Global Poker Index: "King" Dan Smith Rises to the Top
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. While the player in the No.1 spot has changed multiple times, it's usually been Jason Mercier and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier jockeying for position in what had been a two-horse race. Dan Smith now sits alone atop the GPI. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.
The Top 10 as of October 29, 2012
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank from Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Smith | 3,056.84 | +5 |
| 2 | Jason Mercier | 2,913.38 | -1 |
| 3 | Marvin Rettenmaier | 2,766.21 | -- |
| 4 | Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier | 2,744.54 | -2 |
| 5 | Andrew Lichtenberger | 2,545.70 | -- |
| 6 | Philipp Gruissem | 2,531.40 | -2 |
| 7 | Steve O'Dwyer | 2,487.96 | -- |
| 8 | Phil Hellmuth | 2,421.95 | -- |
| 9 | Vanessa Selbst | 2,404.80 | +1 |
| 10 | Mike Watson | 2,400.12 | -1 |
It was only a matter of time before Dan Smith's six- and seven-figure scores began to pay off on the GPI front. Smith earned three first-place finishes (each six figures) at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final in April. Two of those scores aged and instantly boosted his Period 2 score while not affecting his Period 1 much because he still has three six-figures results to go along with one seven-figure pay day. Get used to seeing Smith atop the GPI.
Welcome to the GPI
Sixteen players are new to this week's rankings, led by Tim West and Dominik Nitsche. West recently finished in seventh place at the Festa al Lago Main Event for $40,469, giving his Period 1 a much-needed boost. Nitsche, meanwhile, topped a 230-player field in the WPT South Africa Main Event for $206,153.
New Additions
| Player | Total GPI Score | GPI Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tim West | 1,274.02 | 186th |
| Dominik Nitsche | 1,254.77 | 199th |
| Ray Qartomy | 1,136.01 | 253rd |
| Justin Conley | 1,118.94 | 264th |
| Chady Ojeil | 1,067.58 | 284th |
| Kunal Patel | 1,066.79 | 285th |
| Igor Yaroshevsky | 1,063.35 | 287th |
| Arnaud Mattern | 1,061.38 | 288th |
| Jake Bazeley | 1,057.30 | 289th |
| Eric Baldwin | 1,057.27 | 290th |
| Stephane Albertini | 1,048.82 | 291st |
| Marko Neumann | 1,047.69 | 293rd |
| Mike Wattel | 1,047.58 | 294th |
| Kunimaro Kojo | 1,044.37 | 296th |
| David Bach | 1,042.31 | 298th |
| Marc Inizan | 1,041.49 | 299th |
Aaron Jones, Anatoly Gurtovy, David Paredes, Hoyt Corkins, Nacho Barbero, Justin Zaki, Kevin Vandersmissen, Lucille Cailly, Matt Stout, Maxi Lehmanski, Max Lykov, Mikhail Petrov, Pratyush Buddiga, Roman Romanovskyi, Simeon Naydenov, and Zoltan Szabo fell from the GPI this week.
Ups and Downs
The biggest rise of the week belonged to Matt Waxman following his runner-up showing in the Festa al Lago Main Event for $273,944.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20th | Justin Bonomo | 2,166.56 | +39 |
| 101st | Dimitar Danchev | 1,564.79 | +35 |
| 106th | Matt Waxman | 1,554.24 | +130 |
| 167th | Victor Ramdin | 1,327.19 | +35 |
| 195th | Zachary Korik | 1,259.69 | +89 |
| 232nd | Greg Ronaldson | 1,182.67 | +41 |
| 240th | Jeff Gross | 1,165.28 | +41 |
| 243rd | Ty Reiman | 1,155.41 | +50 |
| 246th | Maria Ho | 1,145.96 | +41 |
Martin Finger fell the furthest this week. His two cashes from the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino EPT Grand Final aged into Period 2.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total Score | Change in Rank From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 131st | Andrew Badecker | 1,472.97 | -81 |
| 152nd | McLean Karr | 1,386.69 | -43 |
| 158th | Guillaume Darcourt | 1,367.68 | -42 |
| 178th | Vyacheslav Igin | 1,300.33 | -73 |
| 183rd | Martin Finger | 1,287.53 | -89 |
| 185th | Sergio Castelluccio | 1,278.01 | -62 |
| 204th | Matt Glantz | 1,249.32 | -46 |
| 263rd | Marco Leonzio | 1,120.19 | -41 |
| 276th | Rupert Elder | 1,088.37 | -55 |
| 283rd | Alex Queen | 1,070.06 | -41 |
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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