New Professional Poker League Names Commissioner

Federated Sports and Gaming has teamed up with the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas to create a new pro poker league. The league, which has yet to be named, has chosen one of the best players in the world as its first commissioner—Annie Duke. Also backing the new league is former WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack and Youbet.com creators Michael Brodsky, David Goldberg, and Jeffrey Grosman.

Annie Duke, who is one of the savviest professional poker players around and the defending National Heads-up Poker Champion, has expressed her excitement about being directly connected to the development of the new league.

Duke, who is also a former Ultimate Bet pro, said, “A unified league is something we have been talking about in the industry for years and I’m really looking forward to bringing this vision to life”

There have been other attempts at creating a professional poker organization. The World Poker Tour created the Professional Poker Tour (PPT) in 2005. The PPT had a five-tournament schedule and the entire tournament was televised rather than just the final table. That’s because the roster was highly selective as will be the list of players who qualify for the new league.

It’s anticipated that 200 of the finest poker professionals will be admitted into the new league. The idea is similar to that of the Professional Golf Association and the Professional Bowlers Tour. In the new poker league players will be able to earn a “tour card” through a ranking system that is based on their performance. Other factors will also be considered, such as what a player has achieved in the past and their history in relationship to the development of the game of poker.

Membership periods will vary with some being awarded two-year stints, while others may receive three, five or lifetime memberships. The league will not use a rake and the prizes are said to go beyond the buy-in totals. The amount of the buy-ins has not yet been determined.

This can be an exciting and elite league in which professionals will desperately want to earn a seat, Stay connected for developments as the new professional poker league takes shape.