July 29 2013, by Eric Danis

GPI300: The WSOP Aftermath

With over 60 tournaments at the World Series of Poker counting as qualifying events for the GPI, there is no question that the WSOP has the most impact on the GPI300 compared to any other tournament series or time of the year.

The Global Poker Index takes a in-depth look at the biggest movers and shakers since the start of the WSOP, a look at which WSOP under-performers took a tumble as well as a special look at the WSOP November Nine and the Niners’ impact on the standings:

The Cream of the Crop

Jason Mercier GPIOnly a single player managed to keep the same position inside the GPI300 since the start of the World Series of Poker and that’s our #1 ranked player, Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier who enters his 12th week in a row as the #1 player in poker. Mercier had regained the #1 spot in May following a solid performance at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo that included a second place finish in the 100K Super High Rollers event and a final table participation in the Main Event.

Amazingly, Ole Schemion (GPI#4) – who was not able to play in the WSOP due to the fact that he’s still not 21-years old – still managed to move up three spots in the Top 10. Schemion managed to score a few points at the ISPT Wembley event – which coincided with the start of the WSOP – and combined with past results of others inside the Top 10 losing value (due to the GPI Aging Factor),

Daniel Negreanu GPIFor his part, Daniel Negreanu  (GPI#6) moved down one spot after starting fifth on the leaderboard at the start of the WSOP. Early on in the Series, Kid Poker had managed to move way up to #2 following a 12th place finish in the Omaha/Seven Card Stud event yet he was unable to keep that position throughout the WSOP.

Doc Sands (GPI#13) and Bryn Kenney (GPI#14) both dropped out of the Top 10 while Joseph Cheong (GPI#5) and Andrew Lichtenberger (GPI#10) made their return to the Top during the summer.

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Top Gainers at the Series

WSOP LogoTwo-time WSOP bracelet winner and three-time WPT final table participant Steve Sung (GPI#288) made a tremendous return to the winners’ circle this summer at the Rio. After failing to collect a score on the live tournament circuit since the Legends of Poker last August, Sung enjoyed a tremendous amount of success at this year’s Series earning four cashes and collecting over 1.2M in winnings. Sung’s victory in Event #52 – NLH Six-Handed – was his first win since collecting a W at the JBET Battle of the Nations during the 2009 Asian Poker Tour Macau series.

Sung’s performance at the Rio allows him to move up over 2,000 positions in the GPI rankings and enters the GPI300 for the very first time since its creation.

WSOP Poker Players Championship winner Matthew Ashton put himself in the best position out of all of the top gainers. The UK pro collected three other Top 10 scores to go along with his first bracelet win and now sits in 120th position overall, setting himself up nicely for the long-run.

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JC Tran GPIWSOP November Niner J.C. Tran (GPI#235)’s 2013 WSOP performance also had a huge impact on the GPI and even more points may still be coming in November (November Niners were awarded ninth-place points for the moment) as the two-time WSOP bracelet winner will enter the Penn and Teller on November 4th as the chip leader. Tran earned a total of six cashes at the Series (including the Main Event) this summer.

Amir Lehavot (GPI#118) was the only November Niner to be ranked in the GPI300 prior to the WSOP, he further cemented his place amongst poker’s elite by moving up 170 spots to #118 overall.

Sylvain Loosli GPIHigh stakes player Sylvain Loosli (GPI#1447) and Mark Newhouse (GPI#1329) both skyrocketed up the standings. The Frenchman Loosli moved up over 28,000 spots with his qualifying for the November Nine. Meanwhile Newhouse, the former WPT Borgata Poker Open winner, moved up over 10K spots. Jay Farber wasn’t even ranked before making the WSOP Main Event final. Amazingly, his first and only Hendon Mob line is his November Nine appearance.

WSOP’s Big Dippers

While some players enjoyed great summers and significantly improved their GPI Rankings it was a tough WSOP for others who although still remain amongst the elite on the GPI300 put themselves at risk of being on the outs in the very near future if they don’t turn things around.

Phil Ivey GPIAlthough J.P. Kelly (GPI#292) took the biggest tumble inside the GPI300 falling 167 places it’s Phil Ivey’s (GPI#205) name amongst that bottom 10 players that jumps off the list! Ivey fell over 130 spots not just because of his less-than-stellar performance this past summer in Las Vegas but Ivey also became the victim of his own success as the WSOP rolled on. Ivey’s performance at the 2012 WSOP was remarkable … seven cashes including five Top 10’s including a second-place finish in the 10K PLO event … but all those precious points he accumulated in 2012 started losing value as the GPI Aging Factor continued to do its work and Ivey took an impressive tumble down the rankings.

Liv Boeree GPILiv Boeree (GPI#221) also lost precious points after a quiet WSOP. With her 2010 EPT Sanremo victory now off the books (no longer included in GPI points tabulation), Boeree will need to make a move soon or risk losing her position amongst poker’s elite inside the GPI300. A trip to EPT Barcelona could be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Team PokerStars Pro who remains one of the biggest names in the game.

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It doesn’t matter whether they’ve had a good of a bad time at the WSOP this summer, all players will need to continue the live tournament grind should they want to improve or maintain their current standing on the GPI300.

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About the author

Eric Danis’ passion for poker came at a very early age but it’s when writing about and covering the game he loves that Danis is most in his element. Danis is better known for creating www.PTPRpoker.com where he spent a few years covering poker events. Danis is also known for having worked on the poker shows Poker Eh! and The Pulse on the Quad Jacks Network.