Global Poker Index: Urbanovich, Schemion Still Lead; Daniel Colman Drops from Top 100

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Daniel Colman

Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top 300 tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes into account a player��s results over six half-year periods. The GPI also ranks the top performers of the year over two six-month periods as calculated by the USA Today Global Poker Index point system.

2015 GPI Player of the Year

RankPlayerGPI ScoreChange
1Dzmitry Urbanovich2438.10-
2Connor Drinan2165.00-
3Nicholas Petrangelo2152.17-
4Ivan Luca2119.02-
5Steve O��Dwyer1814.48+5
6Joe Kuether1751.76-1
7Ramin Hajiyev1714.96-1
8Atanas Kavrakov1633.72-1
9Scott Seiver1607.54-1
10Vladimir Dobrovolskiy1604.74-1

After three volatile months seeing lots of changes and big moves in the 2015 Global Poker Index Player of the Year rankings, the top 10 players remained the same for a second straight week �� the first time that��s been the case all year. Dzmitry Urbanovich enjoyed a third straight week in the top spot, his remarkable performance during the European Poker Tour Malta series in which he won four different events having secured him first position.

The only significant movement within the top 10 this week was by Steve O��Dwyer who went from No. 10 to No. 5 on the strength of points earned for a 15th-place finish in last week��s PaddyPower Irish Open 2015 in Dublin. In fact, the rest of the top 100 in the GPI POY race all remained the same this week following a rare respite in the tournament calendar.

GPI 300 Top 10

RankPlayerGPI ScoreChange
1Ole Schemion4216.88-
2Scott Seiver3883.00-
3Davidi Kitai3846.72-
4Pratyush Buddiga3794.14-
5Stephen Chidwick3727.92-
6Jason Mercier3523.11-
7Bryn Kenney3510.52-
8Daniel Negreanu3491.89-
9Byron Kaverman3473.16-
10Sorel Mizzi3445.41-

It was a similarly serene week for the GPI overall rankings with the top 10 players all staying right where they were from one week ago. Ole Schemion remains the frontrunner for a 16th-straight week, which means he is now closing in on the record for the all-time longest tenure atop the GPI rankings.

Jason Mercier has previously held the No. 1 ranking for 17 straight weeks (from May to September 2013). Then last year Dan Smith also had a 17-week run at the top that lasted through late December at which point Schemion reclaimed the lead. With a relatively comfortable margin over the chase pack at present, Schemion is poised to pass both soon and claim the record if he can hold at No. 1 for two more weeks.

Welcome to the GPI Top 300

RankPlayerTotal Score
242Giacomo Fundaro1725.84
279Jose Quintas1616.12
289Michael Katz1584.27
294Dermot Blain1579.15
296Gary Benson1577.11
299Ralph Porter1570.56
300Dan Alspach1570.30

The quiet schedule meant there wasn��t a lot of activity at the other end of the GPI Top 300 this week either, with only seven new players joining the list. Giacomo Fundaro is the highest-ranked of that group, moving up from No. 319 to No. 242 after a 25th-place showing in that aforementioned PaddyPower Irish Open 2015.

Biggest Gains

RankPlayerTotal GPI ScoreChange
242Giacomo Fundaro1725.84+77
296Gary Benson1577.11+74
279Jose Quintas1616.12+62
229Ivan Luca1770.03+45
190Aaron Lim1894.97+31

That jump upwards made Fundaro the biggest gainer this week as well among players inside the GPI Top 300. Meanwhile Ivan Luca �� who has been sitting inside the top 10 in the 2015 GPI POY race for more than two months �� is appearing on this ��Biggest Gains�� list for a second straight week.

Biggest Drops

RankPlayerTotal GPI ScoreChange
270Matias Ruzzi1642.20-58
121Daniel Colman2214.32-54
280Richard Dubini1613.10-46
298David Diaz1572.82-44
274Daniel Weinman1622.35-33

Matias Ruzzi fell the furthest among players still inside the Top 300 this week, going from No. 212 to No. 270. Daniel Colman endured the next-steepest drop, slipping from No. 67 to No. 121 to fall outside the top 100 for the first time since early September 2014. Colman peaked at No. 4 during the first week of 2015, but all of his many points-earning finishes from last year will start to diminish in value as time progresses due to the GPI��s ��aging factor.��

To view both the 2015 Player of the Year and GPI overall rankings in their entirety, visit the official GPI website. While you��re at it, follow the GPI on Twitter and its Facebook page.

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