GPI300: Kitai Just One Step Away From Top 10

Minimal movement at the top this week as Triple Crown winner Davidi Kitai lurks.

VIEW FROM THE TOP

Make it four weeks in a row atop the GPI300 rankings for German star Ole Schemion (GPI#1, -). Schemion did, however, lose a few points this week and stands to lose a few more next week as EPT Grand Final scores from 2013 enter a different aging period. The GPI Player of the Month for April 2014 is still expected to enter the WSOP as the #1 player in the world.

Scott Seiver (GPI#2, -) and Philipp Gruissem (GPI#3, -) remain at #2 and #3 while a pair of American stars, Byron Kaverman (GPI#4 CB, +1) and Vanessa Selbst (GPI#5, -1) swap positions inside the Top 5.

For the second straight week, two-time WSOP bracelet winner Davidi Kitai (GPI#11, -) bubbles the Top 10. The Belgian star is one step away from entering the Top 10 for the first time of his career. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Kitai will need to score some points early at the WSOP as his 2013 bracelet victory will fall into a new Aging Factor during the Series.

Back to the Top 10, Dan Smith (GPI#7, +1) and Stephen Chidwick (GPI#8 CB, +2) each move up in the rankings this week while Jason Mercier (GPI#9, -2) drops to #9. In an all-Canadian swap, 2010 WSOP World Champion Jonathan Duhamel (GPI#10, +3) returns to the Top 10 this week while Mike McDonald (GPI#16, -7) drops seven spots to #16.

GPI TOP 10:

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SWIMMING UPSTREAM

Live has certainly been good for Blair Hinkle (GPI#240, +56) since the end of the 2013 WSOP in Las Vegas. Not only has Hinkle added to wins to his already impressive CV – the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open and the WSOP Circuit Iowa Main Event (which he won for the second time) – Hinkle finally received the big Full Tilt Poker paycheque he was waiting for since Black Friday.

Ronit Chamani (GPI#130 CB, +69) is the biggest mover inside the GPI300 this week. Chamani’s rise in 2014 has been quite impressive, having moved up over 800 spots and adding over 1,300 GPI points since the start of the 2014 season. Antonio Lafosse (GPI#119, +48), Timothy Adams (GPI#236, +27) and Mateusz Moolhuizen (GPI#234, +25) join Hinkle and Chamani as some of the top movers this week.

This week’s Top 10 Movers within the GPI300:

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DOWN THE LADDER

Things aren’t getting any better for former GPI Top 10 player Igor Kurganov (GPI#141, -41) who after rising to #100 last week finds himself down once again at #141. It was only seven months ago that the Russian star was still a member of the Top 10. But his only scores in 2014 came just a few short weeks ago at the EPT Grand Final. Kurganov will need to work extra hard at the WSOP should he hope to make his way back in the lead group.

Dutch pro Florens Feenstra (GPI#262, -53), Aussie stars Daniel Neilson (GPI#269, -46) and Jonathan Karamalikis (GPI#169, -34) and recent GUKPT Manchester winner Rhys Jones (GPI#182, -34) all fall back in the race this week.

This week’s Top 10 Drops within the GPI300:

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IN-N-OUT

2012 WSOP Big One for One Drop runner-up Sam Trickett (GPI#300) finds his way back inside the 300 this week. The former World #5 returns to the GPI300 for the first time since March 11, 2013. Trickett is expected to play a lot of events at the WSOP, including the One Drop, look for his stock to continue rising as the 2014 season continues.

Goran Mandic (GPI#293 CB), ranked #1 on the GPI National Croatia leaderboard, Vinny Pahuja (GPI#297), James Carroll (GPI#298) and two-time WSOP bracelet winner Greg Mueller (GPI#299) all enter the 300 this week. Mueller continues his permanency inside the “Tommy Vedes Danger Zone”.

WSOP bracelet Joey Weissman (GPI#320) finds himself out of the 300 this week. Weissman has spent the better part of three months ranked amongst the best 300 players in the world.

Tom Alner (GPI#313), Darryl Ronconi (GPI#315), Tom Dobrilovic (GPI#356) and Jean-Noël Thorel (GPI#357) are a few of the other notable players who find themselves on the outside, looking in this week.

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ON THE BUBBLE

Last week’s bubble player, Atanas Gueorguiev (GPI#295) was able to return to the 300 this week earning the 295th overall spot in the rankings.

This week, fellow Bulgarian Atanas Kavrakov (GPI#301) is on the bubble. Coming off of the best three weeks on his career on the GPI, which included great success at EPT Vienna, EPT Sanremo and the EPT Grand Final. Kavrakov will be looking to re-emerge inside the 300 as he chases the 1M USD earnings mark for 2014.

CB = Career Best GPI Ranking