With the Global Poker League draft rapidly approaching the horizon, Lee Davy attempts a mock draft and finds out that it’s not as easy at it seems.
Christmas arrives in four days time.
I am talking about the Global Poker League (GPL) Draft. I don’t pull all-nighters that often. I didn’t bother for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table. But I will bother for this. I believe it’s one of the most exciting moments in the 2016 poker calendar. It’s the start of a revolution.
An e-mail from Eric Danis, of Global Poker Index (GPI) fame, got me excited this morning. He was talking about creating mock drafts so I thought I would have a play with it myself. It wasn’t easy. In fact, it was impossible. Here are the main reasons why.
1# Trust
It’s not easy to find genuine trust in a world where your opponent is trying desperately to bankrupt you. But it’s there. The problem I faced trying to pull together a mock draft is I don’t know who trusts who. I know the London Royals manager Liv Boeree trusts Igor Kurganov because they are dating. I have absolutely no idea if Philipp Gruissem trusts Brian Rast.
I believe this value is the most important one for the team manager. Skill and experience in the formats the GPL will contain is necessary, but the need to trust your players, throughout a two-year period, is going to be vital.
2# Language
Anyone following the English Premier League will know that Tottenham Hotspur is one of the favorites to win the league. In the 2013-14 season, their coach Mauricio Pochettino was the manager of Southampton. He conducted his post-match press conferences with a translator because he didn’t speak English.
Pochettino’s achievements are considerable when you take into consideration his inability to conduct a conversation with his players because he doesn’t know the language. Premier League clubs have the financial clout to hire translators. That won’t happen in the GPL.
All of the GPL Team Managers can speak English, but it’s not the first language for all of them. Would they prefer to communicate in their common tongue and will this play a factor in their decision making?
3# Nationalism
While the inaugural Global Poker Masters (now known as the GPI World Cup) was a great success, it was also a precursor to what we could expect at the GPL regarding team bonding.
The Italians won that competition when they beat Russia in the final. Although Max Pescatori wasn’t involved in the contest, I wonder if he will take advantage of that success and base the Rome Emperors on the spine of the GPI World Cup winning side?
4# Lifestyle
I think this is another big one.
Some players smoke pot, and some don’t. There are those that like to get rip roaring drunk and those that don’t. There are those that like to rip people apart on Twitter, and there are those who wouldn’t hurt a caterpillar.
The lifestyle and persona of the individual will matter to the Team Manager. I don’t believe for one second that a manager will pick four of the greatest players in the world if the way they act outside of poker goes against their values.
Summary
It’s not going to be easy for any of the Team Managers.
If I were fortunate enough to be in those shoes, I would be walking into the draft with the 203 players formed in an orderly excel spreadsheet fashion with my greatest picks at the top. I would then take some chances. Each manager is going to spring a surprise, and that’s where you can take a chance, leaving them until the fourth round.
Here is the mock draft that I played with this morning.
Round 1
| Team Manager | Team | Pick |
| Max Pescatori | Rome | Mustapha Kanit |
| Marc-Andre Ladouceur | Montreal | Phil Galfond |
| Bryn Kenney | New York | Jason Mercier |
| Faraz Jaka | San Fran | Fedor Holz |
| Chris Moneymaker | Las Vegas | Mike McDonald |
| Andre Akkari | Sao Paulo | Bertrand Grospellier |
| Liv Boeree | London | Igor Kurganov |
| Anatoly Filatov | Russia | Dzmitry Urbanovich |
| Maria Ho | LA | Vanessa Selbst |
| Philipp Gruissem | Berlin | Anthony Gregg |
| Fabrice Soulier | Paris | Davidi Kitai |
| Celina Lin | Hong Kong | Anthony Zinno |
Round 2
| Team Manager | Team | Pick |
| Celina Lin | Hong Kong | Dominik Nitsche |
| Fabrice Soulier | Paris | Benjamin Pollak |
| Philipp Gruissem | Berlin | Brian Rast |
| Maria Ho | LA | Byron Kaverman |
| Anatoly Filatov | Moscow | Vladimir Troyanovskiy |
| Liv Boeree | London | Jake Cody |
| Andre Akkari | Sao Paulo | Dani Stern |
| Chris Moneymaker | Las Vegas | Antonio Esfandiari |
| Faraz Jaka | San Fran | Thomas Marchese |
| Bryn Kenney | New York | Kevin MacPhee |
| Marc-Andre Ladouceur | Montreal | Chris Moorman |
| Max Pescatori | Rome | Dario Sammartino |
Round 3
| Team Manager | Team | Pick |
| Max Pescatori | Rome | Martin Jacobson |
| Marc-Andre Ladouceur | Montreal | Mark Radoja |
| Bryn Kenney | New York | Sorel Mizzi |
| Faraz Jaka | San Fran | Nick Pupillo |
| Chris Moneymaker | Las Vegas | Scott Clements |
| Andre Akkari | Sao Paulo | Timothy Adams |
| Liv Boeree | London | Justin Bonomo |
| Anatoly Filatov | Russia | Igor Yaroshevskyy |
| Maria Ho | LA | Jeff Gross |
| Philipp Gruissem | Berlin | Eugene Katchalov |
| Fabrice Soulier | Paris | Sam Chartier |
| Celina Lin | Hong Kong | Kitty Kuo |
Round 4
| Team Manager | Team | Pick |
| Celina Lin | Hong Kong | Chance Kornuth |
| Fabrice Soulier | Paris | Sylvain Loosli |
| Philipp Gruissem | Berlin | Sam Greenwood |
| Maria Ho | LA | David Baker |
| Anatoly Filatov | Moscow | Vladimir Dobrovolskiy |
| Liv Boeree | London | Emil Patel |
| Andre Akkari | Sao Paulo | Felipe Ramos |
| Chris Moneymaker | Las Vegas | Jason Les |
| Faraz Jaka | San Fran | Mohsin Charania |
| Bryn Kenney | New York | Jason Mo |
| Marc-Andre Ladouceur | Montreal | Shawn Buchanan |
| Max Pescatori | Rome | Rocco Palumbo |
The Teams
Rome Emperors
Team Manager: Max Pescatori
1. Mustapha Kanit
2. Dario Sammartino
3. Martin Jacobson
4. Rocco Palumbo
Montreal Nationals
Team Manager: Marc-Andre Ladouceur
1. Phil Galfond
2. Chris Moorman
3. Mark Radoja
4. Shawn Buchanan
New York Rounders
Team Manager: Bryn Kenney
1. Jason Mercier
2. Kevin MacPhee
3. Sorel Mizzi
4. Jason Mo
San Francisco Rush
Team Manager: Faraz Jaka
1. Fedor Holz
2. Thomas Marchese
3. Nick Pupillo
4. Mohsin Charania
Las Vegas Moneymakers
Team Manager: Chris Moneymaker
1. Mike McDonald
2. Antonio Esfandiari
3. Scott Clements
4. Jason Les
Sao Paulo Metropolitans
Team Manager: Andre Akkari
1. Bertrand ‘ElkY Grospellier
2. Dani Stern
3. Timothy Adams
4. Felipe Ramos
London Royals
Team Manager: Liv Boeree
1. Igor Kurganov
2. Jake Cody
3. Justin Bonomo
4. Emil Patel
Moscow Wolverines
Team Manager: Anatoly Filatov
1. Dzmitry Urbanovich
2. Vladimir Toryanovskiy
3. Igor Yaroshevskyy
4. Vladimir Dobrovolskiy
L.A Sunset
Team Manager: Maria Ho
1. Vanessa Selbst
2. Byron Kaverman
3. Jeff Gross
4. David Baker
Berlin Bears
Team Manager: Philipp Gruissem
1. Anthony Gregg
2. Brian Rast
3. Eugene Katchalov
4. Sam Greenwood
Paris Aviators
Team Manager: Fabrice Soulier
1. Davidi Kitai
2. Benjamin Pollak
3. Sam Chartier
4. Sylvain Loosli
Hong Kong Stars
Team Manager: Celina Lin
1. Anthony Zinno
2. Dominik Nitsche
3. Kitty Kuo
4. Chance Kornuth
WAIT!
HOLD THAT THOUGHT!
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
Decided to unreg the @gpl draft for personal reasons, really like what they are doing and wish them best ! #sportifypoker
— Shawn Buchanan (@shawnbuchanan1) February 22, 2016
DAMN!
Who can replace Bucky in my Montreal team?
A Canadian who is a world-class stander upper?
