Global Poker League Begins With Player Draft
The first season of the Global Poker League (GPL) made its debut with managers from 12 franchise teams making their player selections at the official GPL Draft Day.
Featuring NFL and golf presenter Holly Sonders and poker presenter Kara Scott, the draft was live streamed on video platform Twitch.
With 200 poker players in the world eligible for the draft, managers had to select four players for their first GPL teams.
There were players representing 33 countries and $500m in live tournament winnings between them, managers had to rely on statistics, insights and decision making to secure preferred players.
The GPL takes inspiration from traditional sports leagues and eSports, aiming to change the image of poker and deliver the game to a wider mainstream audience.
GPL matches will look to engage fans and be fast-paced, featuring a chess style clock. In another move from traditional poker matches, the new league will see players competing whilst standing up and spectators will also be able to see real-time hole card access. The games will be played in a series of online, studio and venue based events, culminating in a World Championship Final later in the year.
LA Sunset team manager Maria Ho commented: “I feel very lucky to be representing LA, the city has a very international feel, and it’s a melting pot. I wanted to create a very well-rounded team that really represents what I feel LA is all about. It’s going to be cool to put some of the best poker players and brightest stars in the game alongside each other so that fans can root for them together.”
Alexandre Dreyfus, founder and CEO, Global Poker League said: “It’s been a really great experience for us, it was our first draft and we have some of the best poker players in the world that have been drafted as well as incredible managers. It’s going to be an amazing season and great fun for fans to watch.”
The 12 teams will play in two conferences, Americas and Eurasian, set to commence in April 2016. Ahead of the first game, each team manager will also be able to select two wildcard players to complete their six-person squad.
