A staple of the live tournament scene, the Global Poker Index rankings, has made its official return for 202 after celebrating 10 years of tournament rankings last week. The GPI had been suspended during 2020 due to the cancelation of poker tournaments last year.
In returning mid-way through the year, the rankings are retroactively applying to the beginning of the year. 2015 Main Event Winner Joseph Mckeehen holds a narrow lead over Nick Pupillo in the GPI Rankings while Almedin “Ali” Imsirovic currently holds a more comfortable lead in the 2021 Player of the Year rankings.
The Player of the Year is a coveted honor among tournament poker players, not only because of the winnings associated with the feat, but also the Global Poker trophy that players receive as part of the Global Poker Awards.
In relaunching, the Global Poker Index has also added a new category, the Mid-Major Player of the Year race, which tabulates results of tournaments with a minimum buy-in of $2,500 with at least 32 entries. In an age of an explosion of high rollers, the new leaderboard will put its focus on more traditional, lower-stakes events and recognize a different type of player.
Here’s where the various Global Poker Index leaderboards stand as of July 9th:
Global Poker Index Rankings
The main Global Poker Index rankings measure the best players….
- Joseph McKeehen (2,201)
- Nick Pupillo (2,125)
- Brian Altman (2,108)
- Qing Liu (2,104)
- Matas Cimbolas (2,103)
- Brock Wilson (2,058)
- Adam Hendrix (2,055)
- Ali Imsirovic (2,015)
- Alex Foxen (1,991)
- Joey Weissman (1,983)
How is the Global Poker Index calculated?
The Global Poker Index is calculated using results from every poker tournament open to the public with 32 players or more with a buy-in of $2-$20,000 with scores from when a player finished “In the Money”.
The Index uses an “Aging Factor” that will gradually phase out results over a three-year period. A player’s GPI Score + Aging Factor equals a player’s GPI Rank.
Global Poker 2021 Player of the Year rankings
The Global Poker Player of the Year rankings measures the best performing tournament players of the year so far.
- Ali Imsirovi – 2,758 Points
- Jesse Lonis – 2,409
- Qing Liu – 2,339
- Alex Foxen – 2,294
- Adam Hendrix – 2,233
- Joey Weissman – 2,218
- Jordan Cristos – 2,210
- Sean Winter – 2,153
- Serio Aido – 2,055
- James Anderson – 2,000
How is GPI Player of the Year rankings calculated?
In short, the GPI Player of the Year rankings use the same criteria for the GPI rankings but use only the top 13 results from the current year.
Mid-Major 2021 Player of the Year rankings
As mentioned, the Mid-Major 2021 Player of the Year is the best player at mid-major tournaments defined as MTTs with 32 or more players with a buy-in of $2,500 or less.
- Jesse Lonis – 2,019
- Jordan Cristos – 1,837
- Joseph Henry – 1,810
- Tuan Mai – 1,790
- Daniel Sepiol – 1,703
- Nick Pupillo – 1,681
- Qui Liu – 1,646
- Michael Rossitto – 1,646
- Richard Eyzaguirre – 1,631
- Francis Anderson – 1,618
Recent Global Poker Rankings winners
The Global Poker Index Player of the Year has been honor the best tournament players since 2012:
2012: Dan Smith
2013: Ole Schemion
2014: Dan Colman
2015: Bryon Kaverman
2016: David Peters
2017: Adrian Mateos
2018: Alex Foxen
2019: Alex Foxen
2020: No POY award
The Global Poker Index rankings is a rolling list of the best players over a 3 year period. The honor has been held by 20 players since its inception:
Jason Mercier
Bertrand Grospellier
Erik Seidel
Dan Smith
Marvin Rettenmaier
Ole Schemion
Daniel Negreanu
Vanessa Selbst
Scott Seiver
Anthony Zinno
Byron Kaverman
Steve O’Dwyer
Fedor Holx
David Peters
Nick Petrangelo
Bryn Kenney
Adrian Mateos
Stephen Chidwick
Alex Foxen
