The Merits Of Global Poker Index Ratings

One of many systems that exist to rank poker players is the Global Poker Index. Rankings accurately cover the top 300 tournament players in the world.

Why it's Different

Global Poker Index rankings comprise one ladder among a great many that attempt to determine the strongest gamers in the field. No system is perfect, however the GPI has a few limitations to make it as accurate as possible. The first limit is that while every poker player in the world is eligible to be ranked, the only tournaments that are eligible to affect the ladder have at least 21 participants and have a buy-in of at least $1,000USD. Furthermore, the system only factors in players based on their best 5 performances in the past six months of the current year, and their best 4 performances from previous years. These limitations help to keep Global Poker Index ratings accurate and up-to-date.

Different Factors

The GPI measures skill using a few different factors to retain accuracy. The first is the time factor, which weights performances differently the closer they are to the present day. This helps to keep the ladder up-to-date and also prevents brand new tournament participants from being very highly rated because of a strong start. The second factor is the buy-in, because it is a general indication of skill. This is because tournaments with higher buy-ins often attract more skilled participants. Because this is not an exact correlation, there is a cap in place for the influence a buy-in can have on rankings, which changes annually. The last factor is the field a tournament is held in; the system rates second place in a big field more than second place in a smaller field. In order to prevent very large field finishes from shooting to the top of the index, there is an annual cap, similar to with buy-ins to keep the rankings fair.

Bringing it Together

The GPI uses very complicated logarithms to determine the buy-in, time, and limiting percentages, however the formula that determines a player's GPI is simple: buy-in, time, and limiting percentages are multiplied together for each event, and the total amount from all events is that player's rating. By limiting the entries and being specific towards the entries that are allowed onto the ladder, the GPI is able to create a reliable image of the best 300 tournament participants in the entire world of poker.