GPL Results, Standings, and Schedule After Week 14: Playoffs are Set
Welcome to the weekly rundown of the Global Poker League here on PokerNews. In this space, all of the past week's results from the GPL will be listed followed by league standings and a look at the following week's schedule.
It was the final week of GPL action before a month-long hiatus prior to the playoffs. The top four teams in each conference made the playoffs and the team most at risk of slipping out of playoff position in the Americas Conference was the San Francisco Rush. The Rush, who opened the season in the basement, managed to climb into fourth but were ahead of the fifth-place New York Rounders by just three points. It was up to Phil Galfond to secure their spot. The online legend faced off with Felipe Ramos of the Sao Paulo Mets. Galfond prevailed 2-1, which proved to be enough.
The Rounders, on the other hand, were the victims of a crucial sweep to open the week. Bryn Kenney was matched with Twitch star Scott Ball of the basement-dwelling Las Vegas Moneymakers. The team may have had little to play for, but Ball showed out against Kenney with a 3-0 win that left the Rounders in need of major help. When Galfond was able to pull out the win, the Rush were nine points ahead with the tiebreaker advantage and there was nothing Kevin MacPhee could do in the final match against L.A. Sunset manager Maria Ho that would turn the tide. He still won 2-1, but the Rounders' season ended in fifth place.
In the Eurasia Conference, it was a different story. The top three teams stayed the same, but the London Royals rose from the ashes and moved from last place into fourth to snag the final playoff spot. The Royals came into the week three points back of the fourth-place Paris Aviators and one point back of the Rome Emperors. It was Royals versus Emperors with a playoff spot likely on the line if anyone could manage a sweep. Justin Bonomo took the felt for the Royals while the Emperors deployed No. 1 overall pick Mustapha Kanit in the biggest spot of the season. It was Bonomo coming out on top 2-1, meaning the Royals still needed a little bit of help.
If Alex Luneau could just get a win for the Aviators, they would hang on to fourth place. It wasn't to be, though, as Luneau went to battle against Anatoly Filatov of the Moscow Wolverines. Filatov, the team manager, was plenty motivated himself as the Wolverines needed to win to ensure themselves the top seed. Filatov did just that with a 2-1 victory and the Aviators wound up tied with the Royals in points. The playoff spot went to the Royals, though, by virtue of the tiebreaker — 15 wins to 14.
Exact playoff schedules are to be decided, but it will be Nationals versus Rush and Sunset versus Mets in the Americas, and Wolverines versus Royals and Stars versus Bears in the Eurasia.
Week 14 Results
| Player | Team | Wins | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | Heads-Up | ||
| Bryn Kenney | New York Rounders | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Ball | Las Vegas Moneymakers | 3 | 9 |
| Match 2 | Heads-Up | ||
| Player | Team | Wins | Points |
| Pascal Lefrançois | Montreal Nationals | 1 | 3 |
| Olivier Busquet | L.A. Sunset | 2 | 6 |
| Match 3 | Heads-Up | ||
| Player | Team | Wins | Points |
| Felipe Ramos | Sao Paulo Mets | 1 | 3 |
| Phil Galfond | San Francisco Rush | 2 | 6 |
| Match 4 | Heads-Up | ||
| Player | Team | Wins | Points |
| Dominik Nitsche | Berlin Bears | 1 | 3 |
| Randy Lew | Hong Kong Stars | 2 | 6 |
| Match 5 | Heads-Up | ||
| Player | Team | Wins | Points |
| Mustapha Kanit | Rome Emperors | 1 | 3 |
| Justin Bonomo | London Royals | 2 | 6 |
| Match 6 | Heads-Up | ||
| Player | Team | Wins | Points |
| Alex Luneau | Paris Aviators | 1 | 3 |
| Anatoly Filatov | Moscow Wolverines | 2 | 6 |
| Match 7 | Heads-Up | ||
| Player | Team | Wins | Points |
| N/A | San Francisco Rush | 0 | 0 |
| N/A | Montreal Nationals | 2 | 6 |
| Match 8 | Heads-Up | ||
| Player | Team | Wins | Points |
| Scott Ball | Las Vegas Moneymakers | 1 | 3 |
| João Bauer | Sao Paulo Mets | 2 | 6 |
| Match 9 | Heads-Up | ||
| Player | Team | Wins | Points |
| Maria Ho | L.A. Sunset | 1 | 3 |
| Kevin MacPhee | New York Rounders | 2 | 6 |
Standings
| Place | Team | Points | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Americas Conference | |||
| 1 | Montreal Nationals | 199 | 19 |
| 2 | L.A. Sunset | 188 | 19 |
| 3 | Sao Paulo Mets | 183 | 16 |
| 4 | San Francisco Rush | 161 | 16 |
| 5 | New York Rounders | 158 | 12 |
| 6 | Las Vegas Moneymakers | 140 | 11 |
| Eurasia Conference | |||
| Place | Team | Points | Wins |
| 1 | Moscow Wolverines | 171 | 14 |
| 2 | Hong Kong Stars | 164 | 14 |
| 3 | Berlin Bears | 160 | 13 |
| 4 | London Royals | 156 | 15 |
| 5 | Paris Aviators | 156 | 14 |
| 6 | Rome Emperors | 154 | 11 |
Next Week's Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 29 | 3 p.m. | Playoffs: TBD vs. TBD |
| Nov. 30 | 3 p.m. | Playoffs: TBD vs. TBD |
| Dec. 1 | 3 p.m. | Finals: TBD vs. TBD |
For full match replays or highlight videos, check out the official GPL website.
