Global Poker Index: Byron Kaverman Ends Jason Mercier’s Reign, Takes Over No. 1
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 September 30, 2015.
2015 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Zinno | 4461.20 | - |
| 2 | Byron Kaverman | 4292.41 | - |
| 3 | Nicholas Petrangelo | 4076.11 | - |
| 4 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | 3955.62 | - |
| 5 | Connor Drinan | 3771.11 | - |
| 6 | Scott Seiver | 3762.46 | - |
| 7 | Jason Mercier | 3751.99 | - |
| 8 | Paul Volpe | 3651.76 | - |
| 9 | Joe Kuether | 3473.30 | +8 |
| 10 | Stephen Chidwick | 3473.17 | -1 |
Eight months down, four to go in 2015, and for the last three months-plus Anthony Zinno has enjoyed the lead in the 2015 Global Poker Index Player of the Year race. Another relatively quiet week on the tournament circuit meant little movement at the top again, with Zinno retaining the No. 1 position in the POY race for a 13th-straight week.
There was one newcomer in the GPI POY top 10 this week as Joe Kuether jumped up from No. 17 to No. 8 after having finished third in the $3,500 buy-in, 1,027-entry World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open won by David Paredes.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Byron Kaverman | 4257.36 | +1 |
| 2 | Jason Mercier | 4200.41 | -1 |
| 3 | Anthony Zinno | 4006.18 | - |
| 4 | Scott Seiver | 3920.19 | - |
| 5 | Stephen Chidwick | 3749.82 | +2 |
| 6 | Nicholas Petrangelo | 3710.07 | -1 |
| 7 | Paul Volpe | 3699.56 | -1 |
| 8 | Dominik Nitsche | 3620.49 | - |
| 9 | Martin Finger | 3607.46 | - |
| 10 | Bryn Kenney | 3590.78 | +1 |
He’d been knocking on the door to the No. 1 overall GPI ranking for months, and finally it opened up for Byron Kaverman who this week ended Jason Mercier’s 10-week reign at the top to become the overall leader for the first time in his career.
Kaverman had been ranked in the overall top 10 every week since mid-February, and had been ranked either No. 2 or No. 3 for 10 of the last 14 weekly updates before finally breaking through to reach the top this week. The Ohioan has amassed nearly $5.9 million in tournament earnings since 2008, and is enjoying one of his best years as he also sits in second position currently behind Zinno in the 2015 GPI POY race.
The rest of the top 10 remains largely the same with some minor shuffling among the top players and Bryn Kenney rejoining the top 10 again after moving up one spot.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 153 | Andjelko Andrejevic | 2084.26 |
| 191 | James Gilbert | 1959.29 |
| 245 | Aaron Mermelstein | 1823.26 |
| 249 | Ben Heath | 1811.94 |
| 251 | Greg Merson | 1807.77 |
| 260 | David Paredes | 1791.10 |
| 266 | Oscar Alache | 1780.51 |
| 271 | Jean Gaspard | 1771.93 |
| 280 | David Stefanski | 1747.02 |
| 294 | Vineet Pahuja | 1715.39 |
| 300 | Steve Karp | 1702.56 |
There were 11 newcomers to the overall top 300 this week, with Andjelko Andrejevic the highest-ranked among that group. Andrejevic moved all of the way from No. 387 to No. 153 after putting together back-to-back final table performances, finishing seventh in the aforementioned WPT Borgata Main Event, then turning around and finishing third of 337 in the $3,500 WPT Maryland Live! Main Event last week.
As noted above, David Paredes won that WPT Borgata Main Event, and he returns to the top 300 this week for the first time since March 2015, having ascended from No. 585 to No. 260. Meanwhile Aaron Mermelstein won the WPT Maryland Live! Main Event, helping him move up from No. 450 to No. 245 to enter the GPI top 300 for the first time in his career.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 260 | David Paredes | 1791.10 | +325 |
| 153 | Andjelko Andrejevic | 2084.26 | +234 |
| 245 | Aaron Mermelstein | 1823.26 | +205 |
| 271 | Jean Gaspard | 1771.93 | +186 |
| 280 | David Stefanski | 1747.02 | +179 |
Those great recent performances by Paredes, Andrejevic, and Mermelstein in WPT events helped that trio claim the top three spots in this week’s “Biggest Gains” list. Greg Merson sits just outside this top five, having moved up from No. 409 to No. 251 this week after finishing fourth in that WPT Maryland Live! Main Event.
Also worth noting is the positive move of Mario Lopez who last week won his second Latin American Poker Tour title after topping a 267-entry field to take down the LAPT Uruguay Main Event.. Lopez, who also won the 3,292-player Estrellas Barcelona Main Event in August, moved up from No. 192 to No. 94 this week, his first time inside the overall GPI top 100.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 255 | Andrey Shatilov | 1875.00 | -64 |
| 187 | Frederik Jensen | 1711.37 | -62 |
| 276 | Marc-Andre Ladouceur | 1759.71 | -39 |
| 297 | Jussi Nevanlinna | 1972.99 | -35 |
| 231 | Anthony Gregg | 1796.54 | -34 |
Looking at players still inside the top 300 who fell the furthest over the last seven days, Andrey Shatilov tops this list after going from No. 191 to No. 255, with Frederik Jensen just behind him after going from No. 125 to No. 187. Jensen likely isn’t so concerned, however, after having just enjoyed a terrific World Championship of Online Poker on PokerStars where he cashed five times including taking runner-up in the $10,300 8-Game Championship for $200K.
While we’re on the subject of drops in the rankings, a couple of former GPI top five players — Fabrice Soulier (ranked No. 304 this week) and Philipp Gruissem (ranked No. 346) — fell out of the top 300 this week.
What to Expect Next Week
The tournament schedule picks up again during the first week of October with the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Southern Indiana series getting underway, the Heartland Poker Tour visiting the Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room, and the ARIA Resort & Casino hosting a couple more $25K high rollers.
The United Kingdom Ireland Poker Tour has also touched down once more at the Isle of Man, where PokerNews’ live reporting team is on hand with start-to-finish coverage.
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.
