Was GPI’s Alex Dreyfus (and all of Europe) Snubbed In Bluff Poker Power Poll

Poker pundit Lee Davy trashes Bluff Power 20, America

Sometimes, rants come out of nowhere.

Like this latest one from freelance poker writer Lee Davy that takes the annual Bluff Power 20, a list of the most powerful industry insiders as compiled by Bluff Magazine from a select group of 60 members of the poker industry, out behind the woodshed for a verbal beatdown…20 days after it was revealed.

It’s not like the Power 20 is still lingering in the minds of most, as, from where we sit, in the fast paced poker industry news grows stale by the hour much less the day. But before the topic is laid to rest, Davy takes it on himself to resurrect it – if only to punish it. You see, Davy seems pretty pissed that 'Merica has, once again, dominated the list.

Yes the country that is so self important that it creates sporting events with the word ‘world’ in the title and then doesn’t invite any teams from any other country absolutely dominates the rankings.

He has focused the majority of his ire on the fact that Bluff and their voters didn’t include Alex Dreyfus – the man who purchased and popularized the Global Poker Index as well as took over and updated the premiere poker results tracking rankings The Hendon Mob.

Is it because he’s not from the US? Is it because he’s the head of the biggest threat to Bluff’s own player ranking system? Or simply he was snubbed by voters? Davy points to the fact that the GPI was published in the “LA Times” (it’s really in the USA Today, not the LA Times) as proof of power.

It’s no coincidence that the GPI rankings were squeezed into the sports pages alongside the NBA, NHL and NFL leagues in the Los Angeles Times during my recent visit.

That’s the hard work of Dreyfus. The man who is set up to take over the world of poker from a reporting and distribution sense.

Of course, this is not exactly the hard work of Dreyfus as Davy says. The GPI was put in place at the USA Today under Annie Duke’s reign as the head of FS+G. Dreyfus works plenty hard mind you, but the inclusion of the GPI in the USA Today was put into place before Dreyfus’ ascension to the rankings throne.

Despite not knowing which paper the GPI is published and who put it there, Davy’s intent is to draw attention to the man who seems focused on making poker, both online and off, a cohesive unit. If “information is power” then Alex Dreyfus, a man who is all about the accumulation of info, is an argument for inclusion in 2015.

But wait…there’s MORE!

While he’s at it…Davy rails that there’s too few poker players on the Bluff 20 as well.

And why do we only have one player on that list? Aren’t our players powerful? Why isn’t Vanessa Selbst on that list?

He wants answers! No Selbst! No Galfond! No Gruissem! No way! Where are all the players?

With Daniel Negreanu as the only player on the P20 list, does this signify a void between who is controlling the poker industry and those who are participating in it? While perhaps Davy chose some tangentially “cool” names as opposed as to the players who may actually wield the most power (Ivey perhaps) he’s trying to make a point that players are the ones that are identified with, the role models and there should be recognized power in that.

All of this is worth your time. so check out these related links!

Links to the Bluff Magazine Power 20
Read: Lee Davy’s Rant – Too Many Americans, Not Enough Players and No Alex Dreyfus?

21+ in OH. Please play responsibly. For help, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or 1-800-GAMBLER.
published 10 years ago • by permalink

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