Global Poker Index: Jason Mercier Back on Top in Overall Rankings; Zinno Leads POY
Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes into account a player’s results over six half-year periods. For a look at the entire list, visit the official GPI website. Here’s a look at the rankings as of July 22, 2015.
2015 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Zinno | 4192.92 | - |
| 2 | Connor Drinan | 3771.10 | - |
| 3 | Scott Seiver | 3610.30 | - |
| 4 | Byron Kaverman | 3510.54 | +4 |
| 5 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | 3380.70 | -1 |
| 6 | Stephen Chidwick | 3352.67 | -1 |
| 7 | Dominick Nitsche | 3300.78 | +6 |
| 8 | Nicholas Petrangelo | 3277.39 | +8 |
| 9 | Ivan Luca | 3128.45 | -3 |
| 10 | Joe Kuether | 3105.15 | - |
With the 2015 World Series of Poker having concluded save the final table of the Main Event, the race for GPI Player of the Year was relatively less active over the past week, although there was some movement up top.
While Anthony Zinno remains the overall leader for 2015 POY for a third-straight week, Byron Kaverman moved up from No. 8 to No. 4 after finishing third in the 301-entry, $10,400 buy-in Bellagio Cup XI.
There were two newcomers into the top 10 this week as well, both of whom like Kaverman came close to winning that Bellagio event. Dominick Nitsche went from No. 13 to No. 6 after placing second in the Bellagio Cup XI, and Nicholas Petrangelo moved from No. 16 to No. 8 after taking fourth. Sean Winter won, incidentally — he currently sits at No. 106 in the POY race.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Mercier | 4020.73 | +1 |
| 2 | Anthony Zinno | 3895.66 | -1 |
| 3 | Dan Smith | 3818.38 | - |
| 4 | Scott Seiver | 3743.06 | - |
| 5 | Stephen Chidwick | 3,671.91 | +1 |
| 6 | Davidi Kitai | 3615.34 | -1 |
| 7 | Byron Kaverman | 3598.36 | +3 |
| 8 | Dario Sammartino | 3587.71 | -1 |
| 9 | Bryn Kenney | 3575.82 | -1 |
| 10 | Paul Volpe | 3522.01 | -1 |
Zinno did not remain atop the overall GPI rankings this week, however, his two-week reign at the top having been stopped by new leader Jason Mercier. Both players had terrific summers at the World Series of Poker — each earning a bracelet along the way — to push up into the top two spots.
While Mercier has been consistently hovering inside the top 10 or close to it for most of the last two years, this marks his first time back at No. 1 since early September 2013.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 218 | Justin Young | 1871.54 |
| 250 | Eric Blair | 1788.96 |
| 255 | JJ Liu | 1781.06 |
| 269 | Eugene Todd | 1744.71 |
| 272 | Timur Margolin | 1739.26 |
| 280 | Mark Flowers | 1726.91 |
| 286 | Anthony Ruberto | 1707.17 |
| 294 | Oscar Alache | 1695.36 |
| 296 | Viet Van Vo | 1682.91 |
Just nine players entered the GPI Top 300 this week after a relatively quiet period, tournament-wise.
The Latin American Poker Tour Peru series did play out, where Oscar Alache — a two-time Main Event winner on the LAPT — final tabled the High Roller event, finishing fifth to earn some GPI points. Meanwhile Justin Young’s 15th-place showing in the $5,000 buy-in Deep Stack Extravaganza III at the Venetian earned him a boost all of the way from No. 301 to No. 218.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 272 | Timur Margolin | 1739.26 | +172 |
| 125 | Joe McKeehen | 2241.19 | +124 |
| 168 | Galen Hall | 2027.11 | +117 |
| 269 | Eugene Todd | 1744.71 | +88 |
| 218 | Justin Young | 1871.54 | +83 |
That move made Young one of the biggest gainers among those appearing in the GPI Top 300, a group topped by Timur Margolin thanks to his bounce upwards from No. 444 to No. 272 following his 11th-place finish in the Bellagio Cup XI.
Also moving upwards this week in the overall rankings is current World Series of Poker Main Event chip leader Joseph McKeehen who jumped from No. 249 to No. 125. Just as McKeehen and the other November Niners have already been awarded ninth-place money for making the final table, they’ve also earned GPI points equivalent to a ninth-place finish, and it was the adding of those that helped McKeehen’s upward move.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 291 | Jason Ryan Helder | 1697.82 | -61 |
| 293 | Tamer Kamel | 1695.65 | -59 |
| 177 | Ivan Soshnikov | 2001.84 | -47 |
| 287 | Darren Rabinowitz | 1704.37 | -45 |
| 258 | Giacomo Fundaro | 1777.61 | -36 |
Meanwhile among players falling in the overall GPI rankings this week yet retaining spots inside the Top 300, Jason Ryan Helder fell the furthest, going from No. 230 to No. 291.
What to Expect Next Week
The Brazilian Series of Poker touches down in Sao Paulo, Brazil this week, giving players attending that event chances to earn GPI points. Looking ahead, the week after that come a couple of other big events — the 2015 WSOP National Championship at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina and the World Poker Tour Choctaw event at the Choctaw Casino Resort in Oklahoma.
To view both the 2015 Player of the Year and GPI overall rankings in their entirety, visit the official GPI website. While you’re at it, follow the GPI on Twitter and its Facebook page.
