Global Poker Index: Adrian Mateos New Overall No. 1, Kenney Leads POY

Adrian Mateos

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 December 6.

2017 GPI Player of the Year

RankPlayerGPI ScoreChange From Last Week
1Bryn Kenney3478.06-
2Adrian Mateos3448.91-
3Stephen Chidwick3280.21-
4Koray Aldemir3197.38-
5Dan Smith3170.57+1
6Nick Petrangelo3134.62-1
7Rainer Kempe3086.76+8
8Stefan Schillhabel3048.64-1
9Dario Sammartino3006.34-1
10Ari Engel2964.45+10

There's less than a month left on the 2017 poker tournament calendar, although with the World Poker Tour Five Diamond Classic already underway and the soon-to-start PokerStars Championship Prague series among the month's highlights, there remain plenty of opportunities for things to change in the 2017 Global Poker Index Player of the Year race.

That said, since our last look at the GPI rankings a month ago there has been no change at the top as far as the POY is concerned, as Bryn Kenney has remained the frontrunner for the last 16 weeks running.

Indeed, with some minor shuffling the top six players are the same as a month ago, while the bottom part of the Top 10 has seen some newcomers with Rainer Kempe, Stefan Schillhabel, and Ari Engel all having moved up onto the list during the last few weeks.

Speaking of the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, last week Kempe topped a 39-entry field in the $25,000 Bellagio High Roller to enable his upward move. Meanwhile Engel's recent final table showing at the 2017 Rock 'n' Roll Poker Open Championship in Hollywood, Florida — finishing fifth of 585 entries — has helped him jump back into the top 10.

GPI 300 Top 10

RankPlayerGPI ScoreChange From Last Week
1Adrian Mateos3571.59-
2Bryn Kenney3401.03-
3David Peters3343.89-
4Stephen Chidwick3254.04-
5Jason Koon3253.77+3
6Dan Smith3233.37+1
7Fedor Holz3217.59-2
8Rainer Kempe3184.27+3
9Nick Petrangelo3161.72-3
10Justin Bonomo3079.24-1

By contrast, there is a new name in the No. 1 spot of the overall GPI rankings, as Adrian Mateos finally managed to push up into first position a couple of weeks ago, ending what had been a 14-week reign for Kenney on top.

Mateos had moved up to No. 2 in the rankings at the start of November, then made his debut at No. 1 in the November 29 update.

Still just 23 years old, the Spaniard already has collected over $11.5 million in tournament winnings, including three World Series of Poker bracelets (among them a WSOP Europe Main Event title) and a European Poker Tour Main Event title (in the EPT Grand Final at Monte-Carlo two years ago).

Most recently Mateos added scores at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic, making two final tables in preliminary events including a third-place showing in that aforementioned $25,000 Bellagio High Roller won by Kempe.

Welcome to the GPI Top 300

RankPlayerTotal Score
245Jeffrey Trudeau1954.63
250Andres Korn1945.77
273Jerry Wong1899.81
274Fehredin Mustafov1898.66
276Jean-Pascal Savard1885.66
277Park Yu Cheung1882.97
278Kyle Bowker1881.59
283Simon Lam1871.64
284Ray Henson1871.08
285Krzysztof Stybaniewicz1867.94
289Jean Gaspard1867.14
291Andrew Kelsall1862.68
294Kiryl Radzivonau1860.79
295Mark Herm1859.76
296Romain Lewis1859.25

Taking a peek at who's new in the most recent GPI rankings update, we find 15 players not in the list a week ago have now moved up to join the GPI Top 300 list thanks to recent tournament cashes.

Jeffrey Trudeau of Florida is the highest-ranked of this group currently, having moved up from No. 325 to No. 245 after earning a couple of cashes in the World Series of Poker Circuit Cherokee series, including a victory in the High Roller event.

Andres "Cacho" Korn won a bracelet at last summer's WSOP, and after collecting some recent cashes in his native Argentina he moved up from No. 382 to No. 250 to reclaim a spot in the Top 300.

Biggest Gains

RankPlayerTotal GPI ScoreChange
118Ben Tollerene2251.24+153
250Andres Korn1945.77+132
107Matas Cimbolas2282.08+120
285Krzysztof Stybaniewicz1867.94+120
289Jean Gaspard1867.14+96

Korn's move up the rankings was a big one, but the week's biggest gain was made by a player who had already been ranked in the GPI Top 300 a week ago.

Ben Tollerene elevated from No. 271 to No. 118 after two final table finishes in high roller events at the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic last week in which he picked up a second and a fifth. The ranking represents Tollerene's career high to date, and he currently sits just outside the 2017 GPI POY Top 10 at No. 14.

Biggest Drops

RankPlayerTotal GPI ScoreChange
237Daniel Strelitz1976.28-88
179Byron Kaverman2071.57-73
255Sam Chartier1933.12-67
190Sam Soverel2052.61-57
259Michal Mrakeš1929.81-51

Finally, looking strictly at players remaining inside the GPI Top 300 from a week ago, Daniel Strelitz endured the steepest drop after falling from No. 149 last week to No. 237 this week.

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.

Sharelines
  • Global Poker Index: New No. 1 Adrian Mateos retains lead in overall rankings; Bryn Kenney tops POY.

  • Rainer Kempe and Ben Tollerene are among the @GPI upward movers after WPT Five Diamond scores.

More Stories

Other Stories

Recommended for you

Gus Hansen Bags, Brandon Meyers Still Leads WPT Five Diamond Gus Hansen Bags, Brandon Meyers Still Leads WPT Five Diamond