GPI 300 Update: Dan Smith Becomes Only Fourth Player Ever to Reach GPI#1

Dan Smith can now add being the World’s Best Player to his extraordinary list of accomplishments this year. In 2012 Smith has cashed in 18 live tournaments, has won 5 of them, finished in the top ten in 10 others, and has taken home over $3.6 million. With his rise to GPI#1 Smith joins an extremely exclusive group of players to have that accomplishment including Jason Mercier (GPI#2 -1), Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier (GPI#4 -2), and Erik Seidel (GPI#52 +4).

Smith won three events at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo this year but has so many impressive GPI scores that two of them, the €5,000 NLHE 6-Max Turbo and the €5,000 NLHE 6-Max, were excluded by the four cash cap in Period 1. This week both the €5,000 NLHE 6-Max Turbo and the €5,000 NLHE which was counting in Period 1 age into Period 2 where he had open slots for them. This makes room for his €5,000 NLHE 6-Max score in Period 1 and raises his overall score a whopping 512 points.

Several other players also benefit from the aging of their EPT Grand Final scores into Period 2.  ‘Mad Marvin‘ Rettenmaier (GPI#3 0) is able to push Grospellier down to GPI#4 with the addition of 80 points resulting from his win in the €2,000 NLHE event replacing his 5^th place WPT-Vienna €9,700 NLHE High Roller score. Justin Bonomo (GPI#20 +39) and Daniel Negreanu (GPI#17 +12) leap into the Top Twenty with the aging of their EPT Grand Final scores into Period 2. All three of Bonomo’s cashes from Monte Carlo age this week, including his win in the €98,500 NLHE 8-Max Super High Roller Reload. Bonomo did not previously have any Period 2 scores so the aging of these boosts his overall score. In addition, they are replaced in Period 1 by his Main Event cashes in both the PPT Grand Finale and the WSOP-E as well as his 4^th place finish in the EPT-Barcelona €10,000 Heads-Up event for a total score gain of 353 points. Negreanu also had open slots in Period 2 and fills them with his runner-up finish in the €25,000 NLHE 8-Max High Roller and his score for his final table appearance in the €98,500 NLHE 8-Max Super High Roller Reload. They are replaced in Period 1 by his 3^rd place finish in the Festa Al Lago €5,000 NLHE event just last week and his cash in the €10,000 WSOP NL 2-7 Draw Lowball event for an overall score gain of 169 points.

Festa Al Lago Concludes

Thomas Marchese (GPI#23) and Hafiz Khan both move up the rankings after wins at the Festa Al Lago. Marchese finished on top in the $5,000 NLHE event and Khan took top prize in the $1,500 NLHE event. Marchese moves up 10 spots to just outside the Top Twenty after his win and Khan earns 103 points and moves up 51 spots to GPI#182.

The Festa Al Lago festival concluded with the $10,000 NLHE Championship in which Matt Waxman (GPI#106 +130) was the runner-up. Waxman earned 367 points for his Championship win and moves up the most in rank this week.

WSOP Main Event to Impact Rankings

The WSOP Main Event has concluded and Greg Merson(GPI#84) is the latest player to be awarded the coveted bracelet. He and the other final tablists are awarded most of their GPI points for their deep Main Event runs when they make the final table in July. However, they will earn some additional points for every place above nine they finished so look for some of them to move up a few spots in the rankings next week.