HOW THE
GPI FORMULA
WORKS
T
THE GPI FORMULA
he Global Poker Index (GPI) is the world’s
leading authority on poker player rankings
and results. Central behind the GPI is the
revolutionary formula it employs to determine
where players fall on the continually updated
global leaderboard.
The GPI tracks the results of every poker player in
the world for the past three years, in qualifying
tournaments with 21 or more entrants (speciality
events and freerolls are not counted). It uses a unique
set of formulas that take into account the age of the
results, the difficulty of the field and field sizes. From
this it generates the most accurate live tournament
player rankings available today.
Poker players receives a GPI score for every qualifying
tournament they cash in. These scores fall into one of
six time periods, each of which covers a half-year based
on the tournament’s start date. These are called GPI
Aging Periods. The sum of the player’s largest five scores
for each of the two Aging Periods in the most recent
year and their four largest scores for the four Aging
Periods prior to that makes up their total GPI score.
GPI SCORES ARE CALCULATED BY MULTIPLYING A BUY IN FACTOR, FINISHING FACTOR AND AGING FACTOR
BUY-IN FACTOR
Calculated by dividing
the buy-in
(US$ equivalent)
by 1,000
MONEY MATTERS
FINISHING FACTOR
Calculated by dividing
the field size by the
player’s finishing
position
The Buy-In Factor is the GPI’s measure of relative
difficulty, and it presumes that larger buy-in events
draw a more skilled field. It’s calculated by dividing
the US dollar equivalent of the buy-in (plus fee) by
1,000. This results in a Buy-In Factor of 1.0 for a $1,000
tournament, with Buy-In Factors being larger or smaller
than 1.0 depending on whether the buy-in is larger or
smaller than $1,000.
This calculation uses a logarithmic function to take
into account the fact that the incremental increase in
the skill set of the field diminishes as the buy-in
amount increases. For example, the percentage
increase of the Buy-In Factor between a $1.5k event
and a $2k event is much greater than the percentage
increase between a $19.5k and a $20k event. All
tournaments with a buy-in larger than $20k are treated
as $20k events and all tournaments with a buy-in
smaller than $400 are treated as $400 events.
AGING FACTOR
A multiplier that
weights results by
how recently they
were played
FIELD SIZE
The GPI’s Finishing Factor measures how the player has
performed relative to the rest of the field. It is calculated
by dividing the field size by the player’s finishing
position. This also utilises a logarithmic function to
further refine the score. For the purpose of the Finishing
Factor, any tournaments with a field size larger than
2,700 players will be treated as if the field was 2,700.
RECENT RESULTS COUNT MORE
The Aging Factor is a multiplier that gives more points to
tournaments that have been played recently. This rewards
both recent success and consistency over time. Each
Aging Period has a different multiplier that is applied,
and that multiplier decreases as you move back. The GPI
tracks results over three years with six Aging Periods.
Utilized together for every tracked player’s results,
this patent-pending formula is what generates the GPI’s
authoritative leaderboards.
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