GPI300: Gruissem Makes His Move

Back-to-back WPT Alpha8 titles have Philipp Gruissem on the upswing:

VIEW FROM THE TOP

As Daniel Negreanu (GPI#1, -) begins his fourth straight week at the top of the Global Poker Index, it’s the #2 ranked player that has the poker world buzzing this week.

Philipp Gruissem (GPI#2, +2) followed up a win at WPT Alpha8 London a few weeks ago with a huge weekend in the Caribbean winning WPT Alpha8 St. Kitts, defeating 22 opponents to pickup yet ANOTHER million dollar score at the poker table! Gruissem has spent only a few weeks outside the GPI Top 10 in the past 12 months spending most of his time in the Top 5; but he’s yet to hit the #1 position, he is now in a position to do so before the end of 2013 should he earn another big score.

Bryn Kenney’s (GPI#6+, 10) High Roller event victory – as well as a 12th place finish in the Main Event – at the Master Classics of Poker helped him make the big lead back into the Top 10 this week. After spending some time in the GPI Top 10 in the spring, Kenney now earns a spot inside the Top 10 for the third time in the past seven weeks.

We say goodbye to Jason Mercier (GPI#11, -1), who drops out of the Top 10 for the first time since the first week of October and for only the second week in two years.

GPI TOP 10:

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SWIMMING UPSTREAM

Dutch pro Govert Metaal (GPI#149, +74) is the biggest mover inside the 300 this week. Metaal was runner-up to Kenney in the High Roller event at the Master Classics of Poker.

Speaking of High Roller events, Mike McDonald (GPI#67, +38), who usually stars in HR events, pushed through the GPI100 with his third place finish at WPT Alpha8 St. Kitts. McDonald’s highest rating on the GPI300 was at #7 back in September of 2012.

American pro Jared Jaffee (GPI#133, +12) got a taste of what’s to come this week. Jaffee had the tenth best rise in the standings this week … and is expecting an even better result next week once his WPT bestbet Jacksonville Fall Poker Scramble victory earlier this week comes into play.

This week’s Top 10 Movers within the GPI300:

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DOWN THE LADDER

The GPI formula wasn’t kind to Brock Parker (GPI#291, -106) this week. With Parker’s Borgata Fall Poker Open victory at this time last season entering a new stage of the GPI formula’s aging factor, Parker lost a bunch of points this week causing him to fall way down.

Vinny Pahuja’s (GPI#267, -64) inside the 300 continues this week. Pahuja fell 64 spots this week, two weeks after gaining 72 spots … his last eight weeks have been wild as he’s gone from 195 to 279 and everywhere in between.

This week’s Top 10 Drops within the GPI300:

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IN-N-OUT

Successful Main Event performances at the Master Classics of Poker have allowed Tobias Peters (GPI#208, +93) and Andrew Chen (GPI#237, +137) to make huge jumps back into the GPI300 this week as both players move up over 90 spots (over 130 for Chen) to return to the 300, each player having spent the past few weeks on the outside looking in.

German pro Jan Peter Hachtmann (GPI#307, -32) and American grinders Stan Jablonski (GPI#315, -20) and Alexander Queen (GPI#330, -34) are three of the six players who leave the comfort of the GPI300 this week. With tons of tournaments all around the world to close out 2013, all players will have a great shot at coming back into the 300.

This week’s GPI300 In and Out List:

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