GPI300: Negreanu Back at #1, Mercier’s Top 10 Return

It was a week of comebacks as Negrenau, Mercier return to familiar positions inside the GPI300 …

2014 PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Mike McDonald (GPI#7) has taken the lead away from 2014 PCA Champion Dominik Panka (GPI#386) in the race for the 2014 GPI Player of the Year. We will have full analysis of a busy week atop the 2014 GPI PoY race on Thursday – stay tuned!

VIEW FROM THE TOP

A familiar face makes his return to #1 in the World on the Global Poker Index this week. After sitting in the #2 spot for the past five weeks, Daniel Negreanu (GPI#1, +1) returns to the top this week, replacing German star Ole Schemion (GPI#2, -1).

Former World #1’s Marvin Rettenmaier (GPI#3, -) and Dan Smith (GPI#4, -) are the only two players within the Top 10 to retain their positions this week.

A successful trip to Australia has allowed Jason Mercier (GPI#5, +6) to return to the GPI top 10 for the first time in three months. Prior to that time, Mercier had spent over four months ranked #1 in the World.

Mercier is joined by another former #1, Erik Seidel (GPI#9, +9) as the two players who return to the GPI Top 10 this week. The duo’s reappearance inside the Elite 10 means that two players drop out of the lead group: Paul Volpe (GPI#13, -5) and Bryn Kenney (GPI#15, -5).

GPI TOP 10:

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SWIMMING UPSTREAM

After spending 16 weeks outside the GPI300 late in 2013, Liv Boeree’s (GPI#137, +105) fine play to start the 2014 campaign continues to be rewarded as she moves up over 100 spots to the #137 rank, just a few spots short of her career best.

A final table performance at the Aussie Millions makes Darren Rabinowitz (GPI#134, +134) the biggest mover within the GPI300 this week. Aussie Millions Champ Ami Barer (GPI#115, +129), John Juanda (GPI#133, +108) and AM 100K Challenge winner Yevgeniy Timoshenko (GPI#66, +54) also make big pushes inside this week’s rankings.

This week’s Top 10 Movers within the GPI300:

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DOWN THE LADDER

The biggest nosedive amongst the members of the GPI300 this week belongs to 2013 EPT Deauville High Roller Champion Vojtech Ruzicka (GPI#297, -79), who finds himself dangerously close to the cut-off line. After spending the past few years inside the GPI300, Ruzicka has been ranked outside the 300 on a few different occasions so far in 2014.

The Grinder Michael Mizrachi (GPI#193, -57), former EPT Champ Kent Lundmark (GPI#165, -47) and two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Athanasios Polychronopoulos (GPI#262, -38) are amongst the players who also take the biggest hit of the week.

This week’s Top 10 Drops within the GPI300:

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IN-N-OUT

Thanks to their performances at the Aussie Millions, 2012 WSOP bracelet winner Craig McCorkell (GPI#195, +142) Heinz Kamutzki (GPI#214, +122) and Isaac Haxton (GPI#245, +168) are a few players who make a return to the GPI300 this week.

An appearance at the CAPT Big Four Final Table allows Mihai Manole (GPI#221, +111) Nikolaus Teichert (GPI#249, +90) to also return inside the 300.

WSOP One Drop High Roller winner and WPT Champion Anthony Gregg (GPI#352, -62) drops out of the GPI300 for the first time in over nine months.

Fellow WPT Champions Club members Kevin Eyster (GPI#301, -8) and Gavin Smith (GPI#364, -79) join Gregg on the outside, as do former WSOP bracelet winners Jim Collopy (GPI#302, -8) and Mike Matusow (GPI#367, -87).

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