Global Poker Index: Justin Bonomo Jumps Out to Player of the Year Lead
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 January 31.
2018 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Bonomo | 1047.72 | 9 |
| 2 | Adrian Mateos | 835.72 | 11 |
| 3 | Yang Zhang | 768.71 | 7 |
| 4 | Christopher Kruk | 749.95 | 1 |
| 5 | Ben Yu | 710.82 | 788 |
| 6 | Ari Engel | 707.77 | 3 |
| 7 | Jeffrey Trudeau | 705.32 | 6 |
| 8 | Stefan Schillhabel | 694.69 | 20 |
| 9 | Vladimir Shabalin | 670.33 | 513 |
| 10 | Neil Patel | 649.17 | 49 |
It's a new year and that means a brand new Global Poker Index Player of the Year race is underway. Off to the fastest start during January was Justin Bonomo who has already collected five cashes in 2018 — including four final tables at which he finished first, second, third, and fourth — thereby helping him to assume the No. 1 position as February begins.
Bonomo's runner-up finish in the $100,000 Super High Roller at the 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure won by Cary Katz gave Bonomo a huge $1,077,800 payday, and his victory in the $25,500 Lucky Hearts Poker Open High Roller a little over a week ago earned him another $556,873, pushing his lifetime tournament earnings over the $20M mark.
Meanwhile Adrian Mateos, the 2017 GPI Player of the Year, resumed his title defense with a strong January himself, moving up to No. 2 already thanks in part to his fourth-place finish in the 2018 PCA Main Event won by Maria Lampropulos.
Four cashes in the currently running 2018 Aussie Millions series have helped Yang Zhang move up to No. 3 in the early going. Three cashes and a win in the $25,000 High Roller in the Bahamas enabled Christopher Kruk to assume the GPI POY lead previously; he presently sits at No. 4. And four cashes at the aforementioned Lucky Hearts Poker Open series is why Ben Yu has moved up into the top 10 to No. 5.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change From Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Mateos | 3658.01 | - |
| 2 | David Peters | 3277.36 | - |
| 3 | Rainer Kempe | 3256.20 | +3 |
| 4 | Bryn Kenney | 3246.16 | - |
| 5 | Koray Aldemir | 3238.42 | - |
| 6 | Jason Koon | 3211.88 | +1 |
| 7 | Ari Engel | 3204.55 | -4 |
| 8 | Justin Bonomo | 3186.24 | +6 |
| 9 | Stephen Chidwick | 3182.40 | -1 |
| 10 | Stefan Schillhabel | 3140.03 | -1 |
While there's a brand new list to reflect the new POY rankings, the overall GPI leaderboard marches along as the calendar flips over. And the top of it looks just like it did before, with Adrian Mateos still the No. 1 ranked player in the world, extending his run as leader to 10 weeks in a row.
Former top-ranked player David Peters has moved up from No. 5 to No. 2 since we last looked in a month ago, while Bonomo has moved back up into the top 10 to sit at No. 8 this week.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 198 | Olivier Busquet | 1948.39 |
| 239 | Vineet Pahuja | 1849.91 |
| 247 | Robert Heidorn | 1838.02 |
| 254 | Walter Treccarichi | 1826.14 |
| 260 | Kyle Cartwright | 1811.46 |
| 263 | Josip Simunic | 1802.31 |
| 267 | Richard Kirsch | 1794.01 |
| 268 | Vincent Moscati | 1791.42 |
| 270 | Peter Eichhardt | 1791.21 |
| 282 | Jeremy Meacham | 1781.31 |
| 283 | Shannon Schorr | 1780.01 |
| 284 | Michael Tureniec | 1776.87 |
| 289 | Canlin Chen | 1766.44 |
| 290 | James Gilbert | 1766.39 |
| 292 | Vladimir Shabalin | 1765.52 |
Checking in to see what new names moved up into the GPI Top 300 since last week, a total of 15 players joined the list with Olivier Busquet the highest-ranked of the group at No. 198.
Busquet cashed three times at the Lucky Hearts Poker Open at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino to trigger his upward move. His highest-ever GPI ranking has been No. 5, achieved in November 2014.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 292 | Vladimir Shabalin | 1765.52 | +482 |
| 260 | Kyle Cartwright | 1811.46 | +273 |
| 198 | Olivier Busquet | 1948.39 | +169 |
| 239 | Vineet Pahuja | 1849.91 | +116 |
| 136 | Ben Yu | 2128.76 | +93 |
Busquet's improved position earned him a spot on the "Biggest Gains" of the week list, with Vladimir Shabalin the one having made the biggest move to join the GPI Top 300 for the first time at No. 292. Shabalin catapulted up the rankings after winning the World Series of Poker International Circuit Marrakech Main Event last week, topping a 486-entry field to earn a €118,182 first prize.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 297 | Thiago Crema De Macedo | 1757.63 | -54 |
| 193 | Martin Jacobson | 1961.62 | -38 |
| 291 | Anthony Ruberto | 1765.73 | -37 |
| 158 | Ludovic Geilich | 2070.12 | -35 |
| 215 | Sam Grafton | 1918.72 | -33 |
| 218 | Juha Helppi | 1908.83 | -33 |
| 251 | Rob Wazwaz | 1829.15 | -33 |
Finally, looking only at players with spots inside the current GPI Top 300, Thiago Crema De Macedo endured the steepest drop over the last seven days, nearly falling from the list after going from No. 243 to No. 297.
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.
