GPI Rankings: Adrian Mateos Finishes October as World Number One

Having spent 20 consecutive weeks at the top of the Global Poker Index (GPI) between November 2017 to April 2018, Spanish superstar Adrian Mateos has climbed back to the top of the tree. Following a stellar October, Mateos become only the eighth player in history to eclipse $50 million in live poker tournament earnings.

Mateos spent October in sunny North Cyprus, locking horns with some of the best high-stakes grinders in the industry during the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Cyprus festival.

The four-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner got off to a flying start at the Merit Royal Hotel & Casino, finishing third in a $25,000 Super High Roller Warm-Up for $198,400 and third in the $50,000 EPT Super High Roller for another $555,758.

A cash in the $5,300 EPT Main Event earned Mateos $10,480, which he followed up with a $258,100 score in another $25,000 buy-in event where he finished second to Norway’s Kayhan Kayhan Mokri.

Mateos still wasn’t done; he navigated to an 11th-place finish in a $10,200 tournament for an additional $21,100, taking his winnings in North Cyprus to $1,043,818 and his lifetime earnings to an incredible $50,856,039.

Global Poker Index Current Top 10

Mateos wasn’t the only player on the rise because Mike Watson jumped to second place following several impressive showings at EPT Barcelona in September. Runner-up, third-place, and sixth-place finishes earned Watson €251,100, which he topped up with another €595,025 when he triumphed in the €10,000 EPT High Roller.

Watson’s climb to second pushed Jesse Lonis into third. David Coleman and Stephen Song complete the current top five live poker tournament players on the planet.

Movers and Shakers

The biggest recent increase in the GPI rankings is that of Finland’s Samuli Sipila, who jumped 163 places to 193rd in the world. The Finn shone brightly at the recent PokerGo Tour PLO Series II, enjoying a fifth, fourth, and runner-up finish for prizes worth $65,000, $96,000, and $310,000, respectively.

Frenchman Jean-Noel Thorel fell the most places, 114 of them to 209th in the world. Thorel won a €30,000 Super High Roller Warm Up at EPT Barcelona for €512,370 in August but has only a €490 score since then. Some of Thorel’s historical results have decayed, thus his dramatic fall down the rankings.

Current 2024 Player of the Year Standings

Unsurprisingly, Mateos remains in pole position for the 2024 Player of the Year award. Mateos holds a narrow lead over David Coleman, who has been in the top five all year. Both stars are likely to play an extensive schedule in December, with the EPT Prague, WSOP Paradise, and WPT World Championship all running in 2024’s final month.

Women’s GPI Current Top 10

Kristen Foxen is way out in front in both the women’s GPI and the 2024 Women’s Player of the Year race. Foxen’s incredible performances have made her the only female player inside the overall GPI top 100. We expect Foxen to finish 2024 on a high and log plenty of volume in some of the biggest events on the upcoming schedules.

Cherish Andrews trails Foxen in second place, with Victoria Livschitz occupies third, and Rania Nasreddine in fourth. That trio of talented ladies also find themselves in the top 300 of the overall GPI.