Global Poker Index: Duhamel, Jacobson Currently Highest-Ranked Among Recent WSOP Champs
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.
2015 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | 3380.70 | - |
| 2 | Scott Seiver | 3023.15 | - |
| 3 | Ivan Luca | 2978.00 | - |
| 4 | Connor Drinan | 2919.17 | - |
| 5 | Steve O’Dwyer | 2703.32 | +1 |
| 6 | Joe Kuether | 2545.91 | -1 |
| 7 | Nicholas Petrangelo | 2326.17 | - |
| 8 | Ramin Hajiyev | 2228.48 | - |
| 9 | Vladimir Dobrovolskiy | 2152.88 | - |
| 10 | Sorel Mizzi | 2136.93 | +4 |
After all of the movement a week ago following the completion of the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo®Casino EPT Grand Final festival, things settled this week Global Poker Index Player of the Year race — though not for long as the 2015 World Series of Poker gets going in less than a week!
Dzmitry Urbanovich retained the No. 1 position for a ninth-straight week. Steve O’Dwyer and Joe Kuether swapped spots in the middle of the top 10. And Sorel Mizzi jumped up four spots to rejoin the POY top 10 after finishing 10th in the 2015 World Poker Tour Amsterdam Main Event won by Farid Yachou.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Seiver | 3970.10 | - |
| 2 | Ole Schemion | 3859.58 | - |
| 3 | Dan Smith | 3828.71 | - |
| 4 | Davidi Kitai | 3745.14 | - |
| 5 | Byron Kaverman | 3670.28 | - |
| 6 | Jason Mercier | 3631.66 | - |
| 7 | Stephen Chidwick | 3606.35 | - |
| 8 | Sorel Mizzi | 3495.18 | +1 |
| 9 | Pratyush Buddiga | 3451.41 | +1 |
| 10 | Bryn Kenney | 3440.37 | -2 |
It was a quiet week atop the overall Global Poker Index rankings as well with no change among the top seven as Scott Seiver remains the top-ranked tournament player in the world for a fourth week running. Meanwhile Mizzi’s Amsterdam score allowed him to move up a notch, with Pratyush Buddiga nudging upwards one spot as well.
With the WSOP coming soon the overall GPI rankings will be affected in a couple of ways. Players doing well this summer at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino will of course be adding points, while those who did well at the past three WSOPs will see the points they earned for those triumphs lessen in value due to the ranking system’s “age factor.”
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 273 | Kyle Bowker | 1659.53 |
| 274 | Jesse Alexis Cohen | 1659.15 |
| 284 | NiPun Java | 1618.84 |
| 285 | Michael Katz | 1618.64 |
| 287 | Salvatore Bonavena | 1611.25 |
Just five new names join the GPI Top 300 this week, with Kyle Bowker the highest-ranked of the group at No. 273.
2013 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Ryan Riess is among those lurking just outside the list (at No. 303). Here’s a look at where the last dozen WSOP Main Event champs are ranked in the Global Poker Index this week along with their highest previous rankings:
| WSOP ME Champ Year | Player | Current GPI rank | Highest ever rank (date*) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Martin Jacobson | #15 | #8 (Nov. 2014) |
| 2013 | Ryan Riess | #303 | #199 (Nov. 2013) |
| 2012 | Greg Merson | #487 | #63 (Nov. 2012) |
| 2011 | Pius Heinz | #17,303 | #214 (July 2012) |
| 2010 | Jonathan Duhamel | #29 | #5 (July 2012) |
| 2009 | Joe Cada | #1,076 | #316 (June 2013) |
| 2008 | Peter Eastgate | #30,629 | #1,677 (July 2012) |
| 2007 | Jerry Yang | #7,250 | #2,565 (Mar. 2013) |
| 2006 | Jamie Gold | #3,340 | #2,724 (May 2015) |
| 2005 | Joe Hachem | #1,917 | #78 (June 2011) |
| 2004 | Greg Raymer | #540 | #256 (July 2011) |
| 2003 | Chris Moneymaker | #3,090 | #275 (July 2011) |
*Note: the GPI rankings began June 27, 2011.
Right now from these 12 only Jonathan Duhamel and Martin Jacobson are in the GPI Top 300. Duhamel has remained inside the top 30 since August 2013, while the last time Jacobson was outside the top 50 was June 2014.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | Louis Salter | 1999.47 | +83 |
| 284 | NiPun Java | 1618.84 | +81 |
| 108 | Eddy Sabat | 2276.09 | +74 |
| 152 | Ismael Bojang | 2051.22 | +73 |
| 273 | Kyle Bowker | 1659.53 | +67 |
Looking at who among this week’s Top 300 made the biggest gains, Louis Salter jumped the most, going from No. 243 to No. 160 after finishing ninth in that aforementioned WPT Amsterdam Main Event.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 280 | Farid Jattin | 1633.12 | -56 |
| 195 | Philipp Gruissem | 1892.87 | -43 |
| 292 | Eric Blair | 1594.07 | -36 |
| 205 | Viet Van Vo | 1862.04 | -31 |
| 245 | Vineet Pahuja | 1745.10 | -29 |
Finally Farid Jattin dropped the most this week among players still in the GPI Top 300, the second straight week he’s been part of this list.
To view both the 2015 Player of the Year and 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.
