GPI 300 Update: Noah Schwartz, GPI#21, Wins WPT Jacksonville Main Event

Noah Schwartz is eyeing a return to the Top Twenty after winning the WPT Jacksonville $3,500 NLHE Main Event. Schwartz moves up 44 spots to GPI#21 with the addition of the 342 points he earned for his win, the largest score gain of any GPI 300 ranked player this week. Schwartz first broke into the Top Twenty back in March and spent twenty-five consecutive weeks there before dropping out towards the end of August. His victory puts him as close as you can get to a return to a spot among the best of the best, but it was not an easy victory. Schwartz had to outlast a field of 477 which included thirteen GPI 300 ranked players who had deep runs, three of whom made the final table. One of those players was runner-upByron Kaverman (GPI#45 +32) who also has a large score gain this week. Kaverman’s score for his runner-up finish replaces his WSOP $3,000 NLHE/PLO Heads-Up score earning him a net 222 points. Hans Winzeler (GPI#110 +83) finished 4^th, and is awarded 265 points, giving him the largest jump in rank and second largest score gain of the week. Justin Zaki finished 9^th and moves up 42 spots to GPI#181.

In addition to the WPT Jacksonville Main Event, the WPT Copenhagen DKr 24,000 NLHE Main Event also concluded this week where Stanislav Barshak (GPI#176 +80) secured one of the largest jumps in rank with a 4^th place finish. His WPT Copenhagen score replaces his score for cashing in the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Chicago $1,675 NLHE Main Event for a net gain of 179 points. Top Ten ranked Steve O’Dwyer (GPI#8) also cashed in the Copenhagen Main Event and picks up 160 points for doing so. However, he ultimate falls three spots to GPI#8 because the gain is offset by a loss of 275 points due to his 5^th place finish in the WPT $25,000 NLHE Championship aging into Period 2 replacing his win in the WPT National Series Denmark Main Event.

New and Returning Players to the GPI 300

Allan Le makes his GPI 300 debut this week at GPI#281. Prior to this year Le only had three GPI qualifying cashes, two at the 2010 WSOP and one at the 2011 WSOP. This left him a lot of open slots in the earlier aging Periods. 2012 has been a different year, with Le cashing in seven GPI qualifying events causing some of his cashes to be excluded by the four cash cap in Period 1. This week his 4^th place finish in the California State Poker Championship $2,080 NLHE Main Event ages into Period 2 allowing his cash in the WSOP $1,500 NLHE 6-Max to be included in Period 1 providing him enough additional points for a spot among the GPI Elite.

The GPI 300 welcomes back Brian Hastings (GPI#249), Jose ‘Nacho’ Barbero (GPI#208), and Daniel Reijmer (GPI#284). They all added to their GPI scores with cashes this week. Hastings cashed in the WPT Copenhagen DKr 24,000 NLHE Main Event, Barbero finished 6^th in the Latin American Poker Tour V Grand Final $2,300 NLHE Main Event, and Reijmer cashed in the Master Classics of Poker €1,500 NLHE event. Also returning to the GPI 300 is Koen De Vissccher (GPI#278).

Rupert Elder Leaves the GPI 300

Long time GPI 300 ranked Rupert Elder exits this week. Elder has had a place among the GPI Elite since July of 2011 ranking as high as GPI#58 at one time. However, the effects of aging results without enough new scores to replace them has left him with open slots in every aging Period with the exception of Period 4. This has caused his rank to steadily decline since May and ultimately forces him out of the GPI 300 this week. Also exiting the GPI 300 are Mario Puccini, Alexander Queen, Marco Leonzio, and Fred Goldberg.

Coming Up

With poker taking place all over the globe over the next couple weeks look for plenty of new results to impact the rankings. Action from Vegas to Europe to the beautiful Caribbean promises to make for interesting changes among the GPI Elite.