Global Poker Index: High Roller Wins Carry Kaverman Upward; Holz Leads Overall, POY
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 August 10, 2016.
2016 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fedor Holz | 3389.32 | - |
| 2 | Paul Volpe | 3095.05 | - |
| 3 | Adrian Mateos | 3034.62 | - |
| 4 | Chance Kornuth | 3016.86 | - |
| 5 | Jason Mercier | 2812.00 | - |
| 6 | Dominik Nitsche | 2799.02 | - |
| 7 | David Peters | 2761.45 | - |
| 8 | Ivan Luca | 2722.47 | - |
| 9 | Dietrich Fast | 2622.28 | - |
| 10 | Bryn Kenney | 2606.87 | - |
No movement at all to report this week, POY-wise, as the top 10 remains identical from seven days ago with Fedor Holz the pace-setter again for a ninth-straight week.
In fact, you have to look all of the way down to the bottom of the top 40 to find any movement at all on the 2016 Player of the Year list. That’s where Jon Turner sits after moving up from No. 52 to No. 38 on the heels of his recent victory in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em event at the Deep Stack Extravaganza III. Turner then added a few more POY points last week after a third-place finish in a $580 prelim at the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Harrah’s Cherokee.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fedor Holz | 4727.64 | - |
| 2 | Jason Mercier | 4364.67 | - |
| 3 | Byron Kaverman | 4323.18 | +8 |
| 4 | Nick Petrangelo | 4191.55 | -1 |
| 5 | Anthony Zinno | 4054.53 | -1 |
| 6 | David Peters | 4013.81 | -1 |
| 7 | Bryn Kenney | 3995.55 | -1 |
| 8 | Dominik Nitsche | 3980.59 | -1 |
| 9 | Tom Marchese | 3925.82 | -1 |
| 10 | Steve O'Dwyer | 3877.25 | -1 |
Holz enjoys a ninth week atop the overall Global Poker Index rankings as well, with everyone else immediately below him essentially staying put aside from one conspicuous exception.
Byron Kaverman shot up from No. 11 to No. 3 this week thanks to his back-to-back victories in $25,000 ARIA High Rollers last weekend. You might have read about those victories here: “Byron Kaverman Banks $500K in Taking Pair of Weekend High Rollers.”
On Friday, Kaverman took the win after a three-way chop, topping a 27-entry field to earn $226,227. Then on Saturday he won a second $25K tournament outright, earning $276,000 for besting a 23-entry field.
Kaverman began 2016 as the top-ranked tournament player in the world, enjoying a 15th-straight week at No. 1 in early January. He was then knocked off the pedestal by Steve O’Dwyer who led the rankings for 22 weeks in a row before Holz took over the lead in mid-June.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 285 | Adam Owen | 1870.93 |
| 291 | Ariel Celestino | 1851.65 |
| 295 | Jan Schwippert | 1843.36 |
| 298 | Andreas Freund | 1837.64 |
| 299 | Jesse Alexis Cohen | 1836.85 |
| 300 | Jerry Wong | 1832.60 |
There are only six new names in this week’s overal top 300, the GPI reports, all of whom enter the list near the bottom. Adam Owen is the highest-ranked of the group at No. 285, moving up just slightly from No. 306, while 2016 November Niner Jerry Wong enters at No. 300, his first appearance on the list since January 2014.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 206 | Ali Fazeli | 2043.74 | +80 |
| 181 | Dan Shak | 2113.56 | +36 |
| 116 | Ian O’Hara | 2405.96 | +26 |
| 257 | Brian Hastings | 1925.29 | +23 |
| 285 | Adam Owen | 1870.93 | +21 |
Ali Fazeli enjoyed the biggest upward move among the top 300 players this week, going from No. 286 to No. 206 after a fourth-place finish in one of those ARIA High Rollers won by Kaverman.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 188 | Randy Pfeifer | 2098.36 | -26 |
| 148 | Brian Altman | 2254.77 | -20 |
| 246 | Vojtech Ruzicka | 1947.84 | -20 |
| 266 | Ben Dobson | 1915.54 | -19 |
| 233 | Weiyi Zhang | 1964.59 | -17 |
Finally, none of those appearing on the “Biggest Drops” list this week (which considers only the GPI top 300 players) fell very far, relatively speaking, with Randy Pfeifer enduring the biggest tumble after going from No. 162 to No. 188. Another November Niner appears here, too, as Vojtech Ruzicka went from No. 226 to No. 246 this week.
What to Expect Next Week
Play continues at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida and the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Harrah's Cherokee in North Carolina, a.k.a. the Global Casino Championship.
Meanwhile many are looking ahead to the start of the European Poker Tour’s 13th season with the EPT Barcelona festival beginning early next week. As usual, PokerNews' Live Reporting Team will be on hand with live updates, chip counts, photos, videos, results, and more from the €50,000 Super High Roller, the €25,500 Single-Day High Roller, the €10,300 High Roller, and the €5,300 Main Event.
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.
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