Global Poker Index: ElkY Maintains Lead; Smith and Negreanu Vault into Top 10
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. Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier maintains his slight edge over Jason Mercier as the 2012 World Series of Poker inches closer. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.
The Top 10 as of May 7, 2012
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank from Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier | 2,927.31 | -- |
| 2 | Jason Mercier | 2,909.39 | -- |
| 3 | David "Doc" Sands | 2,581.69 | +2 |
| 4 | Sorel Mizzi | 2,553.66 | -1 |
| 5 | Eugene Katchalov | 2,439.03 | -1 |
| 6 | Dan Smith | 2,430.18 | +99 |
| 7 | Noah Schwartz | 2,414.38 | +8 |
| 8 | Steve O'Dwyer | 2,363.78 | -1 |
| 9 | Jonathan Duhamel | 2,288.28 | +1 |
| 10 | Daniel Negreanu | 2,280.75 | +33 |
From outside of the top 100 to the inside the top 10, Dan Smith's remarkable PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final series vaulted him up the ranks. He took down three €5,000 buy-in events for six figures each and along with his seven-figure score from the $100,000 Challenge at the Aussie Millions, his Period 1 is terrific. Also cracking the top 10 is Daniel Negreanu following his runner-up showing in the €25,000 High-Roller Event worth €598,600.
Welcome to the GPI
Artem Litvinov and Igor Kurganov joined the GPI this week following their showings in the €25,000 High-Roller Event at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final. Litvinov finished fifth for €216,000, while Kurganov took it down for €1,080,000.
New Additions
| Player | Total GPI Score | GPI Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Artem Litvinov | 1,343.65 | 155th |
| Igor Kurganov | 1,285.79 | 181st |
| James Calderaro | 1,195.36 | 204th |
| Max Martinez | 1,190.04 | 208th |
| Anthony Gregg | 1,186.33 | 212th |
| Chris Brammer | 1,158.91 | 225th |
| Lucien Cohen | 1,126.53 | 241st |
| Oliver Speidel | 1,110.46 | 257th |
| Phil Ivey | 1,077.48 | 278th |
| Max Lehmanski | 1,045.71 | 295th |
Falling from the GPI this week were Connor Drinan, David Pham, David Sonelin, Hugo Lemaire, Jasper Wetemans, Max Silver, Michael Benvenuti, Paul Berende, Joseph Cheong, and Torsten Brinkmann.
Ups and Downs
The biggest rise of the week belonged to Alex Venovski for his 11th-place finish in the €25,000 High-Roller Event at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th | Dan Smith | 2,430.18 | +99 |
| 30th | Justin Bonomo | 2,013.07 | +44 |
| 45th | Tody Lewis | 1,827.04 | +49 |
| 49th | Alexander Dovzhenko | 1,793.01 | +47 |
| 70th | Darren Elias | 1,666.14 | +79 |
| 85th | Max Lykov | 1,605.65 | +91 |
| 86th | Dan Buzgon | 1,599.99 | +48 |
| 98th | Dominykas Karmazinas | 1,544.19 | +80 |
| 138th | Vojtech Ruzicka | 1,390.97 | +65 |
| 150th | Alex Venovski | 1,362.22 | +129 |
Fernando Brito, on the other hand, took the biggest tumble this week as aging scores dropped his ranking. First, a fifth-place showing in a $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em side event at EPT San Remo last May fell into Period 3. Also, his 37th-place performance in the 2011 EPT Grand Final slipped into Period 3, too.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200th | Erich Kollman | 1,210.62 | -44 |
| 219th | Kimmo Matias Kurko | 1,171.22 | -44 |
| 247th | Jose Manuel Nadal | 1,118.51 | -54 |
| 255th | Jean-Paul Pierre Pasqualini | 1,111.82 | -54 |
| 256th | Benny Spindler | 1,111.76 | -65 |
| 266th | Jan Bendik | 1,099.94 | -55 |
| 282nd | Fernando Brito | 1,074.27 | -116 |
| 292nd | Thorsten Schafer | 1,049.66 | -83 |
| 294th | Will Molson | 1,045.75 | -50 |
| 298th | Andrey Danilyuk | 1,043.35 | -75 |
What's In Store?
Don't expect much of a change in the GPI until the WPT World Championship, which begins later this month. Until then, expect aging scores to make some minor waves.
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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