Global Poker Index: Winter Back on Top of POY, Chidwick Leads Overall
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. Below we look at the 2019 Player of the Year race and overall GPI rankings as of September 4.
2019 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | 2019 GPI POY Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Winter | 3425.57 |
| 2 | Rainer Kempe | 3402.80 |
| 3 | Stephen Chidwick | 3367.04 |
| 4 | Sam Greenwood | 3294.67 |
| 5 | Bryn Kenney | 3254.17 |
| 6 | Shannon Shorr | 3117.65 |
| 7 | Manig Loeser | 3078.52 |
| 8 | Ali Imsirovic | 3040.60 |
| 9 | Danny Tang | 2993.56 |
| 10 | James Romero | 2993.02 |
With the start of a new month we check in once more on the latest Global Poker Index rankings, starting with the 2019 GPI Player of the Year race where Sean Winter has once again moved into the top spot after taking the lead away from Rainer Kempe.
At the start of August Kempe had been at No. 1 for eight weeks, but Winter caught him mid-month to retake the lead he enjoyed for much of the first half of the year. Winter moved ahead after topping an 809-entry field to win the $5,250 buy-in Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship for a nearly $700K score, and has now been a No. 1 in the POY race for the last four weeks.
Stephen Chidwick is also trending upward, having moved up five spots from a month ago to sit at No. 3 in the rankings. Drafting behind him is Sam Greenwood who moved from No. 7 in early August to No. 4 this week after finishing third in a €25K High Roller at EPT Barcelona.
Bryn Kenney is holding steady at No. 5 currently, his record-crushing £16,890,509cash (worth about $20.5M USD) in the Triton Million a month ago not providing any POY points as the £1,050,000 event did not qualify.
Meanwhile Shannon Shorr was hovering at the bottom of the top 20 a month ago, but now is up to No. 6 after collecting cashes at both the Seminole Hard Rock and EPT Barcelona, including finishing 15th in the EPT Main Event and also winning a "super hyper turbo" side event.
Both Manig Loeser (No. 7) and Ali Imsirovic (No. 8) maintained spots inside the Top 10. Danny Tang has joined the list and is at No. 9 currently after cashing four times in Barcelona, including taking third in the €100,000 Super High Roller won by Sergi Reixach. And James Romero moved up to No. 10 after a successful August highlighted by a runner-up in a $10K at Seminole and four cashes in Barcelona.
Overall GPI Top 10
| Rank | Player | Overall GPI Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Chidwick | 3803.02 |
| 2 | Alex Foxen | 3747.37 |
| 3 | Rainer Kempe | 3486.20 |
| 4 | Bryn Kenney | 3462.27 |
| 5 | Sean Winter | 3342.41 |
| 6 | Sam Greenwood | 3320.44 |
| 7 | Manig Loeser | 3301.69 |
| 8 | Jeremy Ausmus | 3278.65 |
| 9 | Ali Imsirovic | 3274.84 |
| 10 | Steve O'Dwyer | 3269.14 |
A month ago we were remarking on how Alex Foxen and Stephen Chidwick had been trading the No. 1 spot in the overall rankings back and forth. That trend continued into August, with Chidwick taking back the lead mid-month where he's remained for the last four weeks, and Foxen holding steady at No. 2 after having been the overall leader for over nine months in a row through the end of June.
Not too much has changed otherwise over the last month at the top of the overall rankings. Sean Winter was outside the top 20 a month ago, but now sits at No. 5. Likewise was Sam Greenwood at No. 16 a few weeks back, but has now moved up to No. 6.
Former No. 1 Steve O'Dwyer is back in the overall Top 10 as well, having jumped up from No. 20 to No. 10 in the last week after three cashes at EPT Barcelona and one more at the British Poker Open in London.
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.
