additions
| Player | Total GPI Score | GPI Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Iacofano | 1,180.42 | 215th |
| Mario Puccini | 1,174.39 | 218th |
| Fabian Quoss | 1,148.89 | 228th |
| Will Molson | 1,131.57 | 238th |
| Marko Neumann | 1,117.61 | 245th |
| Konstantin Tolokno | 1,100.78 | 256th |
| Paul Lieu | 1,095.41 | 262nd |
| Grant Levy | 1,084.63 | 267th |
| Agris Klaise | 1,084.59 | 268th |
| Torsten Brinkmann | 1,060.83 | 279th |
| Jasper Wetemans | 1,048.01 | 284th |
Falling from the GPI this week were Alex Debus, Chad Brown, Cristiano Guerra, Harrison Gimbel, Johnny Lodden, Manuel Bevand, Owen Crowe, Rumen Nanev, Sean Getzwiller, Tyler Bonkowski, and Yorane Kerignard.
Ups and Downs
The biggest rise of the week belonged to EPT Berlin Main Event Champion Davidi Kitai. Having been off the GPI as recently as March, Kitai won't be going anywhere for a while.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38th | Andrew Chen | 1,814.76 | +97 |
| 64th | Davidi Kitai | 1,644.16 | +167 |
| 93rd | Yevgeniy Timoshenko | 1,533.66 | +133 |
| 117th | Heinz Kamutzki | 1,459.51 | +100 |
| 137th | Tristan Wade | 1,386.46 | +76 |
| 143rd | Taylor Paur | 1,367.84 | +79 |
| 150th | Andrey Zaichenko | 1,339.10 | +116 |
| 151st | Ondrej Vinklarek | 1,329.63 | +107 |
| 163rd | Kenny Hicks | 1,303.23 | +116 |
| 181st | Sebastian Winkler | 1,267.72 | +117 |
On the other end of the spectrum is Michael Benvenuti. His runner-up performance at the 2010 WPT Festa Al Lago Championship Event aged into Period 4, giving him the biggest drop of the week.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 118th | Jean Thorel | 1,458.21 | -51 |
| 161st | Mustapha Kanit | 1,309.20 | -65 |
| 166th | David Bach | 1,299.49 | - 53 |
| 195th | Vojtech Ruzicka | 1,222.91 | -54 |
| 204th | Vitaly Lunkin | 1,201.23 | -70 |
| 210th | Michael Tureniec | 1,188.08 | -65 |
| 253rd | Michael Benvenuti | 1,106.43 | -77 |
| 265th | Barny Boatman | 1,086.84 | -73 |
| 282nd | Jake Bazeley | 1,052.89 | -74 |
| 285th | Mickey Petersen | 1,046.96 | -53 |
What's In Store?
The PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final is under way and already completed is the €100,000 Super High Roller. Justin Bonomo took it down and will no doubt be retuning to the GPI next week. Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier finished in third place and will most likely dethrone Jason Mercier for the top spot on the GPI next week. Tobias Reinkemeier and Daniel Negreanu, who finished second and sixth respectively, will also make their way into the top 40 as a result.
The WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown Championship Event wrapped up on Monday and will be reflected in next week's standings. Tommy Vedes took it down and should see his GPI standing, now No. 146, rise significantly.
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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