New Professional Poker League To Be Formed

Poker News / Matthew Pitt / 19 January 2011 / Leave a Comment

Up to 200 players from around the world will be selected based on the current performances, along with previous history but amazingly there will be no credit given to any player's cash game prowess or online results, something that is sure to stoke up some major discussions

Annie Duke looks set to become the commissioner of a brand new poker league that is looking to become for poker what the PGA is for golf. Although no name has been officially released yet it is thought the new league will be called the Federated Poker League and will see 200 hand picked players take part in four tournaments per year, the fourth being a $1,000,000 freeroll Championship event.

The newly formed company calling itself Federated Sports and Gaming released a statement that highlighted their intention to create a new professional poker league where players will earn two, three or five year passes that will be issued on a similar basis to the "tour card" on the PGA circuit. It was also revealed that there will be fewer than 10 lifetime passes issued for those with truly outstanding results and poker-related achievements. Federates Sports and Gaming are fronted by former World Series of Poker Commissioner, Jeffrey Pollack and three businessmen Jeffrey Grosman, Michael Brodsky and David Goldberg, who were the men behind one of the largest horse racing betting sites in the United States of America, Youbet.com

Up to 200 players from around the world will be selected based on the current performances, along with previous history but amazingly there will be no credit given to any player's cash game prowess or online results, something that is sure to stoke up some major discussions in recent months as it would suggest the likes of Tom "durrrr" Dwan and Patrik Antonius would not be eligible to play, meaning they would not be considered in the top 100 players in the world at present! The exact selection criteria has not been created yet but both Pollack and Duke have said it will be made public as soon as everything has been ironed out.

Each of the 200 players will take part in three tournaments to be held at the home of Federated Sports and Gaming, The Palms Casino Resort, to be held between August and December each year with a fourth tournament, a Championship event, taking place in January. This Championship is thought to be a $1,000,000 freeroll, whilst all the tournaments are said to be 100% rake-free with overlays guaranteed on top of any prizepool generated.

According to Duke the reason for the formation of the league is simple. In an interview she said, "Fans have shown over and over again that they love the stars of this game. It's the stars of this game that they really want to be watching on television, and I think the stars should get something in return for that."

As would be expected the announcement has been met with mixed responses on forums around the world with one poster stating, "if its good for TV, its good for us" and another positive poster wrote, "If nothing else, this sounds like a great deal for the players who get to play, and is definitely a step in the right direction. I hope it takes off." Some were much more sceptical about the league, even hinting that the league is being formed because the live "TV Pros" simply cannot cut it in today's competitive climate, "TV pros want their own league where they can just eliminate the incredibly tough fields in just about all poker tournaments these days and just pass money round to each other while convincing Joe public they are the best in the world."

This is not the first time a new poker league has tried to muscle in on the action, as in 2005 the Professional Poker Tour was unveiled as a way of extending the reach of the World Poker Tour, which also had a similar incite-only policy and the equivalent of "tour cards" but after five tournaments the league was scrapped as players were simply not willing to turn out for the low payouts along with a number of broadcasting rights issues.

Many think the league is doomed from the start and the fact they are excluding online and cash game players seems absurd to say the least but if it brings new fish into the shark infested seas that we all now swim in then I am all for it.

Use the sign up bonus of between $50 and $2,500 that you will receive for signing up for a free Betfair Poker account using this link towards gaining a big enough reputation to be awarded your own "tour card." Go on, you know you want to!