GLOBAL POKER INDEX - WSOP 2014 | Page 35

PLAYER PROFILE | OLE SCHEMION All eyes will be on Ole Schemion this summer as he plays his first WSOP as the #1 ranked poker player in the world. Eric Danis takes a closer look at the German phenom THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS Schemion has made a huge impact since his debut in 2011 Nitsche managed to win a bracelet in his first visit to the Rio after arriving in Las Vegas with an impressive CV following years of success in events outside the USA. THE ROAD TO #1 What followed were major tournament victories at the Partouche Poker Tour Grand Final in Cannes (September 2012), the Master Classics of Poker Main Event in Amsterdam (November 2012), the Lebanese Poker Tour Championship in Cyprus (April 2013) and a trio of side event wins at the 2013 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo. Schemion would go on to make his first appearance at the top of the GPI300 on October 16, 2013, just months after his 21st birthday. It made him the youngest ever player to top the Global Poker Index. Although his first stint at the top would only last a week, Schemion would find himself back on top of the rankings for five weeks at the start of the 2014 poker season. On April 23, 2014, he replaced Daniel Negreanu at the top again, and the German player hasn’t looked back since, becoming only the second player in history to reach the 4,000-point mark on the Global Poker Index. Earlier this month, Schemion was OLE SCHEMION LIVES: VIENNA, AUSTRIA CURRENT GPI RANK: 1 LIVE EARNINGS: $5,235,351 BIGGEST LIVE CASH: $ 1,474,671 SCHEMION IS ONLY THE SECOND PLAYER IN HISTORY TO REACH THE 4,000 POINT MARK ON THE GPI THE NEW IVEY? crowned Player of the Year for Season 10 of the European Poker Tour. This year’s race was powered by the GPI. THE PRESSURE BUILDS It won’t be easy for Schemion in Vegas. Annette Obrestad made her long-awaited Vegas debut in the summer of 2010. The youngest ever WSOP bracelet winner (when she won the 2007 WSOPE Main Event aged 18), Obrestad’s US debut was moderately successful. She cashed in four events, including an 11th place finish in a No-Limit Hold’em Shootout event. It’s fair to say that results didn’t exceed expectations, and she’s still waiting to win her second bracelet. Other young players have enjoyed major success early in their WSOP careers. Players such as Eric Froehlich, Jeff Madsen, Steve Billirakis