Global Poker Index: Holz Holds Off EPT Malta Cashers to Keep Lead; Panzica, Jedlicka Move Up
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 Nov. 2, 2016.
2016 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fedor Holz | 3644.80 | - |
| 2 | Chance Kornuth | 3336.54 | - |
| 3 | Paul Volpe | 3192.20 | - |
| 4 | David Peters | 3131.44 | - |
| 5 | Adrian Mateos | 3109.86 | - |
| 6 | Samuel Panzica | 3046.64 | +3 |
| 7 | Nick Petrangelo | 3008.21 | -1 |
| 8 | Ivan Luca | 2992.47 | -1 |
| 9 | Jason Mercier | 2931.51 | -1 |
| 10 | Connor Drinan | 2926.70 | - |
Fedor Holz wasn't among the throng of players picking up cashes — and 2016 Global Poker Index Player of the Year points — at the recently finished European Poker Tour Malta festival. It didn't matter, though, as he continued to maintain a healthy lead in the POY race, anyway, making it 21 weeks on top for him.
Holz did play and cash in the $100,000 ARIA Super High Roller 12 that took place last weekend, taking fourth in the event out of 34 entries to earn a nearly $300K score. Sam Soverel topped that tough field for $1,024,364.
Among the rest of the top 10, the only movement came from Samuel Panzica (pictured above, left) who moved up from No. 9 to No. 6. Panzica's most recent scores include a victory in the $5,000 World Poker Tour bestbet Bounty Scramble in Jacksonville where he bested a 379-entry field for a $354,335 first prize, and another fourth-place finish out of 466 entries in a $1,500 buy-in event at the 2016 Isle Open Poker Tournament at Pompano Beach in Florida.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fedor Holz | 4998.56 | - |
| 2 | Nick Petrangelo | 4371.91 | - |
| 3 | Jason Mercier | 4286.55 | - |
| 4 | Steve O'Dwyer | 4148.52 | - |
| 5 | Connor Drinan | 4143.17 | - |
| 6 | David Peters | 3994.15 | +2 |
| 7 | Bryn Kenney | 3963.69 | +2 |
| 8 | Anthony Zinno | 3913.93 | -2 |
| 9 | Erik Seidel | 3906.54 | +4 |
| 10 | Tom Marchese | 3857.32 | +1 |
Holz remains the leader in the overall rankings again — that's 21 weeks atop this list, too, for the 23-year-old German.
The entire top five remained the same since the last update, and among the shuffling just below Erik Seidel has nudged back up and into the top 10 after finishing third in another of the $25,000 ARIA High Rollers last weekend, won by Igor Kurganov. Seidel's cash for $127,680 in that event put him less than $35K away from the $30 million mark in lifetime tournament winnings.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 228 | Stefan Jedlicka | 2028.55 |
| 246 | Steffen Sontheimer | 1990.76 |
| 263 | Frederik Jensen | 1953.87 |
| 264 | Guo Dong | 1952.48 |
| 280 | Eugene Katchalov | 1927.42 |
| 282 | Dermot Blain | 1922.86 |
| 285 | Alex Goulder | 1919.26 |
| 292 | Rumen Nanev | 1907.81 |
| 296 | Michael Addamo | 1896.50 |
Nine players joined this week's top 300 list, with Stefan Jedlicka (pictured above, right) the highest-ranked of the bunch after catapulting from No. 519 to No. 228. Jedlicka's jump came thanks to a stellar EPT Malta festival highlighted by not one but two high roller victories — one in the €2,200 Italian Poker Tour High Roller where he earned €88,039 for topping 284 entries, and the other in the festival-concluding €10,300 EPT Malta High Roller where he bested 144 for a €335,200 score.
Several of the others on this list likewise performed well in Malta, including Frederik Jensen, Eugene Katchalov, and Rumen Nanev, all of whom cashed in the €5,300 EPT Malta Main Event. Jensen — who won an EPT Main Event in Season 8 in Madrid, Spain — took 17th in the Main Event, one of four cashes that also included a side event win for him.
Meanwhile Guo Dong moved up from No. 516 to No. 264 after winning the 2016 Asian Poker Tour Macau Main Event for HK$530,000 (worth about $68K USD).
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 228 | Stefan Jedlicka | 2028.55 | +291 |
| 264 | Guo Dong | 1952.48 | +252 |
| 263 | Frederik Jensen | 1953.87 | +155 |
| 282 | Dermot Blain | 1922.86 | +87 |
| 280 | Eugene Katchalov | 1927.42 | +78 |
Jedlicka and Dong top the "Biggest Gains" list this week thanks to their big moves, with Jensen likewise earning a spot.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 270 | Kiryl Radzivonau | 1941.19 | -111 |
| 290 | Ihar Soika | 1910.88 | -98 |
| 185 | Paul Tedeschi | 2159.78 | -77 |
| 203 | Anton Astapau | 2108.52 | -62 |
| 258 | Jan Bendik | 1966.33 | -53 |
Finally, among those in the current top 300 who fell the furthest from a week ago, Kiryl Radzivonau endured the most sizable tumble, dropping from No. 270 to No. 159.
What to Expect Next Week
The Heartland Poker Tour is in St. Charles, Michigan, the World Series of Poker Circuit is stopping in Lake Tahoe, Nevada with its international version also in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, and the PokerListings Battle of Malta is following the EPT's departure.
Meanwhile the PokerStars Festival New Jersey is ongoing in Atlantic City, with PokerNews' live reporting team on hand covering several events from the Resorts Hotel Casino.
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.
