Global Poker Index: Jason Mercier Retains Top Spot Overall; Anthony Zinno Leading POY
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 July 29, 2015.
2015 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anthony Zinno | 4192.92 | - |
| 2 | Connor Drinan | 3771.11 | - |
| 3 | Scott Seiver | 3610.30 | - |
| 4 | Byron Kaverman | 3510.54 | - |
| 5 | Dzmitry Urbanovich | 3380.69 | - |
| 6 | Stephen Chidwick | 3352.68 | - |
| 7 | Dominick Nitsche | 3300.76 | - |
| 8 | Nicholas Petrangelo | 3277.39 | - |
| 9 | Ivan Luca | 3128.45 | - |
| 10 | Joe Kuether | 3105.15 | - |
There was zero movement atop of the 2015 Global Poker Index Player of the Year leaderboard this week after a relatively light schedule of tournaments and none of the players in the top spots notching any results, which means Anthony Zinno retains the POY lead for a fourth-straight week.
Incidentally, in the 2015 WSOP Player of the Year race (powered by the GPI), Zinno currently sits in third position behind leader Mike Gorodinsky and Brian Hastings in second, with the WSOP Europe series in Berlin this October still to come.
Skimming through the top 100 in the 2015 GPI POY, the only big move to report was made by Ismael Bojang who jumped up 30 spots from No. 72 to No. 42 after finishing fourth of 169 in the �4,350 Poker EM Velden Main Event in Austria last week.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Mercier | 4020.74 | - |
| 2 | Scott Seiver | 3928.27 | +2 |
| 3 | Anthony Zinno | 3896.52 | -1 |
| 4 | Dan Smith | 3818.38 | -1 |
| 5 | Stephen Chidwick | 3748.13 | - |
| 6 | Davidi Kitai | 3615.34 | - |
| 7 | Bryn Kenney | 3575.85 | +2 |
| 8 | Byron Kaverman | 3568.68 | -1 |
| 9 | Paul Volpe | 3522.01 | +1 |
| 10 | Dario Sammartino | 3513.19 | -2 |
It was a similarly quiet week in the overall GPI rankings as the top 10 ranked players in the world stayed the same, albeit with a small bit of shuffling among them. Jason Mercier remains the top-ranked tournament player in the world for a second-straight week.
Looking below the leaders, Steve O��Dwyer made a move up from No. 28 to No. 16 this week, while Ole Schemion slipped from No. 15 down to No. 33.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 277 | Jesse Alexis Cohen | 1716.23 |
| 280 | Manig Loeser | 1710.15 |
| 283 | Kelly Minkin | 1707.62 |
| 296 | Henrik Hecklen | 1671.35 |
| 298 | Kory Kilpatrick | 1653.74 |
| 299 | Miltiadis Kyriakides | 1653.55 |
| 300 | Brandon Shack-Harris | 1653.47 |
Seven players joined the GPI top 300 this week, with Jesse Alexis Cohen the highest-ranked among that small group at No. 277.
Only one of these seven is making a top 300 debut, Kelly Minkin who finished 29th in the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event for a career-best $211,821 cash.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 280 | Manig Loeser | 1710.15 | +79 |
| 194 | Justin Liberto | 1923.69 | +51 |
| 229 | Felix Stephensen | 1817.83 | +46 |
| 134 | Nathan Bjerno | 2194.66 | +41 |
| 283 | Kelly Minkin | 1707.62 | +27 |
Minkin was among the biggest upward movers during the week, with Manig Loeser moving up the most among those in the top 300, going from No. 359 to No. 280 after finishing sixth in that aforementioned �4,350 Poker EM Velden Main Event in Austria.
2014 WSOP Main Event runner-up Felix Stephensen also made this week��s biggest gainers list after going from No. 275 to No. 229.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 255 | Jonas Mackoff | 1761.86 | -56 |
| 128 | Andrew Chen | 2226.50 | -38 |
| 245 | Jake Cody | 1785.62 | -38 |
| 297 | Timur Margolin | 1661.91 | -25 |
| 262 | Joni Jouhkimainen | 1748.75 | -22 |
Finally, looking at players still inside the top 300, Jonas Mackoff took the biggest tumble this week after slipping from No. 199 to No. 255.
What to Expect Next Week
There should be more movement in both lists over the next week as tournament series once again start up all around the globe.
The Brazilian Series of Poker in Sao Paulo, Brazil is already in action, as is the Italian Poker Tour in Saint-Vincent, Italy. Meanwhile in the United States, the WSOP National Championship is well underway in Cherokee, North Carolina, the 58-event Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open starts today in Hollywood, Florida, and the World Poker Tour Choctaw Main Event begins tomorrow in Durant, Oklahoma.
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.
