Global Poker Index: Bryn Kenney Remains POY Leader Post-Panama
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 22.
2017 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryn Kenney | 2101.11 | - |
| 2 | Mustapha Kanit | 1810.12 | +1 |
| 3 | Sergio Aido | 1784.14 | -1 |
| 4 | Koray Aldemir | 1631.78 | - |
| 5 | Byron Kaverman | 1498.96 | +2 |
| 6 | Ari Engel | 1423.12 | +15 |
| 7 | Dylan Wilkerson | 1377.82 | -1 |
| 8 | Ben Heath | 1359.91 | -3 |
| 9 | Michael Del Vecchio | 1277.00 | +40 |
| 10 | Daniel Dvoress | 1236.21 | +10 |
Bryn Kenney managed to run the gauntlet of the just completed PokerStars Championship Panama festival and retain his hold on the top spot in the 2017 Global Poker Index Player of the Year race. In fact, Kenney added to his lead after making one final table in a $5,200 NL hold'em side event in Panama as he enjoys a seventh-straight week in the lead.
Mustapha Kanit also earned a cash in Panama, taking third in the $25,500 Single-Day High Roller won by Stephen Chidwick to enable Kanit to move up into second position on the POY leaderboard.
Others used success in Panama to move up the POY list. Ari Engel went from No. 21 to No. 6 this week after cashing twice in Panama, including winning a $1,100 NL 6-max. side event. And Daniel Dvoress finished runner-up in two events, including the $50,000 Super High Roller won by Ben Tollerene, helping him go from No. 20 to No. 10.
Finally Michael Del Vecchio jumps onto the list as well, having catapulted from No. 49 to No. 9 this week after winning the World Poker Tour Rolling Thunder Main Event in California.
By the way, looking down the list a bit Dzmitry Urbanovich has moved up in a big way, going from No. 225 to No. 24 after picking up four cashes in Panama side events, including two final tables and a victory in a $2,200 NL hold'em event.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Peters | 3457.98 | - |
| 2 | Nick Petrangelo | 3234.88 | - |
| 3 | Bryn Kenney | 3203.87 | - |
| 4 | Justin Bonomo | 3171.55 | - |
| 5 | Samuel Panzica | 3137.55 | - |
| 6 | Rainer Kempe | 3132.51 | - |
| 7 | Adrian Mateos | 3093.96 | - |
| 8 | Ankush Mandavia | 3014.76 | +1 |
| 9 | Byron Kaverman | 2977.68 | +4 |
| 10 | Ari Engel | 2967.99 | - |
Meanwhile the top of the overall GPI rankings were relatively stable this week with the top seven spots all remaining unchanged and David Peters continuing to sit at No. 1 for a fifth week in a row.
Byron Kaverman made the official final table of the $5,300 PokerStars Championship Panama Main Event won by Kenneth Smaron, going out in eighth place. Points from that finish helped him move back into the overall top 10, going from No. 13 to No. 9
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 157 | Sergey Lebedev | 1966.04 |
| 165 | Alex Keating | 1946.84 |
| 181 | Sorel Mizzi | 1899.73 |
| 199 | Chris Hunichen | 1858.25 |
| 201 | Thiago Nishijima | 1854.79 |
| 217 | Pablo Gordillo | 1825.03 |
| 222 | Michael Del Vecchio | 1818.50 |
| 234 | Rafael Moraes | 1801.43 |
| 240 | David Levi | 1786.24 |
| 247 | Michael Telker | 1774.86 |
| 284 | Liv Boeree | 1707.68 |
| 294 | David Lopez Llacer | 1687.34 |
| 298 | Stoyan Obreshkov | 1677.57 |
After last week's tournament action there were 13 players who earned enough points to jump onto the overall GPI top 300, most of whom did so at that aforementioned PokerStars Championship Panama series. Sergey Lebedev is the highest-ranked of this baker's dozen, having gone all of the way from No. 304 to No. 157 after cashing in both the Main Event and High Roller in Panama, finishing ninth in the latter.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 199 | Chris Hunichen | 1858.25 | +547 |
| 240 | David Levi | 1786.24 | +346 |
| 222 | Michael Del Vecchio | 1818.50 | +241 |
| 181 | Sorel Mizzi | 1899.73 | +200 |
| 247 | Michael Telker | 1774.86 | +179 |
Chris "Big Huni" Hunichen was the biggest gainer of the week among those in the top 300, going from No. 746 to No. 199 after having a huge series in Panama where he cashed five times, including one runner-up and three fourth-place finishes with one of those fourths coming in the series-concluding $10,300 High Roller won by Steve O'Dwyer.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 281 | Scott Clements | 1712.05 | -55 |
| 108 | John Racener | 2108.26 | -51 |
| 241 | Alexander Lynskey | 1783.35 | -51 |
| 219 | Benjamin Winsor | 1823.74 | -49 |
| 289 | Joshua Turner | 1697.25 | -40 |
As far as the "biggest drops" go — looking only at players remaining in the GPI top 300 — Scott Clements fell the furthest (although not that far) after going from No. 226 to No. 281 this week.
What to Expect Next Week
The World Series of Poker Circuit is both in Los Angeles this week at the Bicycle Casino and the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa. The Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown continues in Florida, and the Foxwoods Poker Classic is underway in Connecticut.
Meanwhile the partypoker Million is playing out at the Sochi Casino and Resort in Russia, and the WSOP International Circuit Rozvadov is cranking up in the Czech Republic.
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.
