Global Poker Index: High Roller Win Moves Connor Drinan Up; Fedor Holz Still Leads
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 August 31, 2016.
2016 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fedor Holz | 3637.69 | - |
| 2 | Chance Kornuth | 3336.54 | +2 |
| 3 | David Peters | 3097.44 | +2 |
| 4 | Paul Volpe | 3095.05 | -2 |
| 5 | Adrian Mateos | 3045.89 | -2 |
| 6 | Nick Petrangelo | 3008.21 | - |
| 7 | Ivan Luca | 2992.47 | +2 |
| 8 | Jason Mercier | 2931.51 | -1 |
| 9 | Connor Drinan | 2926.70 | +32 |
| 10 | Dominik Nitsche | 2875.65 | -2 |
Looking first at the 2016 Global Poker Index Player of the Year race, Fedor Holz is still the man to beat after the latest update keeps him in the top spot for a 12th-straight week.
As noted last week, his victory in the €50,000 Super High Roller at European Poker Tour Barcelona helped create some distance between Holz and others.
Both Chance Kornuth and David Peters picked up cashes at Barcelona as well to move up into the second and third positions, respectively, in the POY race. Kornuth cashed four times including making three final tables at EPT Barcelona, while Peters picked up a third-place finish in a €2,200 prelim to add POY points to his total.
Looking down below in the top 10, Connor Drinan rocketed up from No. 41 to No. 9 after winning the €10,300 High Roller as the festival came to a close.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fedor Holz | 4797.54 | - |
| 2 | Nick Petrangelo | 4494.03 | - |
| 3 | Steve O'Dwyer | 4347.19 | +2 |
| 4 | Jason Mercier | 4299.76 | - |
| 5 | Byron Kaverman | 4266.47 | -2 |
| 6 | Connor Drinan | 4230.13 | +7 |
| 7 | Bryn Kenney | 4056.87 | +2 |
| 8 | Anthony Zinno | 4044.50 | -2 |
| 9 | Tom Marchese | 4014.38 | -2 |
| 10 | David Peters | 3995.10 | -2 |
Turning to the overall rankings, Holz remains the frontrunner there as well for a 12th-straight week with Nick Petrangelo again his nearest challenger in second position.
Meanwhile Steve O'Dwyer has snuck back up to No. 3 in the rankings, adding a runner-up finish in a €10,300 pot-limit Omaha event at Barcelona to his fifth-place in the €25,500 Single Reentry High Roller won by Pratyush Buddiga.
Drinan also rejoins the overall top 10 thanks to his €10,300 High Roller win, moving up from No. 13 to No. 6. Drinan's previous career-high GPI ranking has been No. 5, most recently achieved in April of this year.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 202 | Pavel Plesuv | 2108.36 |
| 212 | Piotr Franczak | 2085.24 |
| 222 | Diego Zeiter | 2065.63 |
| 225 | Paul Newey | 2057.96 |
| 226 | Patrick Leonard | 2057.02 |
| 243 | Ricardo Alvarado | 2023.93 |
| 270 | Gavin O'Rourke | 1959.56 |
| 273 | Andreas Freund | 1946.02 |
| 275 | Rumen Nanev | 1941.61 |
| 282 | Rafael Moraes | 1922.20 |
| 285 | Jerry Odeen | 1918.28 |
| 294 | Jesse Yaginuma | 1897.48 |
| 298 | Dorian Alejandro Rios Pavon | 1883.29 |
| 300 | Mortiz Dietrich | 1877.94 |
There were 14 new names in this week's GPI top 300, with Pavel Plesuv the highest-ranked of this group after jumping from No. 355 to No. 202. This marks Plesuv's career peak GPI ranking and first time in the top 300.
Plesuv made the upward move after a successful trip to Barcelona, kicked off with a fifth-place finish in the festival-starting €10,300 NLHE event won by Petrangelo, then capped by an eighth-place showing in the €5,300 Main Event won by Sebastian Malec.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 298 | Dorian Alejandro Rios Pavon | 1883.29 | +373 |
| 212 | Piotr Franczak | 2085.24 | +278 |
| 222 | Diego Zeiter | 2065.63 | +219 |
| 225 | Paul Newey | 2057.96 | +212 |
| 202 | Pavel Plesuv | 2108.36 | +153 |
That leap helped Plesuv earn a spot on the "Biggest Gainers" list this week, looking only among those inside the top 300. Topping this group is Dorian Alejandro Rios Pavon who went from No. 671 to No. 298 after cashing four times in Barcleona including winning a €10,200 NLHE Turbo event near the end of the series.
Piotr Franczak cashed six times at EPT Barcelona (including a runner-up in one side event), Diego Zeiter made the money five times (including one final table), and Paul Newey cashed twice including taking third in that event won by Franczak, all of which helped those players make big gains in the GPI rankings as well.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 255 | Ami Barer | 1997.59 | -98 |
| 248 | Corey Hochman | 2015.53 | -83 |
| 234 | Nathan Bjerno | 2038.08 | -60 |
| 258 | Tobias Reinkemeier | 1989.69 | -60 |
| 203 | Oliver Price | 2106.12 | -59 |
Finally, looking only at those inside the top 300, the biggest drop was endured by Ami Barer who fell fom No. 157 to No. 255 this week.
What to Expect Next Week
The World Poker Tour Legends of Poker series at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles has been running for more than a month, and is currently culminating with its Main Event final table playing out today.
Meanwhile the Heartland Poker Tour is at the Ameristar Casino in Chicago, while the Playground Poker Club World Cup of Cards continues in Kahnawake, Quebec, where PokerNews is on hand covering all of the events.
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.
Be sure to complete your PokerNews experience by checking out an overview of our mobile and tablet apps here. Stay on top of the poker world from your phone with our mobile iOS and Android app, or fire up our iPad app on your tablet. You can also update your own chip counts from poker tournaments around the world with MyStack on both Android and iOS.
