GPI300: A Game of Musical Chairs

Guess who’s back on top of the GPI300 this week? Time to play a game of musical chairs…

VIEW FROM THE TOP

It only took a week for Daniel Negreanu (GPI#1, +1) to take back what’s his, moving back to #1 in the World after falling to #2 for the second time in 2014 last week. Negreanu actually added a few points while continuing to remain stagnant until the start of the EPT Grand Final. Ole Schemion (GPI#3, -2) lost points in the race this week and falls to #3 in the World. Schemion enters the EPT Sanremo Festival at the top of EPT10 PoY standings.

Vanessa Selbst (GPI#2 CB, +1) reaches her highest ranking on the GPI300 this week moving up to #2 in the World and looking to take over from Kid Poker as the battle lines will certainly be drawn shortly as the two Team PokerStars pros are set to do battle in Monte Carlo.

After two months away, Ravi Raghavan (GPI#9, +2) is back in the Top 10 this week. Raghavan was actually the benefactor of others around him losing points this week as he has not gained or lost any points in five weeks.

Raghavan’s good luck comes at the expense of German star Philipp Gruissem (GPI#15, -5). The former World #2 sits outside the Top 10 for only the fourth time in the past 55 weeks. The Canadian combo of Mike McDonald (GPI#6, +1) and Sorel Mizzi (GPI#7, +2) both move up while American duo Dan Smith (GPI#8, -2) and Shannon Shorr (GPI#10, -2) take a tumble.

GPI TOP 10:

[table id=1042 /]

SWIMMING UPSTREAM

Grinder’s back! Well, he was never gone but Michael Mizrachi (GPI#143, +82) made a return to the winner’s circle at the Live Events International 2014 event in Montenegro where he won the Ultra Deepstack event … Grinder also finished 16th in the Lebanese Poker Cup Main Event in Montenegro.

WSOP bracelet winner Naoya Kihara (GPI#183, +106 CB), Samantha Cohen (GPI#90 CB, +45), Paul Berende (GPI#73, +44) and Lasse Frost (GPI#153 CB, +35) join Mizrachi as some of this week’s biggest movers and shakers inside the GPI300.

This week’s Top 10 Movers within the GPI300:

[table id=1043 /]

DOWN THE LADDER

Canadian pro Timothy Adams (GPI#158, -80) leaves the Top 100 for only the second week in almost a year. Adams’ last score on the live tournament circuit came in a prelim event at the 2014 PCA in January. He enjoyed some success during the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo last season and will need to match or better that success this year in order to stop losing ground in the race.

Nacho Barbero (GPI#208, -71), Kitty Kuo (GPI#263, -59), Daniel Laidlaw (GPI#145, -51) and EPT London Champion Robin Ylitalo (GPI#195, -51) also drop a few spots in the standings this week.

This week’s Top 10 Drops within the GPI300:

[table id=1044 /]

IN-N-OUT

A fourth cash of the young 2014 poker season sees former November Niner John Racener (GPI#254) make a return to the GPI300 for the first time since February. Racener earned a 13th place finish at HPT Florida in Daytona Beach to close out the month of March in order to return to the 300.

Giuliano Bendinelli (GPI#261 CB), who was featured earlier this week as part of our GPI National Italy Top 10 article, Michel Abecassis (GPI#286), Greg Mueller (GPI#289) and Jesse Yaginuma (GPI#290) are amongst 10 others who enter the GPI300 this week.

German high stakes pro Tobias Reinkemeier (GPI#398) drops out of the GPI300 for the first time in over three years, dropping to #398 after only collecting a single score in the past five month on the circuit.

Joep van den Bijgaart (GPI#307), Salman Behbehani (GPI#312), Maria Ho (GPI#327) and recent November Niner David Benefield (GPI#428) all drop out of the 300 this week.

[table id=1045 /]

ON THE BUBBLE

We start a new feature this week taking a look at the last player on the outside, looking in … coming in at #301 this week is American tournament grinder Tony Cousineau.

Cousineau’s last score on the circuit came in February where he finished 15th at the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open in Coconut Creek, Florida. After spending some time back inside the 300 in February and March, Cousineau will have to wait another week before re-entering the GPI300.

CB = Career Best GPI Ranking