Mercier Remains Atop GPI Rankings Despite Scoring Tweaks

Despite some minor tweaks to the formula used to generate the rankings, Jason Mercier stayed securely atop the rankings of the Global Poker Index at the end of 2011. The American poker player has over 3,000 points in the ranking system, over 160 more than his closest competitors.

The Global Poker Index -- which was created by Federated Sports and Gaming, the same group that organizes the Epic Poker League -- has now been ranking the world's top tournament poker players for six months. As was initially planned, the first review of the system took place this week to look at how the system might be revamped in order to better rank elite players.

Overall, the system will look about going forward as it did during the first six months. However, there has been a change in the "event cap" -- the limit on the number of results a player could count towards their GPI ranking.

Under the initial rules of the system, players were only credited for their three best results over each six-month period prior to every update of the list. Six such periods are used in the rankings, meaning that results going back as far as three years ago can contribute to a player's GPI standing.

However, after evaluating the results so far, GPI organizers have decided to allow a fourth result from each of the three most recent scoring periods. Older periods will retain their three-result cap; however, this will allow more emphasis on recent results, as well as allow hot players a better chance to quickly climb up the rankings list.

Given that this was a modest change, it is unlikely to have a dramatic impact on current or future GPI rankings. However, FS+G will continue to reevaluate their rankings system every six months, so further changes are still possible.

Mercier is followed in the rankings by a number of top professionals who have put up impressive results in the last three years. Erik Seidel is currently second in the rankings, followed by Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier, who is a close third. Eugene Katchalov and Sam Trickett round out the top five, with Vanessa Selbst, Will Failla, Snawn Buchanan, Matt Waxman and Sorel Mizzi also appearing in the top 10.