August 09 2012, Mickey Doft

Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top 300 tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes a player’s results over six half-year periods. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.

The Top 10 as of August 6, 2012

The only real change toward the top of the GPI this week was Marvin Rettenmaier’s falling slightly. His sixth-place finish in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event at the 2011 Merit Cyprus Classic aged into Period 3. Coincidentally (within the past few hours), Rettenmaier won the 2012 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic.

Welcome to the GPI

Six players, led by Nam Le at No. 246, were new to this week’s GPI. Le recently took down a HKD$95,000 ($12,258) No-Limit Hold’em High-Roller Event at the APT – Asian Series Macau for HKD$841,000 ($108,409).

New Additions

Falling from the GPI this week were Marc Inizan, Marko Neumann, Matthias De Meulder, Ondrej Vinklarek, Yorane Kerignard, and Ruben Visser.

Ups and Downs

The biggest rise of the week belonged to Hans Winzeler. He took third place in the $5,300 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event in the Florida State Poker Championship.

Biggest Gains

Paul Berende took the biggest hit of the week. Two Period 1 scores aged into Period 2, both coming at EPT Deauville earlier this year.

Biggest Drops

What’s In Store?

Marvin Rettenmaier will rise toward the top of the GPI next week after his win in the 2012 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic. However, because his Period 1 slate is already very stacked, he won’t gain enough points to pass either Jason Mercier or Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier. What is working in Rettenmaier’s favor, though, is that Mercier is set to drop a few points as his third-place finish in the inaugural Epic Poker League event will age into Period 3 next week. The race will tighten up, and it is safe to say (for now) that it is no longer a two-horse race at the top.

Others players who cashed in Cyprus include Erik Cajelais in seventh place (No. 86 on the GPI), Chino Rheem in 22nd place (No. 195), and Aubin Cazals in 31st place (No. 191). Each should see a minor rise up the GPI come next week.

To look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website. While you’re at it, follow the GPI on Twitter and its Facebook page.

To stay on top of the GPI and other happenings in the poker world, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

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August 09 2012, PokerNews Staff

PokerStars has confirmed to PokerNews that its $731 million deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to acquire Full Tilt Poker was formally closed on Thursday. The company plans to relaunch FTP by Nov. 6 and repay players outside the U.S. within 90 days, as was specified in the agreement last week.

PokerStars was given six days upon the completion of the deal to make a payment of $225 million to the U.S. government. With the transfer now complete, PokerStars will make available all outstanding balances – totaling $184 million – owed to the “rest of world” players who had money frozen on Full Tilt Poker.

The rest of the money owed to the U.S. government will be paid over the next three years.

After the completion of the deal on Thursday morning, Shyam Markus, the poker room manager at Full Tilt Poker, addressed several questions at TwoPlusTwo.com regarding the site’s upcoming re-launch. Markus began his post by revealing that he was the employee posting under the “FTPDoug” account on a number of poker forums before and after Black Friday. Going forward, Markus will post from his “Shyam Markus” account on TwoPlusTwo and from @FTPMarkus on Twitter.

Among the questions and concerns Markus tackled involved rakeback accounts, VIP points, a Full Tilt Pro team, and the remission process for U.S. players. Many of the issues are still being considered by management, but Markus confirmed that U.S. players with money on Full Tilt Poker will still need to go through the DOJ to recoup funds. The remission process is still up in the air at this time.

Read Markus’ full post at TwoPlusTwo.com.

We’ll have more on this story as it becomes available today. Follow PokerNews on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news.

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