We now know the draft picks for the inaugural Global Poker League, and it’s good news for poker fans, as the very best players in the game come out to support the initiative in their droves.
If the first season of the Global Poker League (GPL) falls on its ass, it will not be down to a lack of playing talent.
The top ranked 1,000 players in the Global Poker Index (GPI) had the opportunity to apply, and 203 of them thought the contract was worth a dab of ink.
12 teams.
12 team managers.
Three picks per team.
When you go through the list what strikes you immediately is how difficult it will be for the Team Manager’s to choose the players they believe will propel them to glory. The quality of players is astounding. In all honesty, the only disappointments for me are the lack of Steve O’Dwyer and Joe McKeehen, and that’s a minor quibble.
The list is very North American heavy with players from the USA dominating. 103 Americans have applied, and 13 from Canada. The Russians also have a keen interest with 10 players applying; 8 females are in the mix. There is also a broad selection from the live and online worlds, both cash games and tournaments, and a great spread of ages. Nations from 36 different lands are involved.
Here are some gems from the draft list.
Phil Galfond
Fedor Holz
Dzmitry Urbanovich
Dani Stern
Martin Jacobson
Vanessa Selbst
Shawn Buchanan
Jason Mo
Chris Moorman
Antonio Esfandiari
Remembering the action will be heads-up and six-max online, live heads-up, and a new format of 3 v 3 live in the Playoffs/Finals, here are my picks.
- Phil Galfond
- Shawn Buchanan
- Vanessa Selbst
The GPL Draft will take place Fri, 25 Feb. All the action will be streamed live on Twitch. On Feb 18, the GPL organisers will draw the order the Team Managers will pick for each of the three rounds.
The excitement doesn’t end there.
In the week that follows the draft, the 12 team managers have to choose two wildcards to make up their team quota of five players. There are so many outstanding poker players, both regarding skill, and marketability – that didn’t even make the draft – the one thing we know for sure, is all 12 teams will be bubbling over with talent.
We have the teams.
We have the team managers.
We have a GPL draft chocked full of top quality players.
What could go wrong?
For the full draft, click here.
