GPI Awards and GPL Draft Scheduled for Feb 25th

Home » Poker News » GPI Awards and GPL Draft Scheduled for Feb 25th

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016 | Written by Charles Washington

Two of the most anticipated events in poker have been scheduled to take place on the same day this year. The first event is the second annual Global Poker Index (GPI) American Poker Awards, and the second is the Global Poker League (GPL) draft.

About the GPI American Poker Awards

On February 25, 2016, most of pokers biggest stars will be present for the GPI American Poker Awards, which will be held at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills. A short-list of nominees was put together by a panel of 50 people that includes notable poker experts and writers who cover poker. From that list, a smaller jury of voters will determine the final winner.

There are 15 awards that will be given out at the GPI American Poker Awards. Three of the awards are determined by the GPI Player of the Year ranking and have already been decided:

– The 2015 player of the year award, which will go to Byron Kaverman

– The American player of the year award, which will go to Byron Kaverman

– The Female player of the year award, which will go to Kelly Minkin

One award, the Poker Ambassador of the Year, is decided by the general public through a voting system that anyone can participate in. The remaining 11 awards include those for the best:

– Breakout Player
– Media Person
– Event of the year with a buy-in below $2000
– Event of the year with a buy-in above $2000
– Tournament performance
– Media content
– Industry person
– Poker innovator or initiative
– Charitable initiative
– Moment
– Presenter

About the Global Poker League Draft

GPI has been promoting the newly formed Global Poker League for a while, stating that it plans to make poker a spectator sport that could rival the popularity of professional athletic events some day. In mid-January, the GPI subsequently revealed the names of the 12 teams, and their team managers that will participate in the first ever Global Poker League season.

To start the season, eligible players will need to be drafted by the 12 teams, and this will take place at the first-ever draft on February 25th at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills, the same hotel as the awards. The draft will be broadcast live on the Internet. Like a professional sports draft for the major leagues, the GPL draft will allow the 12 team managers to select their team members.

Eligible players include World Series of Poker players, EPT champions and other high profile players. Poker fans will want to keep an eye out to see just where their favorite players end up when the draft is complete. In the meantime, here is the list of the various team and team managers who will be participating in the Global Poker League:

Americas Conference Teams

Las Vegas Moneymakers: Chris Moneymaker
Los Angeles Sunset: Maria Ho
Montreal Nationals: Marc-Andre Ladouceur
New York Rounders: Bryn Kenney
San Francisco Rush: Faraz Jaka
Sao Paulo Metropolitans: Andre Akkari

Eurasia Conference Teams

Berlin Bears: Philipp Gruissem
Hong Kong Dragons: Celina Lin
London Royals: Liv Boeree
Moscow Wolverines: Anatoly Filatov
Paris Aviators: Fabrice Soulier
Rome Emperors: Max Pescatori

Commenting after being named as the Los Angeles Sunset’s team captain, Maria Ho said: “I’m looking forward to being involved in something that is trying to innovate and take risks in order to elevate this game we all love so much. I think the GPL is willing to break new ground and hopefully breathe some life back into poker, and I’m excited to be a part of this journey.”

GPL An Evolving Process

Live action from the GPL will take place from inside a glass cage called “The Cube”, which will be surrounded by on-site spectators who will be able to view the poker game taking place, complete with hole cards, player discussions, and live data about each hand being played. In order to keep the action lively, the players must remain standing and other elements will be introduced to speed up the game, including the use of digital cards and poker chips with RFID technology.

Commenting on what the future holds for the new concept in poker entertainment, the GPL and GPI creator Alex Dreyfus, explains:

“I think we want to make a statement, and we’ve managed that in starting the league. Let’s be realistic, it took 15 years for esports to take off and become what it is today — GPL is not gonna be perfect in Year 1. We are building a foundation, a platform that will evolve over the years. It’s based on the legitimacy of GPI, it’s based on the support of the large majority of top-tier poker players. We are experimenting, and we”ll adjust over the months and years. There are 100 million poker fans in the world and 51 million in the US alone — that audience needs new content, and that’s what we aim to do.”