Wolverines Power to GPL Eurasia Advantage, Still A Scrum in GPL Americas After Week 6

Week 6 of the Global Poker League was a big one for the Moscow Wolverines as they used the variety of matches played throughout the week in the GPL Eurasia to demonstrate one of the most dominant weeks of action we’ve seen yet in the GPL. As the Wolverines opened up some room in their conference, there’s still a scrum atop the GPL Americas as they try to figure out who’s the best in that conference.

To say that the Wolverines dominated Week 6 for the GPL Eurasia would be a huge understatement. Coming into the Week 6 action, the Wolverines were a point behind the Paris Aviators for the top slot in the GPL Eurasia and held a healthy 13-point edge over the Hong Kong Stars for the final playoff spot in the conference. After a demonstration of poker that left many fans of the GPL in amazement, the Wolverines have finally shown why many thought they were the team to watch at the start of the season.

Wolverines manager Anatoly Filatov called his own number for the Six Max matches on Tuesday and he didn’t let his teammates down in that effort. In the first Sit and Go, Filatov pulled out a second place finish to the London Royals’ Sam Trickett, then backed that up with a superb performance in winning the second Sit and Go to total 12 points for the day. On Wednesday, the Wolverines’ Sergey Lebedev backed up his manager’s performance by besting the Berlin Bears’ Brian Rast, 6-3, to pick up another win and bring the grand total for the week for the Wolverines to 18 points.

In comparison, the formerly first place Aviators had one of their worst weeks of the season. Manager Fabrice Soulier earned a goose egg – zero points – in the two Six Max matches on Tuesday and George Danzer could only salvage three points in his heads up match against the Rome Emperors’ Mustapha Kanit, getting those three points in the final game of their three-game set. Those three points would prove to be important, however, as they kept them in a two-way tie for second with the suddenly surging London Royals as the week came to a close:

In the GPL Americas, the New York Rounders has shown that they are a formidable team, but they just can’t seem to shake off the rest of the conference that has shown to be just as resilient as the Rounders squad. At or around the top of the conference since the start of the season, the Rounders have been unable to open up any space in the conference as they still have three teams within 11 points of their position and the last place team, the San Francisco Rush, is only a couple of good weeks from mounting a charge themselves.

The Rounders’ Jason Mercier may not have stolen the show during the Six Max matches on Tuesday – taking a third and a fourth place finish to pick up five points – but manager Bryn Kenney most certainly did when he came to the virtual felt on Thursday. Taking on the Rush’s Jonathan Jaffe, Kenney swept Jaffe in three consecutive games to take the match in dominant fashion, 9-0. Those points would prove to be critical as it kept the Rounders in first place for the week.

Last week it was the Sao Paulo Metropolitans in pursuit of the Rounders, this week it is the Montreal Nationals. The Nationals’ Martin Jacobson did about as well as you can do in the two Six Max Sit and Gos – earning a first and second place finish – to give the Nationals 12 big points. The Nationals’ Jason Lavallee then picked up the baton in running the table against the Metropolitans’ Darren Elias, taking all three matches and winning 9-0 to total 21 points for the Nationals for Week 6 and thrust them into second behind the Rounders by only one point:

In the next to last week before the GPL takes its break for the World Series of Poker, the Wolverines are sitting in great position to keep their GPL Eurasia lead. After the Six Max matches next Tuesday, the Wolverines will battle the struggling Hong Kong Stars, who will look to recapture some of that early season magic they had. Meanwhile, the Royals and Aviators will try to break their tie in taking on the Emperors and Bears (respectively).

The battle will continue in the GPL Americas as, following the Six Max matches, some of the lower tier members of the conference get their shot at the leaders on Thursday. The Rounders have to take on the Las Vegas Moneymakers; the Nationals get the Rush in heads up action and the Sunset and the Metropolitans will try to stay in the upper half of the table. With only two weeks of play before the break – and, following the break, the start of live play – the Global Poker League action is intensifying.