Global Poker Index: Zinno, Mercier Hang on to Leads; Kaverman, Volpe on the Move
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 26, 2015.
2015 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Zinno | 4341.41 | - |
| 2 | Byron Kaverman | 3797.99 | +2 |
| 3 | Connor Drinan | 3771.11 | -1 |
| 4 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | 3729.00 | +1 |
| 5 | Paul Volpe | 3651.76 | +5 |
| 6 | Jason Mercier | 3620.28 | +7 |
| 7 | Scott Seiver | 3610.29 | -4 |
| 8 | Steve O’Dwyer | 3466.74 | +10 |
| 9 | Stephen Chidwick | 3460.36 | -3 |
| 10 | Ivan Luca | 3423.22 | +1 |
After several quiet weeks at the top of the Global Poker Index 2015 Player of the Year leaderboard, results from the ongoing European Poker Tour Barcelona festival have shaken up the rankings a bit this week with a couple of newcomers joining the top 10.
Anthony Zinno managed to retain the top spot for an eighth week in a row. In fact, it’s A-B-C-D at the top this week with Anthony, Byron, Connor, and Dzmitry sitting in the first four positions.
A ninth-place finish in the €50K EPT Barcelona Super High Roller helped Byron Kaverman move up from No. 4 to No. 2, while Connor Drinan remained in third. Dzmitry Urbanovich also moved up a spot to No. 4 on the strength of his runner-up finish in the EPT SHR won by Sylvain Loosli.
Jason Mercier jumped from No. 13 to No. 7 in the rankings now that points from his win in the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $25K High Roller have kicked in, while Steve O’Dwyer moved up from No. 18 to No. 8 after final tabling the EPT Barcelona €50K SHR (taking seventh) and also cashing in the EPT Barcelona €25K High Roller earlier this week (taking 12th).
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Mercier | 4259.98 | - |
| 2 | Anthony Zinno | 4021.32 | - |
| 3 | Byron Kaverman | 3988.80 | - |
| 4 | Paul Volpe | 3735.02 | +5 |
| 5 | Scott Seiver | 3726.19 | -1 |
| 6 | Bryn Kenney | 3618.37 | +1 |
| 7 | Stephen Chidwick | 3592.90 | -2 |
| 8 | Dominik Nitsche | 3497.43 | - |
| 9 | Nicholas Petrangelo | 3475.91 | +2 |
| 10 | Dario Sammartino | 3443.75 | - |
There was some movement as well atop the GPI overall rankings this week, although Mercier kept the top spot for a sixth-straight week, creating a little more distance between himself and Zinno thanks to his big SHRPO win.
Paul Volpe also picked up some points from the SHRPO series where he final tabled the $5,250 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Main Event, finishing eighth. He’s now up to No. 4 in the overall rankings, Volpe’s highest-ever ranking after having peaked at No. 5 in July 2014.
Also one to watch is Nicholas Petrangelo who this week moved up a couple of spots to No. 9. Petrangelo is having a huge year, with 11 cashes, eight final tables, and two tournament victories already. Petrangelo was the overnight leader in the EPT Barcelona Main Event, and came back to the most chips of anyone to start today’s Day 3.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 189 | Antonio Buonanno | 1929.94 |
| 219 | Chris Hunichen | 1869.68 |
| 223 | Timothy Miles | 1858.48 |
| 225 | Marc MacDonnel | 1857.27 |
| 230 | Viet Van Vo | 1843.59 |
| 234 | Aaron Lim | 1817.55 |
| 243 | Brian Roberts | 1790.93 |
| 249 | Christoph Csik | 1779.19 |
| 256 | Pablo Fernandez | 1765.28 |
| 272 | Jens Lakemeier | 1721.81 |
| 274 | Dermot Blain | 1721.00 |
| 275 | James Gilbert | 1717.47 |
| 283 | Leo Fernandez | 1698.24 |
| 285 | Aditya Prasetyo | 1696.92 |
| 286 | Carlo Savinelli | 1693.75 |
| 290 | Daniel Buzgon | 1684.17 |
| 291 | Randy Pfeifer | 1681.35 |
| 296 | Johnny Lodden | 1668.52 |
Well demonstrating the effect a major poker tournament series like EPT Barcelona is having on the overall GPI rankings, no less than 18 players moved up into the top 300 this week, with former EPT Grand Final champion Antonio Buannono ranking the highest of the group after moving up from No. 304 to No. 189.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 291 | Randy Pfeifer | 1681.35 | +204 |
| 256 | Pablo Fernandez | 1765.28 | +141 |
| 230 | Viet Van Vo | 1843.59 | +140 |
| 285 | Aditya Prasetyo | 1696.92 | +132 |
| 283 | Leo Fernandez | 1698.24 | +132 |
Buannono’s move upwards 115 spots in the rankings wasn’t even enough to get him listed in the top five biggest gains of the week, thanks to all of the cashes and points-gathering happening in Spain and elsewhere. Randy Pfeifer tops that list this week, going from No. 495 all of the way to No. 204 after final tabling the SHRPO Main Event where he finished fifth.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 247 | Alexander Kumin | 1784.08 | -75 |
| 293 | Marc-Etienne McLaughlin | 1673.24 | -60 |
| 226 | Andy Frankenberger | 1856.10 | -58 |
| 229 | Dylan Linde | 1844.23 | -58 |
| 280 | Norbert Szecsi | 1709.74 | -56 |
Meanwhile of those keeping their spots inside the GPI’s top 300, Alexander Kumin tumbled the furthest after going from No. 172 to No. 247.
What to Expect Next Week
Barcelona remains the center attention for nearly another week as the EPT Barcelona Main Event (lasting through Aug. 30) and €10K High Roller (Aug. 28-30) highlight a packed remaining schedule. The Macau Poker Cup 23 is also getting underway tomorrow.
Be sure to follow the coverage from the PokerNews’ Live Reporting team from EPT Barcelona for the duration of the festival.
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.
