Here are some fun and interesting facts (I hope) about the evolution of the PocketFives.com player rankings from their inception all the way up to today.

The first rankings were formulated on January 17th, 2005, and the last of the year came out on December 26th. Here are some key dates along the way:

1-17: The first player rankings are formulated, ranking the top 50 tournament players on the net. The top 10 are:

1) brsavage
2) loewa79
3) WestTexasMan
4) P0ker H0
5) Exclusive
6) SailorLobell
7) Madhattter
8) NSXT2
9) gator93
10) G6Dragon

Only 13 of the original top 50 are still ranked, as of the final edition of the rankings in 2005. Those 13, along with their original rankings, are:

brsavage-1, P0ker H0-4, NSXT2-8, gator93-9, DoubleLucky-11, TheBeat-13, Riverloser-19, sheets-20, Mr. Lobo-23, AawwNutz-26, Spencerman-34, and JohnnyBax-48. Other than Spencerman, each of these players has been ranked in every addition of the player rankings.

12 more of the original 50 ranked players are currently in Players to Watch:

loewa79, WestTexasMan, Exclusive, Madhattter, G6Dragon, dblgutshot, Quiet Lion, jsup, KrazyKanuck, Ragde, Sdouble, and beanie

1-31: The rankings list extends to 60 places. Some of the new additions after two weeks include Wachovia, leggggggggggy, Kill-Bill, BamaEd, lucky seven, and sirio11.

2-7: The list extends again, this time to 70 places. Some new additions include gank, thedonator, Soupie, and HATJR.

3-28: JohnnyBax ascends from 11th to 2nd, gator93 moves from 7th to 3rd, TheBeat moves from 10th to 5th, and Gank moves from 20th to 9th. These are the most drastic changes in the rankings to date. P5s states its commitment to keep only players who are regularly playing a large number of tournaments on multiple sites at the top of the list.


4-18: JohnnyBax takes over the number 1 spot, which he has held every week since. This is also the day SamENole entered the rankings in the 69th spot! As of the end of 2005, he is ranked number 2.


6-27: colson10 enters the rankings in the 69th spot. He is ranked 10th as of the end of 2005.


7-25: iMsoLucky0 and JJProdigy enter the rankings, at 63rd and 70th respectively. Both are ranked in the top 10, as of the end of 2005.

7-26: The Players to Watch list is created. P5s reaffirms its philosophy that players must be playing a larger number of tournaments to continue receiving ranking consideration. Other top players, including some that are mainly cash/SNG players, are recognized on the new page, as well as some of the all-time heroes of online poker.

10-10: Rankings list extends to 75 players. Some new additions include UHBigTex, Ari, trackcitylad, one o clock, DelaReine, scgolfer, and Roothlus.

12-26: The final rankings of the 2006 calender year come out. The top 10 are:

1) JohnnyBax
2) SamENole
3) iMsoLucky0
4) sheets
5) TheBeat
6) leggggggggggy
7) JJProdigy
8) DoubleLucky
9) gank
10) colson10

All in all, it's been a lot of fun to be a part of these rankings as they've evolved over the past year, and I believe that while there are still plenty of improvements to be made, we have really come a long way in providing an informative and accurate list of players that are worth everyone's time to watch. I hope that we, as a staff, are able to continue to improve our ranking system, and that you, as players, are able to continue to benefit from it.