Global Poker Index: Fedor Holz Keeps Lead; Erik Seidel Joins Top 5
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 Nov. 30, 2016.
2016 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fedor Holz | 3644.80 | - |
| 2 | David Peters | 3343.09 | - |
| 3 | Chance Kornuth | 3336.54 | - |
| 4 | Paul Volpe | 3192.88 | - |
| 5 | Justin Bonomo | 3127.87 | - |
| 6 | Adrian Mateos | 3109.86 | - |
| 7 | Ari Engel | 3048.55 | +1 |
| 8 | Samuel Panzica | 3046.64 | -1 |
| 9 | Nick Petrangelo | 3008.21 | - |
| 10 | Bryn Kenney | 3002.78 | - |
There is just a month to go in the 2016 Global Poker Index Player of the Year race, and for a 25th week in a row Fedor Holz remains the man to catch as he continues to enjoy a largish, 300-point lead over nearest challenger David Peters.
These are the same 10 players atop the leaderboard who appeared in the last update, with only Ari Engel inching up a spot to No. 7 after picking up cashes in Punta Cana at the partypoker.net World Poker Tour Caribbean Main Event won by Niall Farrell (where Engel took 22nd) as well as the 2016 Rock N Roll Poker Open RRPO Championship in Hollywood, Florida (where Engel finished ninth).
Speaking of Niall Farrell, he jumped from No. 48 to No. 18 on the POY leaderboard thanks to his big WPT Caribbean win.
GPI 300 Top 10
| Rank | Player | GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fedor Holz | 5057.14 | - |
| 2 | Nick Petrangelo | 4315.64 | - |
| 3 | David Peters | 4302.63 | - |
| 4 | Jason Mercier | 4284.15 | - |
| 5 | Erik Seidel | 3990.63 | +3 |
| 6 | Bryn Kenney | 3983.13 | -1 |
| 7 | Tom Marchese | 3969.04 | - |
| 8 | Connor Drinan | 3955.40 | -2 |
| 9 | Justin Bonomo | 3920.37 | - |
| 10 | Dan Smith | 3889.03 | - |
Fedor continues his strangle-Holz atop the overall rankings as well where he likewise remains the top-ranked tournament player in the world for a 25th-straight week.
By the way, that's the longest streak in the top spot ever in the history of the GPI (going back to its beginnings in early 2011). The second-longest streak belongs to Steve O'Dwyer who was No. 1 for 22 straight weeks earlier this year (from January to June). O'Dwyer sits just outside the top 10 at No. 11 this week.
Another former No. 1, Erik Seidel, moved from No. 8 to No. 5 this week, most recently picking up points for a runner-up finish in a $50,000 buy-in ARIA Super High Roller.
Welcome to the GPI Top 300
| Rank | Player | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 283 | Chris Hunichen | 1886.82 |
| 287 | Fabrice Soulier | 1881.63 |
| 290 | Anton Wigg | 1872.44 |
| 300 | Jesse Yaginuma | 1851.07 |
While there were plenty of moves within the GPI top 300 this week, only four players were able to nudge their way up onto the list to knock out four others. Chris Hunichen is the highest-ranked of this quartet, having moved up from No. 366 to No. 283 after a 24th-place showing in the WPT Caribbean Main Event.
Biggest Gains
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 283 | Chris Hunichen | 1886.82 | +83 |
| 290 | Anton Wigg | 1872.44 | +61 |
| 225 | Jussi Nevanlinna | 2019.99 | +60 |
| 161 | Tyler Patterson | 2215.18 | +41 |
| 240 | Brian Hastings | 1992.58 | +40 |
That upward move by Hunichen represented the largest of anyone in the current top 300 from the last seven days, with Anton Wigg's jump from No. 351 to No. 290 placing him second on the "Biggest Gains" list.
Wigg gained ground thanks to a couple of cashes in the recently-completed Master Classics of Poker series in Amsterdam. Meanwhile after topping last week's "Biggest Drops" list by sliding 76 spots, Jussi Nevanlinna immediately bounced back from No. 285 to No. 225, also on the strength of cashing in Amsterdam.
Biggest Drops
| Rank | Player | Total GPI Score | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202 | Hans Winzeler | 2116.01 | -46 |
| 201 | Brian Green | 2119.05 | -42 |
| 254 | Alex Keating | 1967.12 | -37 |
| 89 | Isaac Haxton | 2639.90 | -32 |
| 207 | Weiyi Zhang | 2085.08 | -31 |
Speaking of the "Biggest Drops," Hans Winzeler fell the furthest this week (among those still in the top 300), slipping from No. 156 to No. 202. Isaac Haxton also dropped 31 spots to No. 89, remaining in the top 100 where he's been ever since October 2015, peaking at No. 22 (in May 2016).
What to Expect Next Week
The World Series of Poker Circuit is making another stop at Harrah's Cherokee in North Carolina this week, where the Main Event will be kicking off tomorrow. Meanwhile the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic series at the Bellagio is already underway as well, with the Main Event starting next Monday.
There's the WPT Prague currently happening at the Kings Casino in Prague, Czech Republic. And of course all are looking ahead to the last ever European Poker Tour stop, the 100-plus event series at EPT Prague at the Hilton Prague Hotel which gets going a week from today.
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.
