The Global Poker League has announced the format for the Playoffs and the Championship, and it will be a series of three on three heads-up matches to determine the winner of the $100,000 first prize.
Season 1 of the Global Poker League (GPL) has been a success. It doesn’t matter if a bolt of lightning strikes The Cube, or the remaining 50 players all come down with a nasty case of Ebola in the next fortnight, to be where they are today is a magnificent feat by Alex Dreyfus and his team. And with PokerStars coming on board as the primary sponsor I have no doubt that Season 2 will be even more incredible.
The Playoffs are set to take place in the GPL’s Las Vegas studios at the end of the month, and although they have left it very late, the fans finally know what the format will be when the action begins.
Each side will nominate three players to compete in the Playoffs and Championships with the opportunity of including a fourth ‘alternate’ should they wish. The ‘alternate’ can take the place of one of the chosen three at the start of each new round only.
Before fans get too excited to learn who the Team Managers will drop from the final matches, I am assuming the GPL introduced the three-player rule because of the logistical difficulties of having all 50 players in Las Vegas during this time.
The Playoffs will be a ‘Best of Five’ series of heads-up matches with each team consisting of a rotation of three players. Conference standings will count, as the team that finished higher in their respective conferences gets to see the other teams picks before choosing who will line up to face them. It’s also worth remembering that the higher up the food chain you are, the bigger your starting stack. The Finals will feature the same format, although it will be a ‘Best of Nine’ heads-up series.
Playoffs
Tuesday, Nov 29, 2016
Montreal Nationals (130k starting stack) v San Fran Rush (100k)
LA Sunset (120k) v Sao Paulo Mets (110k)
Wednesday, Nov 30, 2016
Moscow Wolverines (130k) v London Royals (100k)
Hong Kong Stars (120k) v Berlin Bears (110k)
GPL Championships
Thursday, Dec 1, 2016
Americas Conference Winner v Eurasia Conference Winner
