Global Poker Index: Seidel Reclaims Top Spot, Duhamel Surges

Jonathan Duhamel

Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top 300 tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes a player's results over six half-year periods. The 2012 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure made major waves across the GPI the last two weeks with several players kicking off 2012 in style. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.

The Top 10 as of January 16, 2012

RankPlayerTotal ScoreChange in Rank from Last Week
1Erik Seidel2,988.29+1
2Jason Mercier2,986.07-1
3Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier2,823.700
4Eugene Katchalov2,760.520
5Shawn Buchanan2,672.49+1
6Sam Trickett2,582.47-1
7Matt Waxman2,429.83+1
8Will "The Thrill" Failla2,423.22+1
9Vanessa Selbst2,412.31-2
10Mike "Timex" McDonald2,406.80+1

Erik Seidel overtook Jason Mercier for the top spot on the GPI thanks to results from the 2011 PCA that matured into Period 3. With no results in Period 3 prior to this week, Seidel is now reaping the benefits of the GPI scoring system as his amazing first half of 2011 is being recognized in the point standings.

Sitting just outside the top 10 in the No. 11 spot is Jonathan Duhamel. After rising 30 places last week after his fourth place finish in the $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em Super High Roller Event for $313,600, Duhamel added three more final tables and roughly $900,000 in earnings to his 2012 resume. He moved up 41 places this week and with no major results due to expire in the next few weeks, there's a good chance he can crack the top ten.

Welcome to the GPI

A whopping 27 players are new to the GPI this week. Russia's Leonid Bilokur landed at No. 97 after he collected $1,134,930 for his win in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em 8-Max High Roller. Jon Turner cashed three times at the PCA to return to the list, and Faraz Jaka's third-place finish in the Main Event boosted him back into the rankings after a one week absence.

New Additions

PlayerTotal GPI ScoreGPI Rank
Leonid Bilokur1,529.1597th
Jon Turner1,442.92119th
Faraz Jaka1,358.71145th
Kunimaro Kojo1,329.40151st
Randy Lew1,328.43152nd
Ruben Visser1,294.23162nd
Luca Pagano1,243.81187th
Jason Koon1,229.66192nd
Corey Burbick1,226.39194th
Kyle Julius1.195.52215th
Laurence Houghton1,158.13232nd
Maksim Semisoshenko1,154.46234th
Andrew Badecker1,145.67240th
Nicholas Grippo1,137.00246th
Pius Heinz1,133.10249th
Danyel Boyaciyan1.125.96252nd
Bolivar Palacios1,117.17255th
Xuan Liu1,109.73258th
Vyacheslav Igin1,106.18262nd
Lie Boeree1,103.27263rd
Justin Schwartz1,102.75264th
Alexander Venovski1,084.03278th
Eddy Sabat1,083.22279th
Mike Leah1,076.53282nd
Yuliyan Nikolaev Kolev1,070.48286th
Stephen Chidwick1,062.44291st
Adam Levy1,062.11292nd

Who is off the GPI this week? Well, a lot of folks: Alex Debus, Allen Cunningham, Amnon Filippi, Andrew Robl, Brandon Cantu, Daniel Reijmer, David Ulliott, Erick Lindgren, Fabrizio Gonzalez, Gregory Brooks, Humberto Brenes, Jan Bendik, Jared Jaffee, Joe Hachem, John Andress, Joe Serock, Nenad Medic, Nicolas Cardyn, Nikolay Evdakov, Ognjen Sekularac, Paul Berende, Phil Laak, Praz Bansi, Richard Ashby, Sebastian Ruthenberg, Ted Forrest, and Ville Haavisto.

Ups and Downs

The biggest rise of the week belonged to Andrew Chen, who climbed 119 spots to No. 96. Two of his three PCA cashes count toward the GPI, including a runner-up showing in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em 6-Max High-Roller tournament worth $191,984.

Isaac Haxton (up 94 places) and Nicolas Fierro (up 103 places) rode top five finishes in the $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em 8-Max High Roller up the GPI as well. Scott Seiver (up 81 places), who was in the top ten as recently as November, made a nice move back up the ranks with a chop in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Heads-Up Championship worth $78,210.

Biggest Gains

RankPlayerTotal ScoreChange in Rank From Last Week
40thIsaac Haxton1,876.51+94
52ndScott Seiver1.751.91+81
81stNicolas Fierro1,603.75+103
96thAndrew Chen1,531.13+119
98thBarry Greenstein1.527.34+112
123rdKeven Stammen1,434.98+85
128thYevgeniy Timoshenko1,410.65+94
158thHans Winzeler1,314.06+104
181stKenny Hallaert1.257.30+91
203rdEvgeny Zaytsev1,216.30+97

Will Molson took the biggest hit this week. For the first time in four years, Molson did not finish in the top two of the $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em 8-Max High Roller. With his win from 2011 falling into Period 3 and his runner-up showing in 2010 falling into Period 5, Molson tumbled 165 spots in the GPI.

Biggest Drops

RankPlayerTotal ScoreChange in Rank From Last Week
130thWilliam Thorson1,407.82-54
147thErich Kollman1,347.52-55
195thJustin Smith1,224.00-72
222ndDavid Paredes1,188.18-56
223rdBrandon Meyers1,183.04-63
224thJoe Elpayaa1,183.79-56
225thDaniel Colman1,179.46-108
228thNick Schulman1,167.88-109
289thMaria Ho1,069.07-56
296thWill Molson1,055.23-165

What's In Store?

The 2012 Aussie Millions is under way and will undoubtedly be causing movement in the GPI over the next two weeks. However, that means the 2011 Aussie Millions will carry into Period 3.

That will cause serious damage to the scores of Erik Seidel and Sam Trickett. Seidel's third-place finish in the AUD$100,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament last January will mature into Period 3, perhaps opening the door once again for Jason Mercier to sit atop the GPI.

Trickett, the winner of that tournament, may find himself outside of the top 10. To make matters worse for both, the AUD$250,000 Super High-Roller No-Limit Hold'em, in which Seidel defeated Trickett heads-up, is due to fall into Period 3 in two weeks. As a result, both can expect a rare GPI slide.

To look 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.

To stay on top of the GPI and other happenings in the poker world, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

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