Fedor Holz remains top despite bustouts
Fedor Holz has been busying himself in Asia lately, taking part in the ACOP in Macau, and the Triton Super High Roller Series in Manila. In an unusual situation that must feel very odd for Holz, he has busted out of all three of the Super High Rollers he has played recently, without picking up a big pile of cash in any of them. Despite that fact, his outstanding form over the last year sees him hold on to top spot in the GPI rankings, for now.
His recent results come in the wake of a Twitter comment he posted, in which he stated that these Asia stops would be his last live tournaments of the year. Knowing Fedor, that’s probably the cue for him to go and win a six figure score next week, but if he does manage to keep away from the felt, he may lose his GPI crown by the end of the year.
GPI Top 5
#1 Fedor Holz 5,006.22 pts
#2 Nick Petrangelo 4,371.91 pts
#3 Jason Mercier 4,286.55 pts
#4 Connor Drinan 4,093.05 pts
#5 Bryn Kenney 4,081.00 pts
China tops GPI Asia rankings
This latest development could well be a real sign of things to come in the world of Asian poker, as Chinese players seem to be increasingly involved in major tours. The numbers taking part in big tournaments in Macau and Manila are also on the rise, with good recent results helping to propel 5 of them into the Asian top 10 of the GPI.
The increased number of tournaments being hosted in Mainland China has also helped local players pick up experience and make bankroll building scores. While they may still be a long way from being the most prolific winning country in poker, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them take up that role within the next 30 years.
GPI Asia Top 5
#1 Xixiang Luo 2,370.09 pts – China
#2 Nipun Java 2,344.46 pts – India
#3 Weiyi Zhang 2,179.56 pts – China
#4 Yang Zhang 2,098.15 pts – China
#5 Quan Zhou 2,072.81 pts – China
Linh Tran is evergreen at the top of the Vietnam tree
Rankings may change, but Linh Tran‘s position as the top ranked player in Vietnam it seems – does not. After winning APT Cambodia last October, Tran moved to the top of the Vietnam all-time money list, and it appears that he won’t be conceding this position anytime soon, as he has extended the lead he holds over his nearest challenger. He has been helped by a consistent run of results, which include a victory at APT Manila. Whether its GPI rankings or all time money lists; get used to seeing the name Linh Tran at the top.
APT Player of the Year: Yogo maintains lead
Yogo‘s lead at the top of the APT Payer of the Year leaderboard is not an insurmountable one at 277 points, and the man looking to chase him down is not a man you would bet against when it comes to this annual leaderboard. Sam Razavi is gunning for his fifth straight title, and it looks like the race will go down to the wire, with only two stops remaining on the tour. APT Noumea and APT Poker Finale in Manila offer enough points between them for this race to go either way, but Japan’s Iori Yogo is certainly the favourite as thing stand.
APT Player of the Year 2016 Standings
#1 Iori Yogo – 3,877.00
#2 Samad Razavi – 3,600.90
#3 Sj Kim – 1,787.20
#4 Tetsuya Tsuchikawa – 1,776.10
#5 Yah Loon Lim – 1,642.40
Asia Player of the Year
Another similarly prestigious player of the year award is also still up for grabs for those who participate in that tour. The Asia Player of the Year award is currently a shifting battle, with points being collected at the ACOP festival, which runs until November 13th. Taiwan’s Jack En-Ching Wu leads the way with 9,492 points, but he has Wayne Wei Yi Zhang for company, with the Chinese player currently on 8,833. The two players have a fairly comfortable cushion over Linh Tran, who sits in 3rd.
Asia Player of the Year – Standings as of day ending November 8, 2016
#1 Jack En-ching Wu – 9,492
#2 Wayne Wei Yi Zhang – 8,833
#3 Linh Tran – 5,068
#4 Alvan Yifan Zheng China 4,800
#5 Tom Alner UK 4,780
Article by Craig Bradshaw
