Global Poker Index: Vanessa Selbst Leads 2014 Player of the Year Race

Global Poker Index

Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top 300 tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes into account a player's results over six half-year periods. The GPI also ranks the top performers of the year over two six-month periods as calculated by the USA Today Global Poker Index point system.

For a look at both lists, visit the official GPI website.

On Wednesday, the GPI announced a few formula changes for 2014:

  • All qualifying events reported to the Hendon Mob will be eligible for GPI points, meaning over 160,000 players will be ranked.
  • A fifth result will be added to Period 3.
  • The field size cap has been reduced from 2,800 to 2,700.
  • The buy-in cap has been reduced from $25,000 to $20,000. The floor from $1,500 to $1,000.
  • All of these changes will affect both the GPI 300 and the GPI Player of the Year race.

For a more detailed explanation of the formula changes, head here.

2014 GPI Player of the Year

RankPlayerScore
1Vanessa Selbst 383.14
2Alexander Denisov 293.53
3Mike McDonald 277.99
4Ole Schemion 274.37
5Greg Merson 262.02
6Vladimir Schemelev 257.56
7Dan Smith246.71
8Antoine Saout 239.07
9Fabian Quoss 234.10
10Alex Bilokur 232.08

Vanessa Selbst, who finished in fifth in the 2013 GPI Player of the Year race, starts 2014 at the top. The Team PokerStars Pro finished third in both the PCA Super High Roller and High Roller, and cashed in the Main Event, earning more than $1.4 million in the Bahamas.

The reigning GPI POY champion, Ole Schemion, picked up where he left off in 2013 and debuts at No. 4. Mike McDonald, who finished runner-up to Dominik Panka in the Main Event, comes in at No. 3.

GPI 300 Top 10

RankPlayerScoreChange
1Ole Schemion3916.90-
2 Daniel Negreanu3846.86-
3Marvin Rettenmaier3776.521
4Philipp Gruissem3695.52-1
5Vanessa Selbst3426.44-
6Dan Smith3409.69+10
7Paul Volpe3258.22+2
8Mike McDonald3244.12+18
9Bryn Kenney3240.78-3
10Ravi Raghavan3217.59+1

After a very profitable trip to the PCA, Schemion remains atop the GPI 300. Like Selbst, the German reached the final tables of both the Super High roller and High Roller, and cashed in the Main Event.

Dan Smith, Mike McDonald, and Ravi Raghavan all entered the top 10 of the GPI 300 this week. Along with finishing runner-up in the Main Event for just over $1 million, McDonald also finished eighth in the Super High Roller.

Welcome to the GPI

RankPlayerTotal Score
157Mike Leah1854.20
199Grayson Ramage1725.85
201Tom Hall1721.50
214Simeon Naydenov1680.55
216Alexander Venovski1677.03
221Amichai Barer1665.27
230John Dibella1635.75
232Eric Baldwin1632.09
239Marcel Luske1611.956
247Tommy Vedes1578.55
249[player=”Santiago-nadal”]Santiago Nadal[/player] 1575.92
255Mustapha Kanit1559.67
260Zohair Karim1548.80
263Simon Deadman1533.11
264Jared Hamby1532.60
265Michael Dentale1530.05
267John Holley1522.20
268Antoine Saout1522.03
272Igor Yaroshevsky1514.14
273Paul Nunes1511.48
275Amir Babakhani1507.16
277Daniel Neilson1503.21
279Everett Carlton1500.52
282Lasse Frost1492.13
284Bahbak Oboodi1488.67
286Alexander Kuzmin1487.72
289Samad Razavi1482.58
290Maurice Hawkins1478.56
292Darren Rabinowitz1477.83
293Joseph Mckeehen1476.29
294Isaac Baron1476.02
295Jake Cody1475.23
300Konstantin Maslak1469.25

The 2014 PCA really shook things up in the GPI, and 34 new players entered the top 300 this week, Leading the way is Canadian Mike Leah, who made the penultimate day of the Main Event and also won a side event.

Other players who went deep in the Main Event and thus entered the top 300 are Grayson Ramage, Antoine Saout, Tom Hall, Marcel Luske, and 2012 PCA Main Event champion John Dibella.

Tommy Vedes returns after entering into the Tommy Vedes Danger Zone® and falling out of the top 300. We will keep our dabs on him to see if he slips back into the TVDZ, or if he propels forward.

Biggest Gains

RankPlayerTotal GPI ScoreChange
103David Baker2085.10114
151Vinny Pahuja1860.54129
172Georgios Karakousis1774.08101
184Matt Berkey1749.15101

Four players moved up triple digits this week, including Matt Berkey and David “ODB” Baker. Both of these players put together deep runs in the PCA Main Event, with Berkey finishing 45th for $32,000.

Vinny Pahuja also made a big leap thanks to a cash in a $5,000 side event at the PCA.

Biggest Drops

RankPlayerTotal GPI ScoreChange
178Vladimir Troyanovskiy1764.35-80
250John Hennigan1575.78-71
253David Benyamine1563.00-77
262Tobias Reinkemeier1543.99-146
271Tony Gregg1515.93-87
296Brian Rast1472.92-77

Several big name pros fell this week, but none further than Tobias Reinkemeier. The German pro plummeted 146 spots, and now sits at No. 262.

To view at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website. While you're at it, follow the GPI on Twitter and its Facebook page.

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