Al, great to hear from you! For those who don't know, Al pretty much
IS Chexxfan.com. He is the brainchild of this site, and along with Sully moderators of the message board. Years ago they gave me some limited administrator access so that I could update the face page and news page (sorry all, I have no access to the content of this message board), but those guys are the ones who started it all and they don't get nearly enough credit for keeping this site up and running for all of us. So, I think on behalf of everyone - THANK YOU!!!
And great input on the rankings! I happen to agree with pretty much everything you've said. The current Top 10 list is not entirely mine - it is a compilation of feedback I've gotten from several people that I put in print. My list would put tremendous weight on showings in recent tournaments - personally, anyone that won their play-in table at the Worlds in Buffalo should get serious Top 10 consideration. And of course how you do at the small events I run hold a lot of weight too, as we often have an extremely strong field of players. For what it's worth, here's my Top 10 if you asked me today:
1)
Jeremy Davis - without question the #1 player anywhere. Wins nearly all the time in every event he enters, won his table with ease at Worlds in Buffalo 2010, and even when he does lose, oh my god he finishes 2nd! Hands down #1.
2)
JG - I'm not much for bragging (not ever winning helps keep that in perspective
, but I gotta put the guy who beat #1 in the biggest tournament ever at least at #2
. I don't have the overall tournament pedigree of some of the others, but I did win Worlds (losing only 1 game all day) and I have a ton of 2nd place finishes in recent smaller events (losing to Jimmy and Jeremy and Bill along the way), and took a top 4 in the last big event at New Era in 2009, losing to AL.
3)
Woj - lots of great showings in recent big events, lots of success in the Buffalo area at recent bar events. No doubt #3. Would be #2, but I beat him in Worlds, so if we put more weight on bigger tournaments and talented fields than I give me the ever so slight nod.
4)
Kenny DuBois - won the ICE 2010 World doubles, beat Jimmy in the singles, and lost only to Jeremy in the Final 4. He gets the nod over Jimmy because he did beat him straight up in Buffalo. Is he the better player than me and Woj? Might be, but there hasn't been a chance to know for sure because we haven't played in a tournament setting.
5)
Jimmy Schwartz - 2 tournament wins in the last 2 years with fields that included Jeremy, JG, Doug Davis, Bill Brooks, Scott Storck, etc, plus a strong showing in Buffalo in December 2010, winning his table and losing only to Kenny.
6)
Al Jennings[/b] - had you played in some of the more recent events I have no doubt you'd be higher on the list, but you weren't in Buffalo this year so some doubt creeps in. And if we are to put more weight on recent events and strength of the field, it doesn't get much stronger than Worlds in Buffalo 2010. Al did win the New Era title in 2009. And make no mistake everyone, before there was Jeremy, Al was "Mr. Chexx."
7)
Doug Davis - won his table in Worlds without real challenge, played very well in NJ earlier in 2010, losing only to Jimmy, and always seems to play well in every event he enters.
8)
Mark Dublino - never saw him before the 2010 Worlds but his doubles team got jobbed out of a spot in the finals due to the goofy rules, he won his table in singles, and he was the only player in Worlds to win a game off me in singles (and he should have beat me in that 3rd game!). Gotta give him his due. And Woj has seen him play and will vouch that he has game.
9)
Bill Brooks - won a small tourney in NJ and placed 4th in New Era in 2009, losing only to Woj. Almost always has a strong showing in every event he enters.
10)
Scott Storck - this is a tough call. I give props to Scott because at that recent 2010 tournament in NJ you mentioned, he finished 3rd and he beat Jeremy in the Final Four and lost to Jimmy in the winner's bracket finals, then lost to Jeremy in the loser's bracket finals - if the tourney was a straight single elim he would have finished 2nd, with only a loss to Jimmy and a series win over the world #1. And he beat me in pool play, and finished higher than Doug and Bill, so I gotta give him props. But I agree it is tough to see him up here after a strong showing in only 1 small tourney.
I didn't include the other table winner at Worlds,
Tom Mangione, solely because others said his table opponents were weak and he got smoked by Jeremy in the final 8. But if we go by overall showing, he finished top 8 in Worlds and needs to be considered.
That's my 2 cents - actually value in today's economy about 1/10th of 1 cent. Oh hell, that's the usual value of my opinion!
Please, everyone feel free to chime in - these are not my rankings or Al's rankings or anyones' rankings - they are
OUR rankings!
Bubble On
JG
, but I gotta put the guy who beat #1 in the biggest tournament ever at least at #2 
. I don't have the overall tournament pedigree of some of the others, but I did win Worlds (losing only 1 game all day) and I have a ton of 2nd place finishes in recent smaller events (losing to Jimmy and Jeremy and Bill along the way), and took a top 4 in the last big event at New Era in 2009, losing to AL.
