3-Barrels of value from the Global Poker League as Daniel Negreanu airs his views on the recent contract complaints; PokerNews Editor-in-Chief, Donnie Peters, asks why more of the Global Poker Index Top 25 didn’t sign up; and Draft Lottery will be shown live on Twitch.
With the Global Poker League (GPL) Draft less than a fortnight away, we bring you two opinions and one fact to get your teeth into.
We will start with one of the most famous faces in poker: Daniel Negreanu. The PokerStars figurehead dabbed some ink over his personal blog this week; most of it splashed over his opinion on the contract disharmony that has broken out over Twitter this week, and I think he pretty much nailed it.
“The “fairness” of a contract issued to a player is in the eye of the beholder.” Wrote Negreanu before continuing to remind players that they are effectively getting a free roll by the GPL and if they are not happy with that, then don’t sign the contract.
Negreanu’s Global Poker Index (GPI) ranking of #80 made him eligible for the draft. He didn’t put pen to paper. Instead, he will help out by acting in the role of analyst alongside Phil Hellmuth when the Draft begins on Feb 25.
The last time we engaged, he said he was happy to watch from the stands, to see if it takes off, before getting more involved, but he was wholeheartedly behind the idea and hoped it was successful. Words he mirrored in his personal blog.
“People have asked me if I think the GPL is going to work. The truth is, I have no idea. I hope that it succeeds, and I hope that those players who choose to take part in it thrive, while also bringing in a new audience of players and fans to the game.”
Then came the stark reminder.
“Most start-up companies, and especially poker leagues, do not have a solid history in terms of success.”
You can read the full blog post right here.
Donnie Peters on Why There Weren’t More Stars
PokerNews Editor-in-Chief, Donnie Peters, and poker writer/commentator/interviewer extraordinaire, Frank Op de Woerd, combined to write a cracking piece entitled Why Did Highly Ranked GPI Players Not Opt-In for the GPL Draft?
1,000 players were eligible. 203 took up the option, and while those players had combined live tournament winnings of $550 million, and combined tracked online tournament winnings of $115 million, 12 of the top 25 GPI players didn’t join the game.
The biggest loss for me was Steve O’Dwyer. Nobody is in better form than the American, and he told PokerNews that he decided against joining the GPL because he wants to reduce his schedule. Connor Drinan shared a similar view.
I would have also loved to have seen Adrian Mateos in the league. The Spaniard decided against joining because he didn’t want to be tied down contractually; in-form David Peters shared a similar view.
The full article can be read here.
The GPL Draft Lottery to be Streamed on Twitch
12 teams.
12 team managers.
203 quality players.
But who gets to pick first?
The lottery that will decide who chooses in what order throughout the three-phase draft will be streamed live via Twitch on Tuesday, 16 February at 10 am PST / 7 pm CET.
You can catch all of the action right here.
