GPI Top Ten Meet to Fight it Out

Velocity Debuts Epic Mix-Max Championship Friday

Topics: Epic Poker League, December Main Event

Starting this Friday evening at 10 PM ET, Velocity broadcasts Epic Poker’s third Main Event, the $20,000 Mix-Max Championship. As Velocity and CBS show the final days of the event with four hours of coverage, EpicPoker.com provides an event Companion with comprehensive information about the entire spectacle, including supplemental broadcast information and highlights.  (Don’t worry; other than the “payouts” for the event and “end of day” event summaries – clearly marked – we’re not giving away of the suspense of the broadcasts.)

Although the broadcasts focus on the final twelve players, those players represented the winners of a dogfight among 100 of the world’s top professional poker players, including all ten members of the GPI Top Ten. [LINK TO GLOBAL POKER INDEX.] This incredible group of players was responsible for earning over $26 million in 2011, winning 8 tournaments including 4 WSOP bracelets, and making 7 additional final tables in $10,000-or-larger-buy-in WSOP events.

Here is a look at who they are and how they fared in the Mix-Max event:

Number 1 – Bertrand Grospellier

$2.2 million in 2011 tournament earnings.
Won his first WSOP bracelet, the Seven Card Stud Championship.
Finished third in the WSOP No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed Championship.
Won two events in one week at EPT Grand Final in Madrid worth over $1 million.

Result: Busted late on Day 1 to Todd Terry. Tweeted, “Disappointed … but could have played a little better in a few spots.”

Number 2 – Erik Seidel

Over $6.5 million in 2011 tournament earnings.
In events with $5,000 or greater buy-ins, he made ten final tables, with four wins and no finish below fourth.
Final-tabled Epic’s first two Main Events, finishing second and fourth, earning $788,000.

Result: Erik Seidel was chip leader at the end of Day 1. As improbable as it seemed for a player to finish second-fourth-first in Epic’s three events, it was nonetheless a surprise when Erik went out on Day 2.

Number 3 – Jason Mercier

$2.5 million in 2011 tournament earnings.
Won his second WSOP bracelet, $5,000 PLO 6-Handed.
Won two more high-roller events, $10,000 Bounty Shootout at Mohegan Sun in April, and the $100,000 buy-in at the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic in December.
Finished third in Epic Poker’s first Main Event.

Result: Lost half his chips, struggled back. Still in action at the end of Day 1, just below the chip average. By the end of Day 2, following some more close hands, he had made it to the chip average. He made it through Day 3 to the money in middle chip position, one of only two players in the GPI Top Ten to make the money.

Number 4 – Eugene Katchalov

$2.5 million in 2011 tournament earnings.
Won his first WSOP bracelet, in $1,500 Steven-Card Stud.
Won PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $100,000 Super High Roller in January.
Finished third at the EPT Barcelona Main Event.
Finished eighth at Epic Poker’s first Main Event.

Result: Still in action at the end of Day 1, above the chip average. He was the last player to bust on Day 2.

Number 5 – Sam Trickett

$4.6 million in 2011 tournament earnings.
Won and finished runner-up at the Aussie Millions A$100,000 and A$250,000 Super High Roller events, earning nearly $2.9 million in one week
Won the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event at Cannes.
Finished eleventh in Epic Poker’s first Main Event.

Result: Busted on Day 1. According to his Twitter account, “ran 2 huge bluffs trying to make them fold the hands I thought they had … but they didn’t.”

Number 6 – Sam Stein

$2.5 million in 2011 tournament earnings.
Won his first WSOP bracelet, in $3,000 PLO.
Finished third in the WSOP PLO Championship.
Won the €10,000 8-Max NLHE event at EPT San Remo.
Finished fourth at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event.

Result: Finished Day 1 among the top ten in chips. He was just above the chip average after Day 2. He went out in 20th place on Day 3, losing with Q-Q to Amnon Filippi’s A-K.

Number 7 – Shawn Buchanan

Almost $1.1 million in 2011 tournament earnings.
Won PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $5,000 8-Mix Championship.
Finished runner-up in the WSOP HORSE Championship.
At WSOP Europe in Cannes, in eight consecutive days of play, finished runner-up in the €10,000 Mixed NLHE and sixth in the Main Event.

Result: Still in action at the end of Day 1, just below the chip average. Shawn busted midway through Day 2.

Number 8 – Chris Moorman

$2.3 million in 2011 tournament earnings.
Two WSOP final tables, finishing third in $2,500 NLHE 6-Handed and runner-up in $10,000 NLHE 6-Handed Championship, earning over $1 million in five WSOP cashes.
Finished runner-up in the WSOP Europe Main Event in Cannes.

Result: Busted on Day 1.

Number 9 – Sorel Mizzi

$1.9 million in 2011 tournament earnings.
Final Table, Aussie Millions Main Event.
Won Rendez-vou a Paris €15,000 High Roller.

Result: Ended Day 1 above the chip average. By the end of Day 2, he had even fewer chips than at the end of Day 1, one of the shortest stacks in the field. Day 3 was also a struggle, at one time surviving an all-in with K-Q against A-K to avoid elimination and double up. When he made a lucky runner-runner straight, he joked, “And that is how you get to the top ten of the GPI.” That pot allowed him to finish in the money, still with one of the shortest stacks.

Number 10 – Matt Marafioti

Over $500,000 in 2011 tournament earnings.
Quarterfinalist, WSOP $2,500 Heads-Up Championship.
Seventh place, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller.
Runner up, $5,000 NLHE, Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic.

Result: Busted late on Day 1.