GPI Update: Selbst Back In Top Ten, Aging WSOP Scores Shake Up Rankings

In a week when no new tournament results were recorded, aging WSOP results continued to have a huge effect on the GPI rankings. The aging cashes benefitted players who had no change to their overall GPI score, because they had no end of June or early July 2011, 2010 or 2009 results aging into Periods 2, 4 and 6, respectively. The aging process punished those players who shined during the last weeks of the WSOP but who have been relatively quiet since.

Top Ten Shake Ups

Both Erik Seidel (GPI#2 +1) and Vanessa Selbst (GPI#6 +5) had GPI scores that remained unchanged from last week to this week. In a week where the majority of players lost points because of the aging WSOP results, this flat-lining benefitted both of them. Seidel moved into second as Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier (GPI#3 -1) slipped one spot with a 117 point loss, mainly due to the effects of his third place finish in the 2011 WSOP $10,000 NLHE Six-Max event aging into Period 2. Selbst’s zero point change to her score moved her into sixth on the GPI as Will Failla (GPI#7 +1), Shawn Buchanan (GPI#8 – 2), Matt Waxman (GPI#9 +1) and Sorel Mizzi (GPI#10 -3) all lost points this week. Failla, with an 84 point loss, and Waxman, with a 47 point loss, each nudged up one spot in the rankings as their point losses were not as severe as either Buchanan’s or Mizzi’s, who both lost 152 points.

Sam Stein (GPI#13 -4) was the only player to drop from the Top Ten this week. Stein’s cash at the end of June in the 2011 WSOP $5,000 NLHE Triple Chance aged into Period 2 this week, resulting in a 181 point loss dropping him 4 places in the rankings. Jason Mercier (GPI#1 0) also lost points this week but managed to hold on to the Number One spot. Even with the 76 point loss, he still maintains a 163 point lead on the second place Seidel.

Greenstein and Binger Lead Big Losses

The trend last week of big names experiencing big drops in the rankings continued, with Barry Greenstein (GPI#219 -126) and Michael Binger (GPI#244 -120) feeling the most significant effects. Greenstein’s 2011 cashes in both the WSOP $50,000 Players Championship and the WSOP $5K NLHE Triple Chance aged into Period 2, losing him a total of 117 points. On top of that, his 2011 WSOP $2,500 Omaha/Seven Stud Hi/Lo cash which was previously counting in Period 1, aged into Period 2 where it is excluded by the four cash cap. Combined with several other aging results, Greenstein got hit hard by a 396 point loss, causing his exit from the GPI Top One Hundred.

Michael Binger (GPI#224 -120) cashed in the same WSOP $50,000 Players Championship and $2,500 Omaha/Seven Stud Hi/Lo events as Greenstein. Those results aged into Period 2 this week and, like Greenstein, the Omaha/Seven Stud Hi/Lo result gets excluded by the four result cap in Period 2, costing him 118 points, while the Players Championship aging into period 2 hit him with another 63 point loss. Binger lost an additional 84 points due to the effects of a 2010 WSOP $10,000 PLO Championship cash moving into Period 4 and causing his his 2010 LA Poker Classic $10,000 Heads-Up fourth place finish to be excluded, for a total 346 point decline this week.

Hellmuth Feels the Effects of his Big 2011 WSOP

Phil Hellmuth (GPI#79 -49) had been climbing in the rankings over the last few months, peaking at GPI#15 just two weeks ago. Hellmuth has always shined at the WSOP and, with three second place finishes, 2011 was no different. Unfortunately for Hellmuth, strong performances at the WSOP can punish a player at this time of year, especially, if they don’t post any big results in the Fall. Hellmuth has, certainly, felt the cooling effect, falling 61 spots in the rankings in just one month. Hellmuth had three WSOP scores age into new Periods this week, one each for 2011, 2010 and 2009. His second place finish in the 2011 WSOP $50,000 Players Championship event aged out of Period 1, where he has no additional result to replace it, costing him 119 points and leaving him with only two Period 1 scores currently counting toward his overall GPI score. Hellmuth’s 2010 WSOP $10,000 PLO Championship cash aged into Period 4 while his 2009 WSOP $10,000 Main Event cash aged into Period 6 where it is now excluded by the three cash cap. These effects contributed to a 49 place drop in the rankings this week.

Greenstein, Binger and Hellmuth were not the only players feeling the effects of a big summer followed by a lackluster Fall. Other players with significant drops in the rankings this week include:

Justin Bonomo (GPI#214 -83)
Scott Seiver (GPI#136 -56)
Allen Bari (GPI#154 -45)
Galen Hall (GPI#178 -32)
Ben Lamb (GPI#45 -18)

Exiting the GPI

This week saw a few big names exit the GPI including Max Pescatori, Matt Matros, Josh Arieh and Brian Rast. Rast beat out Hellmuth in the 2011 WSOP $50,000 Players Championship, with that result aging into Period 2 and Rast playing a reduced schedule this fall to focus on his family, it is not surprising to see his exit this week from the GPI.

Getzwiller, Meyers and Schwartz Get Big Boosts

Not all players were hurt by the aging of WSOP results. The biggest gain this week belonged to Sean Getzwiller (GPI#150 +61), Getzwiller’s 2011 WSOP $10,000 NLHE Six-Handed cash aged into Period 2, costing him 57 points. While that result moved out of Period 1, it allowed his EPT/UK & Ireland Poker Tour €2,000 NLHE eleventh place finish to count as it is no longer excluded by the four cash cap, netting him a gain of 154 points.

Brandon Meyers (GPI#163) shot up 50 spots in the rankings, an increase second only to Getzwiller. His 2011 WSOP $2,500 Mixed Hold’em finish aged into Period 2 allowing his WSOP $1,500 NLHE score from early July to count in Period 1, netting him 56 points. Noah Schwartz (GPI#36 +18) also received the benefit of aging, picking up 170 points with his 2011 Florida State Poker Championship $5,300 NLHE cash no longer being excluded by the cap in Period 1 when a cash in the WSOP $10,000 NLHE Six-Handed Championship aged into Period 2.

New to the GPI

With no new tournament results this week, it is not surprising that only six players entered the GPI for the first time. The highest debut belonged to Jacob Bazeley (GPI#248), followed by Brian Powell (GPI#277) and Andrea Benelli (GPI#278). Dana Kellstrom (GPI#289), and Jason Wheeler (GPI#296) also made their debuts.

Four players also reentered the GPI this week after dropping off in 2011, among them are three marquee names: Maksim Kolosov (GPI#288), Humberto Brenes (GPI#291), Ted Forrest (GPI#292) and Faraz Jaka (GPI#300).

Next Week: The Main Event and PCA Leads January Tournaments

Next week both the 2011 and 2010 WSOP $10,000 NLHE Main event results age out – so expect some dust ups in the GPI for those players with big cashes in those events. This week also marks the tournament world coming off the holiday hiatus, most notably with the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure kicking into gear and the WPT ramping back up with its Dublin Event.