Global Poker Index: More for Fedor; Holz Extends Leads After High Roller for One Drop Win

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Jul 14, 2016 4 min read

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 13, 2016.

2016 GPI Player of the Year

With his big win in the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop at the 2016 World Series of Poker on Sunday, it's no surprise to see Fedor Holz furthering his lead in the 2016 Global Poker Index Player of the Year race where he's been the frontrunner for five weeks now. After picking up his first career bracelet — and first cash at the WSOP this summer — Holz put some extra distance between himself and nearest challengers Adrian Mateos, Jason Mercier, and Dominik Nitsche.

Paul Volpe jumped up five spots to No. 5 after continuing to pick up WSOP cashes. Volpe has eight of them this summer, including a bracelet, and currently sits in second behind Mercier in the GPI-powered 2016 WSOP Player of the Year standings.

Meanwhile David Peters stormed upward from No. 31 all the way to No. 7 in the GPI POY standings after topping a field of 1,860 to win his first career bracelet in Event #56: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. 2015 WSOP Main Event champion Joe McKeehen has grabbed a top 10 spot as well, moving from No. 25 to No. 9 thanks to his having taken sixth in that $111,111 High Roller for One Drop event, his fifth WSOP cash of the summer.

Incidentally, McKeehen's highest ranking in the 2015 GPI Player of the Year race (won by Byron Kaverman) was just inside the top 100 as he finished the year at No. 98. His highest overall GPI ranking has been 16th (he's 19th this week).

GPI 300 Top 10

Holz stays on top in the overall GPI rankings for a fifth-straight week as well, keep pace ahead of Jason Mercier who remains in second position. Mercier last led the GPI in September 2015.

Steve O'Dwyer fell three spots to No. 6, his lowest ranking since November 2015. Sean Winter joined the top 10 list week, moving up a couple of spots while Tom Marchese slipped a notch from No. 10 to No. 11.

Looking outside of the top 10, as noted McKeehen moved up to No. 19 this week (from No. 42), while Niall Farrell elevated from No. 47 to No. 27 after his runner-up finish to Safiya Umerova in Event #50: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout and eighth-place showing in the High Roller for One Drop.

Welcome to the GPI Top 300

Once again there were a lot of newcomers in the top 300 this time around, with 21 different players moving up enough to join the list. Koray Aldemir is the highest-ranked of this bunch, having moved up from No. 353 to No. 162 after taking third in the $111,111 High Roller for One Drop.

Michael Mizrachi also made a big move back into the top 300, going from No. 461 to No. 211 on the strength of his final-table appearance in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship (where he took fourth), plus another deep run in the $25,000 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (where he finished 12th).

Biggest Gains

Mizrachi's gain represented the biggest enjoyed by any of the players in the current top 300, with Aldemir's also being enough to earn him a spot on the "Biggest Gains" list.

Ryan D'Angelo went from No. 523 to No. 277 after finishing fourth in the $25K Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, his seventh WSOP cash of the summer. Kyle Bowker made a similar leap from No. 524 to No. 287 after winning Event #64: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low. And Natasha Barbour finished third in Event #59: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em (her seventh WSOP cash this year), helping her go from No. 401 to No. 234 to make her career debut inside the top 300.

Biggest Drops

Looking only at players retaining spots in the top 300, Eddy Sabat endured the steepest drop this week after slipping from No. 180 to No. 291.

What to Expect Next Week

While the World Series of Poker is winding down and shouldn't affect the GPI rankings too much more going forward (for now), other Las Vegas-based series continue, including the Wynn Summer Classic and Deep Stack Extravaganza III at the Venetian. The 2016 Florida State Poker Championships are also continuing at the Isle Casino Pompano Park, with the bwin.be WPT National Brussels series also ongoing at the Grand Casino Brussels.

To view the 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.

• Tags Global Poker Index Fedor Holz Adrian Mateos Jason Mercier David Peters Joe McKeehen Steve O’Dwyer Sean Winter Koray Aldemir Michael Mizrachi Natasha Barbour Eddy Sabat World Series of Poker
• Related Tournaments World Series of Poker
• Related Players Michael MizrachiSteve O'DwyerJason MercierEddy SabatDavid PetersAdrian Mateos