GPI 300 Update: Dan Smith Is Number One for Second Week

Dan Smith has begun his second week atop the GPI rankings and given the strength of his scores is likely to remain there for some time unless other players post new scores soon. This week only one Top Twenty player moves up due to a new cash and that is Michael  ‘The Grinder’ Mizrachi. Mizrachi won the Isle Open $2,200 NLHE Main Event last week. Since he already had four Period 1 scores his new score replaces his 5th place finish in the WSOP $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo event. This along with a score aging out of Period 6 gives him an overall score gain of 56 points and moves him up two spots to GPI#12.
The other rank changes among the Top Twenty this week are due to aging results. David ‘Doc’ Sands (GPI#9 +2) and Vanessa Selbst (GPI#11 -2) swap places. Sands Period 4 score was relatively weak because he only had one cash in that Period but that changes this week as both his 4th place in the 2011 EPT Grand Final €25,000 NLHE High Roller and his 8th place in the 2011 EPT San Remo €10,000 NLHE age into Period 4. The EPT Grand Final score was previously counting in Period 3 and is replaced by his 3rd place finish in the 2011 WSOP $1,500 PLO event for a net gain of 10 points. The EPT San Remo cash was excluded by the four cash cap in Period 3 so by aging into Period 4 it adds an additional 40 points to his score for a total score gain of 50 points. Selbst’s 3rd place finish in the 2009 World Poker Finals $2,325 NLHE event ages out of Period 6 for a loss of just 14 points, but that is enough to move her down two spots.
Samuel Chartier (GPI#28 -9) falls out of the Top Twenty due to the aging of two of his scores. His 5th place finish in the EPT Grand Final €10,000 6-Max Turbo High Roller ages into Period 2 replacing his runner-up finish in the EPT Copenhagen DKr 15,000 NLHE event. It is replaced in Period 1 by his cash in the EPT San Remo €2,000 NLHE Re-entry event for a 60 point loss. And his 3rd place finish in the 2011 EPT San Remo €10,000 NLHE ages into Period 4 replacing his 6th place finish in the 2011 EPT Berlin €10,000 NLHE 8-Max. He has no other score to replace it in Period 3 and his overall score drops 159 points.

Congratulations to Greg Merson, 2012 WSOP Main Event Winner

The WSOP Main Event has concluded and Greg Merson is the latest player to be awarded the coveted bracelet. This is Merson’s second bracelet, he won his first in the $10,000 NLHE 6-Max just two days prior to the start of the Main Event. While 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 they earn some additional points for every place above nine they finish. So Merson is awarded an additional 95 points this week for his win and moves up 14 spots to GPI#70, his highest rank to date.

CAPT European Poker Championship Results

While most everyone was focused on Merson’s final table play, several other GPI ranked players were sitting at final tables of their own. At the CAPT European Poker Championship, Aubin Cazals (GPI#100 +23) beat out Top Ten ranked Steve O’Dwyer (GPI#7 0) and the other final tablists to win the €3,000 PLO event. Cazals picks up a net 90 points and reaches the Top One Hundred for the first time. Keven Stammen was runner-up in the €4,000 NLHE event and moves up 9 spots to GPI#34. Dermot Blain has the largest jump in rank this week, moving up 77 spots to GPI#175. Blaine finished 5th in the €2,000 NLHE event earning 164 points.

New Faces in the GPI 300

Returning to the GPI 300 this week after cashing in the Isle Open $2,200 NLHE Main Event areJustin Zaki (GPI#228) and Fred Goldberg (GPI#287). Zaki picks up 151 points for his 6th place finish while Goldberg adds a net 33 points to his score for his 19th place finish. Other new faces in the GPI 300 this week include  Danyel ‘David’ Boyaciyan (GPI#156) and Peter Ippolito (GPI#291).

Exiting the GPI 300

Adrien Allainand Arnaud Mattern both exit the GPI 300 this week. Both players have spent a considerable amount of time among the GPI Elite with each coming close at times to cracking the top 50. Exiting with them are Dan Murariu and Marc Inizan.

Coming Up

The World Poker Tour festival in Copenhagen will be underway in just a couple of days. With many GPI qualifying events slated it is likely to have an impact on the GPI 300 over the next few weeks.