Global Poker Index: O’Dwyer Still Leads; Charania, Busquet Trending Upward
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 March 23, 2016.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steve O’Dwyer | 4438.59 | - |
| 2 | Byron Kaverman | 4140.29 | - |
| 3 | Bryn Kenney | 4064.73 | - |
| 4 | Jason Mercier | 4034.73 | - |
| 5 | Connor Drinan | 3975.62 | - |
| 6 | Dominik Nitsche | 3973.18 | - |
| 7 | Nick Petrangelo | 3946.01 | - |
| 8 | Fedor Holz | 3818.05 | - |
| 9 | Anthony Zinno | 3756.48 | +1 |
| 10 | Stephen Chidwick | 3742.04 | -1 |
It was a quiet week for the overall Global Poker Index top 10 with the top eight players remaining the same and only Anthony Zinno and Stephen Chidwick swapping the last two spots. Meanwhile Steve O’Dwyer remains the top-ranked tournament player in the world according to the GPI for an 11th-straight week.
In fact the entire top 100 showed little change over the last seven days, with only two new names entering the list — Andrew Lichtenberger (who moved up from No. 107 to No. 85) and former top-ranked player Dan Smith (who went from No. 103 to No. 95).
Looking just at the top 100, the biggest upward movers this week were Mohsin Chrania (up from No. 82 to No. 61) and Olivier Busquet (up from No. 100 to No. 69). Charania recently took second in the World Poker Tour Rolling Thunder Main Event, just missing a third WPT title, while Busquet cashed twice in the same series including taking 27th in the Main.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 231 | Daniel Strelitz | 1817.16 |
| 260 | Phillip Hui | 1766.64 |
| 273 | Michael Linster | 1735.11 |
| 278 | Felipe Ramos | 1727.15 |
| 282 | Craig Varnell | 1723.36 |
| 298 | Noah Schwartz | 1682.64 |
| 299 | Matthew Stout | 1680.64 |
| 300 | Wael Sarkis | 1676.27 |
Considering the top 300 as a whole, there were just eight new names moving up to join the club this week, with Daniel Strelitz the highest-ranked among them. Strelitz went from No. 344 to No. 231 thanks to a 19th-place finish in that aforemented WPT Rolling Thunder event.
All eight of these players have been in the GPI top 300 before, with Noah Schwartz once having been ranked as high as No. 6 (in October 2013) and Matthew Stout having been up to No. 21 previously (in April 2014).
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 260 | Phillip Hui | 1766.64 | +171 |
| 231 | Daniel Strelitz | 1817.16 | +113 |
| 197 | Derek Wolters | 1934.19 | +87 |
| 220 | Felix Stephensen | 1856.92 | +70 |
| 224 | Justin Young | 1841.28 | +69 |
While Strelitz made a big jump, Phillip Hui’s was even bigger as he rose from No. 431 to No. 260 this week. Hui cashed three times at Rolling Thunder, winning one side event, finishing second in another, then cashing as well in the Main Event. He then picked up another cash at the 2016 Battle at the Beach at the Isle Casino Pompano Park in Pompano Beach, Florida to add a few more GPI points to his total.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 218 | Jonathan Little | 1866.77 | -75 |
| 165 | Shannon Shorr | 2071.72 | -56 |
| 258 | Keith Johnson | 1767.15 | -53 |
| 204 | Mario Lopez | 1914.41 | -42 |
| 215 | James Gilbert | 1885.09 | -41 |
Of the players ranked in this week’s top 300, Jonathan Little slipped the furthest after going from No. 143 to No. 218.
What to Expect Next Week
Both the World Series of Poker Circuit Los Angeles festival and the Foxwoods Poker Classic series continue this week, with the WSOP-C also culminating another series at Harrahs Atlantic City.
Poker players are also returning to Dublin, Ireland this week for The Irish Open 2016 while the German Poker Tour touches down at the Kings Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic.
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.
