Just weeks after purchasing the Global Poker Index (GPI), Pinnacle Entertainment has turned around and flipped it to Zokay Entertainment, a gaming company created by former ChiliGaming CEO Alex Dreyfus. The GPI ranks the top 300 live poker tournament players in the world, adjusted weekly.
Pinnacle, which owns several casinos in the United States, purchased the GPI in a bankruptcy auction from Federated Sports + Gaming this summer. It was part of a $300,000 package which included the other assets of Federated, such as the Epic Poker League and EpicPoker.com. In a separate auction, Pinnacle also acquired the Heartland Poker Tour from Federated for $4.2 million. The resale price of the GPI is unknown at this time.
In a press release, Alex Dreyfus expressed his excited for his company’s acquisition, saying, “The GPI is the best poker ranking system in the world, and we plan to make it even better. A ranking system of this caliber is needed in the poker industry to bring it in line with other competitive contests of skill and sports industries. The GPI provides a ranking system on par with those you would find in golf or tennis.”
Dreyfus’ vision for the future of the Global Poker Index extends beyond just being the guy to keep it up on a website. He plans to institute national rankings so that people can see which country has the best tournament players. At the outset, there will be at least 17 countries on the list, with a focus on Asia.
Early next year, Dreyfus sees an expansion of the GPI Player of the Year award into a full-blown GPI Awards, complete with new categories such as “Poker’s Rising Star.” Players in the rankings will also get the opportunity to nominate people for various awards and participate in the voting process. These awards include things like Best Venue, Best Tournament Director, and Best Event.
The top ranked players in the GPI will also earn membership in the new GPI VIP Club, which will offer various perks and discounts.
“I could not be more excited that the Global Poker Index is now part of the Zokay family,” said Eric Faulkner, co-creator of GPI (along with Annie Duke). “The new and innovative extensions of the GPI will further solidify the GPI as the global standard in live tournament poker rankings and garner an immense amount of regional excitement.”
Jason Mercier currently owns the top spot in the Global Poker Index. His 2847.86 points put him just ahead of Bertrand Grospellier, who has 2759.54 points. Mercier has held the number one position since June 2nd and has only been as low as 5th in the last 13 months. The last time Mercier was listed at number one was in the April 23rd rankings, which ended a more than two month run at the top. He is only 13th in the Player of Year race, though. That honor goes to David Baker, thanks to a fantastic World Series of Poker in which he won one bracelet and made three other final tables.
