Nick Petrangelo Tops GPI World Power Rankings, Justin Bonomo Enters Top 5

The GPI World Power Rankings have been updated, with Nick Petrangelo topping the charts. The New Englander is off to a strong start for the year.

Eric Danis of the Global Poker Index released the top 25 rankings on February 8. All players ranked in the top four during the previous update remain in the same spot. Justin Bonomo and Dan Smith made the biggest jumps.

Bonomo went from 15^th to 5^th, while Smith is now 9^th on the list, after previously being ranked outside the top 25. David Peters, the 2016 GPI Player of the Year, is stuck in 2^nd place by a slim margin. The “semi-retired” Fedor Holz is in 3^rd place, and Bryn Kenney is 4^th.

The Global Poker Index tracks performance in live poker tournaments from around the world. Players accumulate points based on their finish, money earned, and tournament buy-in.

Petrangelo finished 4^th in the 2016 Player of the Year race. He already has three six-figure paydays this year, including two at the recently completed Aussie Millions. In the $25,750 PokerStars Championship last month, the New Englander finished 2^nd for $740,032.

‘ZeeJustin’ Climbing the Ladder

Justin Bonomo’s stock is rising. The man who loves to fight for social justice already has three deep runs in high roller tournaments this year. That comes after closing out 2016 with a 2^nd place finish in a $100,000 buy-in Super High Roller tournament at Aria in Las Vegas on December 30.

‘ZeeJustin’ took 2^nd place in the $50,000 Aria Super High Roller on February 4 for $420,000. Two days earlier, he finished 3^rd in a $25,000 Aria High Roller for $131,040.

Bonomo now has more than $14 million in live tournament winnings. He was one of the top performers at last year’s WSOP, finishing in the top three in four events. But he was unable to get over the hump to win a bracelet.

Bryn Kenney Leads POY Race

It’s way too early to hand him the trophy, but Bryn Kenney is the early leader for 2017 GPI Player of the Year. His 1,592.85 points give him a solid edge over Mustapha Kanit (1,424.52). Byron Kaverman, the 2015 winner, is in 3^rd place. Petrangelo is well within striking distance in 6^th place.

Kenney already has a pair of major tournament wins this year, including a $969,075 score in a $50,000 hold’em tournament at the PokerStars Championship in the Bahamas last month. The New Yorker also won the $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em Shot Clock ($392,876) at the same series.

In total, Kenney already has seven cashes in live poker tournaments this year. He now has more than $13.7 million in lifetime winnings.