Global Poker Index: Kenney, Petrangelo Keep Pace, Negreanu Rejoins Rankings
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 May 31.
2017 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryn Kenney | 2840.97 | - |
| 2 | Nick Petrangelo | 2570.52 | +3 |
| 3 | Ari Engel | 2478.79 | -1 |
| 4 | Sergio Aido | 2463.57 | -1 |
| 5 | Daniel Dvoress | 2430.71 | -1 |
| 6 | Manig Loeser | 2262.69 | - |
| 7 | Koray Aldemir | 2176.14 | - |
| 8 | Mustapha Kanit | 2109.57 | - |
| 9 | Byron Kaverman | 2108.44 | - |
| 10 | Steve O'Dwyer | 1938.12 | - |
With the first results from the 2017 World Series of Poker about to come along to start stirring up the rankings top to bottom, the 2017 GPI Player of the Year leaderboard still looks just about like it did a week ago, with Bryn Kenney remaining the frontrunner for a 17th-straight week.
The only change among the top 10 players was Nick Petrangelo moving up from No. 5 to No. 2. Petrangelo picked up POY points from a seventh-place finish in the $50,000 buy-in ARIA Super High Roller 18, a 56-entry event won by Justin Bonomo who took away $779,520 after a heads-up chop. Bonomo also won a $10K at the ARIA, and as a result moved up from No. 35 to No. 15 in the POY race this week.
Speaking of high rollers at ARIA — and looking just outside of the GPI POY Top 10 — last year's GPI Player of the Year David Peters concluded May by cashing in three different ones (a $25K High Roller, the $50K Super High Roller and a $100K SHR), enabling him to move all of the way from No. 55 to No. 11 as the WSOP gets started.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Petrangelo | 3510.93 | - |
| 2 | David Peters | 3446.60 | +1 |
| 3 | Justin Bonomo | 3445.98 | +2 |
| 4 | Fedor Holz | 3427.20 | -2 |
| 5 | Bryn Kenney | 3337.60 | -1 |
| 6 | Ari Engel | 3236.17 | - |
| 7 | Jason Mercier | 3165.47 | - |
| 8 | Adrian Mateos | 3157.11 | - |
| 9 | Steve O'Dwyer | 3116.71 | - |
| 10 | Jason Koon | 3090.34 | - |
Turning to the overall rankings, those successes at the ARIA helped Peters (No. 2 this week) and Bonomo (No. 3) each move up to nudge closer to leader Petrangelo who remains the top-ranked tournament player in the world according to the GPI for a ninth week in a row.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 190 | Daniel Negreanu | 1894.89 |
| 212 | Christian Christner | 1856.11 |
| 233 | Brian Rast | 1813.70 |
| 238 | Linh Tran | 1807.12 |
| 252 | Alexander Denisov | 1786.17 |
| 274 | Chad Eveslage | 1754.78 |
| 287 | Alexander Lakhov | 1736.00 |
| 299 | Scott Stewart | 1723.39 |
| 300 | Weiyi Zhang | 1721.84 |
There were just nine new names in the Top 300 following the latest GPI update, with Daniel Negreanu the highest-ranked of the bunch after moving up from No. 302 to No. 190.
Negreanu rejoins the Top 300 after taking eighth in that aformentioned $100,000 Super High Roller at the ARIA. Christian Christner was part of a three-handed deal to conclude that $100K SHR, earning himself a huge payday of $1.45 million and helping him to jump up from No. 406 to No. 212.
Christner also cashed in the $50K SHR (finishing fifth) to pick up even more GPI points. This marks Christner's highest-career GPI ranking and only the second time he's been in the Top 300 after a brief one-week visit earlier this year.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 212 | Christian Christner | 1856.11 | +194 |
| 233 | Brian Rast | 1813.70 | +138 |
| 190 | Daniel Negreanu | 1894.89 | +112 |
| 274 | Chad Eveslage | 1754.78 | +103 |
| 252 | Alexander Denisov | 1786.17 | +98 |
Christner enjoyed the biggest gain of anyone in this week's Top 300, with Negreanu having the third-largest jump. Brian Rast also made a significant upward move, going fom No. 233 to No. 138 after finishing sixth in the $50K ARIA SHR won by Bonomo.
Rast's highest previous GPI ranking was No. 10 in October 2015.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 295 | Upeshka De Silva | 1728.85 | -113 |
| 272 | Michael Gathy | 1758.81 | -82 |
| 296 | Jerry Wong | 1727.75 | -69 |
| 186 | Rafael Moraes | 1907.84 | -64 |
| 267 | Tim West | 1767.56 | -53 |
Finally, Upeshka De Silva was the toppermost of the droppermost this week among players still ranked in the Top 300 after slipping from No. 182 to No. 295.
What to Expect Next Week
As already noted, the 74-event 2017 World Series of Poker got started this week with the first bracelet events getting going yesterday.
The PokerNews live reporting team is the WSOP's official provider of live updates again this year, so be sure to bookmark our WSOP landing page for quick access to all the hand reports, chip counts, photos, videos and more from each and every WSOP event.
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.
