Global Poker Index: Sammartino, Petrangelo Lead, Grafton Joins 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 August 9.
2017 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dario Sammartino | 2928.47 | - |
| 2 | Nick Petrangelo | 2881.97 | - |
| 3 | Dan Smith | 2841.98 | - |
| 4 | Bryn Kenney | 2840.97 | - |
| 5 | Koray Aldemir | 2833.85 | - |
| 6 | Sergio Aido | 2809.01 | - |
| 7 | David Peters | 2684.63 | - |
| 8 | Ari Engel | 2652.80 | - |
| 9 | Charlie Carrel | 2618.77 | - |
| 10 | Justin Bonomo | 2616.70 | - |
Know how when you're checking the updates early in a tournament and it seems like all that's happened over the last level or two is a whole lot of nothing, with everyone staying right where they were, chip-wise? That's kind of where things stand with the 2017 Global Poker Index Player of the Year race at the moment, where the "counts" all remain exactly the same from a week ago.
All 10 players retain their same positions again this week, meaning Dario Sammartino continues to enjoy a slight lead over Nick Petrangelo. This marks Sammartino's fourth week in a row at No. 1.
In fact, you have to look well down the current POY list to find any movement at all since the last update. The biggest move among anyone in the top 50 of the POY standings was made by Samuel Phillips who jumped from No. 86 to No. 44 after his 12th-place finish in the World Poker Tour Choctaw Main Event won by Jay Lee a couple of nights ago.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Petrangelo | 3480.87 | - |
| 2 | David Peters | 3294.37 | - |
| 3 | Justin Bonomo | 3230.84 | +4 |
| 4 | Ari Engel | 3182.73 | -1 |
| 5 | Adrian Mateos | 3177.14 | -1 |
| 6 | Bryn Kenney | 3152.95 | -1 |
| 7 | Dan Smith | 3140.81 | +15 |
| 8 | Sergio Aido | 3068.87 | -2 |
| 9 | Ankush Mandavia | 3034.10 | -1 |
| 10 | Steve O'Dwyer | 3032.63 | -1 |
Petrangelo remains atop the overall rankings again for a 19th-straight week, with the man from whom he took the No. 1 spot, David Peters, still in second position.
Justin Bonomo elevated from No. 7 to No. 3 this week. Bonomo has been inside the Top 10 since early February, with his previous highest GPI ranking being No. 2 (in June).
Meanwhile former top-ranked player Dan Smith rejoins the list after jumping all of the way from No. 22 to No. 7. Smith's most recent big finishes came at the ARIA Resort & Casino where he earned a win and a runner-up in two recent $25,000 High Rollers.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 219 | Sam Grafton | 1944.67 |
| 285 | Kevin MacPhee | 1848.94 |
| 290 | Isaac Haxton | 1845.65 |
Just three players were able to move up and crack the GPI Top 300 this week, the lowest number of new names on the list in recent memory. All three newcomers are well familiar to those who follow the tournament circuit.
Sam Grafton is the highest-ranked of the trio after moving all the way from No. 377 to No. 219 following his victory in the PokerStars Festival Bucharest Main Event in Romania. Grafton topped a 736-entry field to win a post-chop first prize of €117,707, helping him earn a spot among the GPI Top 300 for the first time in his career.
Kevin MacPhee appears on the "welcome" list this week as well, moving up from No. 337 to No. 285. MacPhee's previous highest GPI ranking has been No. 5 (in December 2015). Isaac Haxton also moved up onto the list after moving up from No. 307 to No. 290. Haxton's career-high GPI ranking is No. 22 (in May 2016).
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 219 | Sam Grafton | 1944.67 | +158 |
| 116 | Nipun Java | 2177.53 | +53 |
| 220 | Ben Yu | 1943.06 | +53 |
| 195 | Samuel Phillips | 1986.45 | +53 |
| 285 | Kevin MacPhee | 1848.94 | +52 |
That upward leap made Grafton the biggest gainer among those in the Top 300, well ahead of those making up a three-way for second — Nipun Java, Ben Yu, and Phillips.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 249 | Chad Eveslage | 1898.65 | -66 |
| 277 | Michael Zhang | 1863.48 | -50 |
| 264 | Chris Hunichen | 1875.40 | -38 |
| 247 | Richard Dubini | 2100.80 | -34 |
| 300 | Ryan Leng | 1826.34 | -34 |
Finally, among the Top 300 players Chad Eveslage endured the steepest drop this week after tumbling from No. 183 to No. 249.
What to Expect Next Week
The month-long WPT Legends of Poker series continues at the Bicycle Casino while the World Series of Poker Circuit Cherokee series also marches forward at Harrah's in North Carolina and the 2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open plays out in Florida.
Over in Europe the partypoker German Poker Championships continue in Rozvadov in the Czech Republic. However everyone is looking ahead to the PokerStars Championship Barcelona series starting next Tuesday. The PokerNews live reporting team will be on hand at the Casino Barcelona with start-to-finish coverage of he €50,000 Super High Roller, the two €25,500 Single-Day High Rollers, the €10,300 High Roller, and the €5,300 Main 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.
