Global Poker Index: Negreanu Leads 2018 Canadian POY Race
Each week, the Global Poker Index releases a list of the top tournament poker players in the world using a formula that takes into account a player's results over six half-year periods. For a look at the entire list, visit the official GPI website. Here's a look at the rankings as of February 28.
GPI Top 10 Canadians
| Canadian Rank | Global Rank | Player | Total Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 |
 | Ari Engel | 3,304.57 |
| 2 | 21 |
| Sam Greenwood | 2,813.97 |
| 3 | 25 |
| Mike Leah | 2,776.28 |
| 4 | 32 |
| Timothy Adams | 2,666.81 |
| 5 | 60 |
| Kristen Bicknell | 2,409.77 |
| 6 | 61 |
| Daniel Dvoress | 2,397.25 |
| 7 | 72 |
| Daniel Negreanu | 2,354.00 |
| 8 | 76 |
| Francois Billard | 2,338.87 |
| 9 | 78 |
| Chris Kruk | 2,333.47 |
| 10 | 197 |
| Mark Radoja | 1,910.47 |
Little surprise, Ari Engel still leads the rankings, adding another 100 points to his total, while Sam Greenwood lost over 100, expanding the gap between the top two. Mike Leah also climbed a spot, displacing Timothy Adams.
2018 GPI Canadian Player of the Year
| Canadian Rank | Global Rank | Player | Total Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 |
| Daniel Negreanu | 1,345.64 |
| 2 | 7 |
| Ari Engel | 1,183.45 |
| 3 | 50 |
| Chris Kruk | 749.95 |
| 4 | 52 |
| Francois Billard | 746.35 |
| 5 | 63 |
| Mike Leah | 703.32 |
| 6 | 85 |
| Sam Greenwood | 639.98 |
| 7 | 102 |
| Dan Coupal | 613.80 |
| 8 | 109 |
| Timothy Adams | 604.42 |
| 9 | 118 |
| Ryan Yu | 593.08 |
| 10 | 141 |
| Eric Afriat | 553.54 |
After Chris Kruk kicked off the year with the lead, the second month of rankings puts Daniel Negreanu up top, while Ari Engel maintained his No. 2 spot and Chris Kruk fell to third. Engel is looking for this third year in a row as the Canadian Player of the Year.
2018 GPI Player of the Year
| Rank | Player | 2018 GPI POY Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Chidwick | 1,430.66 | |
| 2 | Justin Bonomo | 1,371.99 | |
| 3 |
| Daniel Negreanu | 1,345.64 |
| 4 | Gianluca Speranza | 1,339.32 | |
| 5 | Timothy Miles | 1,259.84 | |
| 6 | Benjamin Pollak | 1,223.35 | |
| 7 |
| Ari Engel | 1,183.45 |
| 8 | Stefan Schillhabel | 1,144.44 | |
| 9 | Adrian Mateos | 1,141.44 | |
| 10 | Gerald Karlic | 1,129.96 |
When we last checked in on the 2018 Global Poker Index Player of the Year race a month ago, Justin Bonomo had raced out into the lead after a strong January highlighted by a runner-up finish in the $100,000 Super High Roller at the 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and a win in the $25,500 Lucky Hearts Poker Open High Roller.
Bonomo would keep the No. 1 spot for a couple of weeks, but in mid-February Stephen Chidwick leaped ahead where he's remained the last three weeks running. Chidwick's rise up the list came following a stellar week at the U.S. Poker Open to start the month. In a series featuring eight events, Chidwick made five final tables, earned two victories, and walked away the overall series winner.
While Bonomo won a U.S. Poker Open event himself to remain near the POY lead, Daniel Negreanu also did well during the series with five cashes from two third-place finishes, a sixth, and two sevenths. Points earned from those results pushed Negreanu up to No. 3 after two months of 2018.
After cashing four times in the 2018 Aussie Millions, Gianluca Speranza added a couple more scores during the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Germany series to help him move up to No. 4 in the POY standings.
Timothy Miles rounds out the top five, having earned POY points from four cashes at three different World Series of Poker Circuit stops in February, including winning the High Roller at WSOP Circuit Milwaukee.
Overall GPI Top 10
| Rank | Player | Overall GPI Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Mateos | 3,751.06 | |
| 2 | Stephen Chidwick | 3,466.10 | |
| 3 | Justin Bonomo | 3,407.68 | |
| 4 | David Peters | 3,354.58 | |
| 5 |
| Ari Engel | 3,304.57 |
| 6 | Rainer Kempe | 3,211.46 | |
| 7 | Jason Koon | 3,210.56 | |
| 8 | Bryn Kenney | 3,172.72 | |
| 9 | Stefan Schillhabel | 3,168.93 | |
| 10 | Koray Aldemir | 3,168.70 |
Adrian Mateos was the 2017 GPI Player of the Year, and after final-tabling the 2018 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event won by Maria Lampropulos he's back inside the top 10 in the POY race again here in the early going.
Meanwhile Mateos has maintained his hold on the No. 1 overall GPI ranking, having now occupied the top spot for 13 straight weeks. Mateos picked up one cash in February, making a relatively deep run to finish 12th in the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Germany Main Event won by Viktor Blom.
Chidwick's performance at the U.S. Poker Open helped move him up to No. 2 in the overall rankings, his highest career ranking to date. Bonomo, presently at No. 3, also has never quite reached the top spot in the overall GPI rankings, as he's peaked at No. 2 on multiple occasions, most recently in early February.
Former GPI leader David Peters cashed three times and won a U.S. Poker Open event, helping him remain at No. 4 on the current list. And Ari Engel reached a career-high of No. 3 during February, though presently sits at No. 5.
To view the 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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