Global Poker Index: Dan Smith Slips, Still No. 1 Overall for 16th-Straight Week

Dan Smith

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.

2014 GPI Player of the Year

RankPlayerGPI ScoreChange
1Daniel Colman4141.91-
2Ole Schemion3879.30-
3Ami Barer3873.15-
4Davidi Kitai3856.95-
5Dan Smith3839.04-
6Mustapha Kanit3567.62-
7Jason Mercier3545.77-
8Scott Seiver3480.86-
9Anatoly Filatov3409.34-
10Jacob Schindler3384.02-

After last week’s excitement that saw 2013 Global Poker Index Player of the Year Ole Schemion make a charge up the leaderboard to second position in this year’s POY race behind Daniel Colman, there was no movement among the top 10 this week. Such quiet won’t last long, however, with the European Poker Tour Prague series having already gotten underway and the World Poker Tour Five Diamond Poker Classic Main Event starting next Monday.

Incidentally, Jason Mercier’s victory in the recently completed WPT Alpha8 St. Kitts tournament earned him a handsome $727,500 first prize, but no GPI points for winning the 15-entrant event. The Bellagio will also be hosting the next $100,000 WPT Alpha8 event next week (Dec. 18-20), which may well clear the 21-entrant minimum for GPI points.

GPI 300 Top 10

RankPlayerGPI ScoreChange
1Dan Smith3975.31-
2Ole Schemion3938.42-
3Scott Seiver3720.42-
4Davidi Kitai3575.32-
5Daniel Negreanu3485.96+3
6Ami Barer3455.27+4
7Olivier Busquet3408.95-1
8Byron Kaverman3352.39-1
9Jason Mercier3340.27-4
10Jacob Schindler3307.66+5

Dan Smith remains the top-ranked tournament player in the world for a 16th-straight week despite having lost a little over 200 points from his total after a couple of his cashes from last year’s WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic — including his win in the Main Event — moved into a third aging period.

Meanwhile both Daniel Negreanu and Ami Barer moved up a few spots within the top 10, with Jacob Schindler joining the group, moving up from No. 14 to No. 10 to take the spot vacated by Martin Jacobson (No. 13 this week).

Welcome to the GPI Top 300

RankPlayerTotal Score
187Tam Truong1883.22
217Tom Hall1811.71
225James Calderaro1786.76
228Iaron Lightbourne1779.38
234Andy Seth1757.71
244Stewart Newman1734.42
251Alex Goulder1725.17
253Seth Berger1719.21
265Steve Watts1688.77
272Thayer Rasmussen1673.66
286Elliott Zaydman1643.21
287Darryll Fish1642.82
290Ben Dobson1634.64
291Todd Brunson1632.36
295Marcel Luske1626.03
297Brandon Cantu1623.65
298Nuri Hakan Demircioglu1622.52
299Ihar Soika1618.17

No less than 18 players moved up this week to claim spots inside the GPI Top 300 rankings. Among them, the Aussie Tam Truong jumped all of the way from No. 339 to No. 187 after winning the Star Poker Summer Series $5K Challenge in Sydney last week.

Biggest Gains

RankPlayerTotal GPI ScoreChange
228Iaron Lightbourne1779.38+486
187Tam Truong1883.22+152
234Andy Seth1757.71+147
217Tom Hall1811.71+128
133Chris Bolek2109.84+115

Truong was one of several players making big moves upward in the GPI rankings this week, with Iaron Lightbourne making the biggest leap from No. 714 up to No. 228 after his victory in the Unibet Open London Main Event.

Chris Bolek was another big winner this week — and big mover — taking first in the Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open” Championship $2 Million Guaranteed Main Event. That was Bolek’s second big finish in Florida in less than a month after having taken runner-up in the WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble in November.

Biggest Drops

RankPlayerTotal GPI ScoreChange
275Artem Metalidi1670.42-78
154Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier2021.26-70
240Alexander Condon1740.39-65
169John Hennigan1959.87-62
247David Tuthill1732.09-58

Meanwhile among those sliding yet staying in the GPI Top 300 this week, Artem Metalidi had the biggest drop from No. 197 to No. 275, while Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier is sitting outside the top 150 for the first time since the rankings began in early 2011.

To view 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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