Global Poker Index: Stammen Increases POY Lead; Seiver Back in GPI 300 Top 10
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.
2014 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keven Stammen | 893.30 | - |
| 2 | Alex Bilokur | 638.91 | - |
| 3 | Ole Schemion | 630.09 | 1 |
| 4 | Shyam Srinivasan | 579.59 | 5 |
| 5 | Mustapha Kanit | 573.50 | 8 |
| 6 | Mukul Pahuja | 558.78 | -3 |
| 7 | Dominik Panka | 544.01 | -2 |
| 8 | Dan Heimiller | 543.09 | -2 |
| 9 | Matt Stout | 543.02 | 11 |
| 10 | Alexander Denisov | 520.72 | 4 |
Keven Stammen extended his lead in the 2014 GPI Player of the Year race, winning the Season XII WPT World Championship for $1.35 million. Through four months Stammen has already accumulated 76.8 percent of the points Ole Schemion did en route to his POY win in 2013, but Stammen has already filled 12 of his 13 eligible results.
The GPI takes the 13 best results throughout the year, however, and Stammen should be able to replace a very small cash he registered in January that was only worth 2.19 points.
Speaking of Schemion, he now sits at No. 3 after winning the EPT Sanremo High Roller. The young German added cashes in the EPT Grand Final Main Event and EPT Grand Final High Roller this week as well, and could leapfrog Alex Bilokur and take the No. 2 spot.
Mustapha Kanit, Matt Stout, and Alexander Denisov all cracked the top 10 of the GPI POY race. Kanit reached two final tables at EPT Sanremo and another at the EPT Grand Final, Stout cashed in the WPT World Championship and the WSOP Circuit Philadelphia Main Event, and Denisov cashed in three events at EPT San Remo.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ole Schemion | 4017.13 | - |
| 2 | Vanessa Selbst | 3598.53 | - |
| 3 | Scott Seiver | 3443.12 | 28 |
| 4 | Jason Mercier | 3367.87 | - |
| 5 | Dan Smith | 3359.11 | 1 |
| 6 | Marvin Rettenmaier | 3356.38 | -3 |
| 7 | Byron Kaverman | 3260.66 | 13 |
| 8 | Mike McDonald | 3258.23 | -3 |
| 9 | Jonathan Duhamel | 3186.87 | 5 |
| 10 | Joe Serock | 3176.26 | -2 |
With a runner-up finish in the WPT World Championship, Byron Kaverman climbed up 13 spots to No. 7 in the GPI 300. Kaverman set the record with seven cashes in Season XII of the WPT, and now has over $2.6 million in career live tournament earnings.
Rejoining the GPI 300 top 10 this week are Scott Seiver and 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel. Seiver moved up 28 spots after winning a €5,000 buy-in side event at the EPT Grand Final, and Duhamel cashed in side events at EPT Sanremo and the EPT Grand Final for a total of $7,525.
Season XII WPT Player of the Year Mukul Pahuja fell out of the GPI 300 top 10, and now comes in at No. 15. At the end of May, his runner-up finish in the WPT Playground Poker Fall Classic will fall into Zone 2, depreciating his current score further.
Welcome to the GPI
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 172 | Tony Gregg | 1859.48 |
| 175 | Blake Bohn | 1858.13 |
| 197 | Bobby Oboodi | 1796.97 |
| 239 | Vladimir Troyanovskiy | 1679.81 |
| 245 | Anatoly Filatov | 1669.80 |
| 269 | Kevin Saul | 1622.86 |
| 273 | Shaun Suller | 1617.31 |
| 297 | Joey Weissman | 1546.00 |
| 300 | Isaac Haxton | 1538.31 |
Nine players join the GPI 300 this week, including Team PokerStars Online's Isaac Haxton, Tony Gregg, and Shaun Suller.
Gregg bubbled the WPT World Championship final table, finishing seventh for $189,244. The "End Boss" made a big splash during the 2013 WSOP, winning the $111,111 One Drop High Roller for over $4.8 million.
Suller was one of two players who could catch Pahuja in the Season XII WPT Player of the Year race, but was unable to win the WPT World Championship. Suller added an 11th place finish at WSOP-C Philadelphia to his impressive 2013-14 résumé this past week, earning $8,815.
Exiting the GPI 300 this week are John Dibella, David Diaz, Alex Venovski, Santiago Nadal, Robert Suer, Trevor Pope, Guy Goossens, Jean-Noel Thorel, and Mike Linster.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125 | Ryan D'Angelo | 2064.41 | 162 |
| 129 | Calvin Anderson | 2049.64 | 89 |
| 130 | Yngve Steen | 2043.46 | 106 |
| 143 | Jeff Gross | 1995.48 | 109 |
| 145 | Ilkin Savalan Amirov | 1984.75 | 101 |
| 193 | Roberto Romanello | 1816.46 | 82 |
After bubbling the final table of WPT Rolling Thunder, Ryan D'Angelo reached the final table of the WPT World Championship at Borgata. D'Angelo, who exited in fourth place ($363,930) and recorded three WPT cashes at the end of Season XII, rocketed up 162 spots to No. 125.
Calvin Anderson, who also cashed at WPT Rolling Thunder, climbed up 89 places to No. 129. Anderson finished runner-up in the FPS High Roller at the EPT Grand Final, earning $134,437.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 126 | Paul Berende | 2063.81 | -41 |
| 228 | Jae Kyung Sim | 1716.51 | -40 |
| 234 | Naoya Kihara | 1701.95 | -50 |
| 260 | Tom Alner | 1635.84 | -77 |
| 262 | Aaron Lim | 1633.68 | -68 |
No player fell further this week than Tom Alner. Alner only has one cash in 2014, and all of his cashes at the 2013 Asia Championship of Online Poker are now in Zone 2.
Aaron Lim and Naoya Kihara also plummeted in the ranks, falling 68 spots and 50 spots respectively. Lim's runner-up finish in the Season 9 EPT Berlin High Roller is now in Zone 3.
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.
