November 17 2011, 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 result over six half-year periods. There was very little change at the top this week, but that won’t be the case next week. For a look at the entire list of 300, visit the official GPI website.
The Top 10 as of November 14, 2011
Nico Fierro | 1,168.72 | 211th |
Ronny Kaiser | 1,145.22 | 231st |
Tom McCormick | 1,133.99 | 235th |
Anton Wigg | 1,071.36 | 265th |
Paul Berende | 1,069.74 | 269th |
Ruben Visser | 1,046.70 | 284th |
Nick Yunis | 1,045.39 | 285th |
Jean-Philippe Rohr | 1,032.22 | 293rd |
Markus Ristola | 1,029.39 | 294th |
Mihails Morozovs | 1,026.89 | 296th |
The ten who fell from the GPI this week are Chance Kornuth, Heinz Kamutzki, Jan Bendik, Justin Smith, Kyle Bowker, Kyle Loman, Mark Radoja, Maurizio Sepede, Ray Henson, and Stephane Benadiba.
Ups and Downs
The biggest rise of the week belonged to Scott Baumstein. On the heels of his fourth-place finish at the WPT Amneville Main Event, he took first place in a “10,000 No-Limit Holdem High Roller tournament at the Master Classics of Poker 2011 to vault 175 spots up the GPI. Adrien Allain, WPT Amneville Main Event winner, also had a big increase in his score, rising 173 spots on the GPI.
Biggest Gains
63rd | Hafiz Khan | 1,577.69 | +50 |
71st | Adrien Allain | 1,532.26 | +173 |
83rd | Scott Baumstein | 1,510.33 | +175 |
85th | Govert Metaal | 1,507.30 | +59 |
93rd | Arnaud Mattern | 1,473.79 | +74 |
128th | Ty Reiman | 1,342.95 | +38 |
177th | Andrew Chen | 1,226.30 | +46 |
179th | Marc Inizan | 1,219.42 | +102 |
180th | Jonathan Jaffe | 1,218.75 | +54 |
240th | Micah Raskin | 1,123.61 | +40 |
255th | Josh Bergman | 1,084.37 | +38 |
Ville Haavisto plummeted 142 spots down the list. A combination of two aging scores resulted in his drop. First, a fourth-place finish in a PLO event at the EPT Grand Final in May fell into Period 2. Also, his lone career six-figure score (a runner-up performance at the Master Classics of Poker 2010) dropped from Period 2 to Period 3.
Both Farzad Bonyadi and Galen Hall slid more than 100 spots each, as well. Their respective second and third place finishes the WPT Championship fell from Period 1 to Period 2.
Biggest Drops
111th | Rob Akery | 1,412.91 | -56 |
173rd | Galen Hall | 1,244.04 | -104 |
188th | George Lind | 1,205.54 | -61 |
200th | Eric Haik | 1,187.15 | -80 |
206th | Phil Laak | 1,173.77 | -64 |
210th | Steven Kelly | 1,168.86 | -65 |
220th | Nichlas Mattsson | 1,157.60 | -114 |
268th | Tyler Kenney | 1,070.97 | -79 |
291st | Farzad Bonyadi | 1,034.60 | -113 |
297th | Ville Haavisto | 1,026.85 | -142 |
What’s In Store?
A change at the top of the GPI is a high possibility as Erik Seidel’s score is going to dip next week. His victory in the $100,000 Super High Roller Event at the Five Star World Poker Classic is going to drop into Period 2 next week. As a result, his Period 1 tally is going to take a substantial hit and shockingly, he does not have a seven-figure (or even a six-figure) score to take its place. Perhaps he is human after all.
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.
Follow Mickey Doft on Twitter – @mrdoft
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Celebrating more than just his birthday early Thursday morning, Team Victory Poker pro Antonio Esfandiari won the World Poker Tour (WPT) Five Diamond World Poker Classic. Facing fellow Team Victory pro and good friend Andrew Robl in final heads-up action, Esfandiari secured the title and $870,124.
The event, also known as the Bellagio Resort & Casino’s “Doyle Brunson World Poker Classic,” boasted one of the most notable WPT televised final table line-ups in history. The las six players included Team Victory Pros Esfandiari and Robl, female poker phenomenon Vanessa Rousso, World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winners Ted Lawson and Kirk Morrison, and recent WSOP “November Niner” John Racener.
Both Esfandiari and Robl dominated a starting field of 438 entrants throughout all four days of competition that began on Friday, December 3rd, maintaining their chip leads heading into Wednesday’s televised final table.
Victory Poker CEO Dan Fleyshman witnessed his team dominate the final table from a front row seat located directly behind Robl. “At the moment when Antonio and Andrew went heads up,” he exclaimed, “it felt like we had all just won the tournament.”
At 25 years old, Esfandiari won his first WPT championship in 2004, becoming the youngest poker player to win a WPT title and a million dollar prize. That same year he went on to win the WSOP $2,000 pot-limit hold’em event and a coveted WSOP bracelet. His stylish performances would fast-track him to stardom, eventually becoming one of the most televised poker players in the world. Esfandiari appears regularly on Poker After Dark, High Stakes Poker, and has made several cameo appearances in film and television, most recently HBO’s award-winning program Entourage.
Also going deep in Season VIII of the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic were Victory Poker pros Jonathan Little, finishing in 38th place, and Keith Gipson, finishing in 59th place.