GPI Update: Shawn Buchanan, WSOP Europe Continue to Rock the GPI

As expected, the completion of the World Series of Poker Europe in Cannes has shaken up the Global Poker Index. Shawn Buchanan (GPI#6 +3), who finished runner-up in the €10,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold‘em and made the final table of the €10,000 Main Event before finishing 6th, continued his assault on the Big Four. Jason Mercier (GPI#3 +1), who final-tabled the Mixed NLHE, slipped past Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier(GPI#4 -1). Max Waxman (GPI#10 +9), like Buchanan, double-cashed the €10,000 Cannes events, propelling him into the GPI Top Ten for the first time. Buchanan, Mercier, and Waxman are just three of the dozens of players who scored big in Europe and the GPI this past week. Several players who remained in the U.S. moved up the Index from their results at the Bellagio, the Borgata, and elsewhere.

Triumphs in Europe

The big news at WSOP Europe was the Main Event victory of Elio Fox (GPI#125), who made the highest GPI debut this week. Fox, in just his fifth career cash, now has three victories since June: $1,500 NLHE at the Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza, the $10,000 Bellagio Cup Main Event, and the WSOP Europe Main Event. Chris Moorman (GPI#21 +43), the runner-up likewise focused attention on the type of year he has already had: two near misses and a third place at the WSOP, a final table in the Aussie Millions Main Event, and nearly $2.3 million in earnings. Two other players at the final table jumped in the GPI: Dermot Blain (GPI#78 +176), the largest gain of the week, and Jake Cody (GPI#20 +50), who surpassed his previous high on the GPI with his first cash since the WSOP Main Event in July.

Arnaud Mattern (GPI#159), by bubbling the final table, returned to the Index. Money finishers Phillippe Ktorza (GPI#131) and Maria Ho (GPI#187) also rejoined the GPI. Casey Kastle (GPI#294) made his debut in the GPI by cashing. Other players gaining traction in the GPI from the Main Event included Alexander Dovzhenko (GPI#36 +65), Hoyt Corkins(GPI#41 +24), Amir Lehavot(GPI#64 +96), Ilan Boujenah(GPI#112 +115), and Melanie Weisner (GPI#117 +44).

Last week’s €10,000 Mixed NLHE nudged Shawn Buchanan and Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi up the GPI Top Ten, and helped Matt Waxman secure his place.  Matt Waxman (GPI#24) soared 87 spots by winning the event. Roger Hairabedian (GPI#15 +17), who was outside the top 100 at the end of June, continued his outstanding play by finishing third after Grinder and Buchanan. Noah Schwartz (GPI#184 +60) finished fourth.

Nearly twenty players in the GPI cashed in the €1,500 PLO 6-Handed but just three advanced measurably on the performance: Jean-Paul Pierre Pasqualini (GPI#118 +32), Nicolas Chouity (GPI#154 +59), and Alexander Kostritsyn (GPI#175 +15).

The final event from the EPT/UKIPT London Open, £10,000 NLHE 6-Max High Roller Turbo, entered the Hendon Mob Database in the last week. Vanessa Rousso (GPI#87), who finished second, catapulted over 134 players. Roberto Romanello GPI#19 +6), the sixth-place finisher, did well enough to focus some attention on his great play over the last twelve months. He won main events on both the WPT (Bratislava in April) and EPT (Prague last December) and made four more final tables in Europe, including a win in 6-Max Turbo in Barcelona last month.

Back in the USA

To kick off the autumn tournament poker circuit in the United States, the GPI rewarded several fine performances last week. At the Bellagio Festa al Lago, Justin Young (GPI#29 +28) won the $5,000 Main Event. (With his nine biggest career cashes all taking place at the Bellagio, it was no surprise he skipped the trip to Cannes.)

Steve Brecher (GPI#189 +76), who flies his own plane, obviously is not intimidated by the prospect of travel, but he also benefited from home cookin’. After finishing thirty-first in the WSOP Main Event in July – his first time in the money after more than fifteen tries – he finished fourth in the WPT Regional Main Event in September and won the Main Event of the Fall Pot of Gold last week, both in Reno.

Matt Glantz(GPI#56 +26) won the $1,650 Main Event at the Borgata Deepstack. Coincidentally, Glantz rose in the GPI without receiving a score for the result. With cashes in both Epic main events and a strong WSOP in big buy-in events, Matt benefitted from the aging of some of his surplus great finishes rather from the victory. Nevertheless, the win could eventually net him valuable GPI points when some of those other fine results age into the next period.

Matt Jarvis (GPI#264) returned to the Index after his third-place finish in the West Coast Poker Championship Main Event in Vancouver. Jarvis, eighth place in the 2010 Main Event, won his first bracelet during the summer in the $5,000 6-Max NLHE.

Players to Watch

Michael Mizrachi (GPI#24 +87) – The Grinder has just two GPI-qualifying scores in the past half-year. His next score, between now and the end of December will be “nothing but net (points).”

Sorel Mizzi (GPI#5) – Mizzi has been within striking distance of the Big Four, despite having just one big score since January.

John Paul Kelly (GPI#44 +19) – Kelly climbed on the beneficial effect of results aging. He is looking for his first cash since finishing twenty-sixth in the WSOP Main Event in July.

Melanie Weisner (GPI#117 +44) – Weisner cashed three times in London and Cannes. She was GPI#190 on September 12.