Global Poker Index: Mandavia Moves Up; Grospellier Goes Down; Dan Smith Still Leads

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Sep 25, 2014 3 min read Last updated Apr 09, 2015

Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top 300 tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes into account a player’s results over six half-year periods. The GPI also ranks the top performers of the year over two six-month periods as calculated by the USA Today Global Poker Index point system.

2014 GPI Player of the Year

For the second straight week there was absolutely zero movement among the top 10 of the 2014 GPI Player of the Year race as all 10 players held steady while accumulating no points.

Byron Kaverman made a move from No. 18 to No. 11 this week on the strength of a cash at the World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open where he finished 64th. Darren Elias won that event to earn a handsome $843,744 first prize, thereby helping Elias move all of the way up to No. 28 from No. 81 in the POY rankings.

GPI 300 Top 10

There wasn’t a lot of movement atop the overall GPI list this week with the top six spots remaining the same and mostly small moves among those just below. While continuing to lead the 2014 GPI Player of the Year race, Dan Smith has now led the overall rankings for five straight weeks as well.

Meanwhile Alex Bilokur snuck back into the top 10 after having slipped outside of it for a week, reclaiming the spot Olivier Busquet had enjoyed for one week.

Welcome to the GPI

A handful of players pushed their way into the overall top 300 this week, among them Ankush “pistons87” Mandavia (pictured above) who moved from No. 316 to No. 257 this week. That ranking is the highest ever in the GPI for Mandavia.

Mandavia has also continued to enjoy significant online success including chopping Event #23 of the World Championship of Online Poker on PokerStars a week-and-a-half ago. Mandavia spoke with PokerNews about that $10,300 buy-in WCOOP tournament in which he earned a career-best score of $585,313.

Biggest Gains

Bobby Oboodi enjoyed the biggest gain of anyone in this week’s GPI top 300 after catapulting from No. 413 up to No. 259 following his 12th-place showing in the WPT Borgata Poker Open. A 20th-place finish for Daniel Weinman in the same event also helped him move up from No. 269 to No. 169 in the rankings.

Biggest Drops

Looking inside this week’s top 300 and who had the biggest drops, Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier stands out primarily because his dipping down from No. 74 to No. 122 means he finds himself outside of the GPI top 100 for the first time since the rankings were first tracked in June 2011. Grospellier was ranked No. 1 for a few of those weeks in the summer of 2011, and was still in the top 10 as recently as August 2013.

To view 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.

• Tags Global Poker Index Ankush Mandavia Dan Smith Bertrand Grospellier World Poker Tour WPT Borgata Poker Open
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• Related Players Bertrand GrospellierDan SmithAnkush Mandavia