GPL Hits and Misses of the GPL Draft

12 teams, 203 eligible players, a commissioner calling out managers to announce their picks to the world and a Draft. No, we’re not talking about the NBA or NFL, we’re actually referring to the Global Poker League (GPL) Draft that was held last night in a cosy conference room in Beverly Hills.

It is on, ladies and gents, the #SportifyingPoker movement has finally started. Was it all the poker community imagined it to be? Well, it was definitely… interesting. Kara Scott - the new 888 Ambassador - presided as the GPL commissioner, the 12 managers trying everything in their power to sell their team to the masses, the draftees awkwardly embracing the opportunity and four poker analysts - including Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth - talking about white magic and Ankush Mandavia (whoever watched the Twitch stream knows what we mean) on the sidelines. All made for worthwhile watching.

Could this be the next big thing in the poker industry? We’re not quite sure yet, but we definitely hope so. We’re positive though, that the GPL will become even more watchable as the inaugural season kicks off, at least for the poker community. Why? Because the 12 rosters look intriguing to say the least. Don’t believe us? Keep scrolling, be amazed and be entertained (also, don’t forget to pick your favorite)!

Rome Emperors

Team Manager - Max Pescatori

Roster - Mustapha Kanit (#1), Dario Sammartino (#24), Timothy Adams (#25), Walter Treccarichi (#48)

The first GPL pick ever was an obvious one: Il Mustachione is a poker superstar, respected by his peers and of course, he’s Italian. With that being said, we’re sorry to tell Daniel that he didn’t nail it; he said before the Draft that choosing talent and skill over nationality and friendships will be the story of the night. Like many other teams in the GPL, the Emperors paid special attention to nationality, picking three Italians plus a good friend of Pescatori. Does this mean they are bound to fail (you know what they say about Italy and how bad the Italians are at poker)? Not so fast, just remember who won the Global Poker Masters.

Montreal Nationals

Team Manager - Marc-Andre Ladouceur

Roster - Mike McDonald (#2), Martin Jacobsen (#23), Pascal Lafrancois (#26), Xuan Liu (#47)

Another obvious choice at #2; Canadian Timex took the poker world by storm in 2008 when he became the youngest player to win an EPT event and from then on, he has continued to crush the live poker tournament scene. Jacobsen is another solid pick who tops the all-time Swedish Money Lists, while the last two are Canadian poker pros with seven figure numbers in front of their tournament winnings total. You were saying Daniel?

New York Rounders

Team Manager - Bryn Kenney

Roster - Jason Mercier (#3), Tom Marchese(#22), Kevin MacPhee (#27), Jason Wheeler (#46)

Manager Bryn Kenney bragged at his team’s introduction that New York is the best city in the world and now he may very well have one of the best poker teams in the world with a real possibility to contend for the GPL championship. We all know who Mercier is (although we may have problems pronouncing his name correctly as Negreanu pointed out), but let’s not forget Kingofcards Marchese, winner of back-to-back Aria High rollers. And MacPhee and Wheeler? Just solid, solid picks who may very well be the steals of the draft. GG Bryn!

San Francisco Rush

Team Manager - Faraz Jaka

Roster - Phil Galfond (#4), Anthony Gregg (#21), Kitty Kuo (#28), Anton Wigg (#45)

Daniel Negreanu had some doubts when he heard the Rush first round pick of the draft. Not that Galfond is a bad player. KidPoker just said Phil isn’t a No Limit tournament kind of player; he has limited experience. But c’mon we’re talking about G-Bucks here, the man who revolutionized poker! He’s definitely worthy of number four as he can adapt and use his brilliant poker mind to dominate his opposition. And Gregg? That may count as a steal also. Kitty is a nice pick but we’re pretty sure she would have have fitted better in Hong Kong. Just the editor’s 2c here.

Las Vegas Moneymakers

Team Manager - Chris Moneymaker

Roster - Anthony Zinno (#5), Jonathan Duhamel (#20), Jake Cody (#29), Jonathan Little (#44)

Chris Moneymaker was in a joking mood when he first set foot on the grand stage beside Kara Scott. He played a little bit with Liv Boeree’s heart and announced that he will be picking Igor… Don’t worry though, it was just a joke. He actually picked Zinno but Zinno isn’t actually the highlight of the Moneymakers roster. What came after did the trick: 2010 WSOP Main Event winner Duhamel, tournament under-the-radar standout Cody and yes, Jonathan Little, picked 44 in the last round. Steal of the draft? Most think so. A very solid start for the man who started the whole poker boom, in 2003.

Sao Paulo Metropolitans

Team Manager - Andre Akkari

Roster - Darren Elias (#6), Byron Kaverman (#19), Thiago Nishijima (#30), Joao Pires Simao (#43)

Manager Akkari had a very interesting approach coming into this draft. He didn’t just settle for Brazilian-bound players, he also looked for talent. Not that Elias is unaware of the Brazilian surrounding, he is indeed familiar with all things Brazil has to offer, but what about Byron Kaverman? In spite of all his opponents calling the clock on him, he’s still the 2015 GPI Player of the Year and he will definitely use that hate as a motivation to crush his opponents. Very bold move by Akkari and indeed one that showed the poker community that Sao Paulo isn’t in the GPL just for the carnival; the Brazilians want to win it all.

London Royals

Team Manager - Liv Boeree

Roster - Igor Kurganov (#7), Vanessa Selbst (#18), Chris Moorman (#31), Justin Bonomo (#42)

That was close Liv... Chris Moneymaker picking your lover. It didn’t happen though and Liv ended up selecting Kurganov as the Royal first round pick. But how is this thing going to work with the two being a in a relationship and all? Well, Liv explained in an interview after the pick that Igor actually knows her process of thinking inside and out so it would have been a real disadvantage to let Kurganov compete against her and her team. The next picks however blew them all away, and just like that the Royals might be the favorites in Season 1. Selbst is a very aggressive player and Moorman - in the editor’s opinion, the clear steal of the draft. He’s the most successful tournament player online and we know that part of the GPL will be played on the virtual felt. So pick #31? C’mon managers, that’s laughable. Great job Liv!

Moscow Wolverines

Team Manager - Anatoly Filatov

Roster - Dzmitry Urbanovich (#8), Vladimir Troyanovskiy (#17), Andrey Pateychuk (#32), Sergey Lebedev (#41)

The strategy for the Moscow Wolverines was plain and simple: gather a Russian-speaking roster to represent Mother Russia and attack relentlessly. In the first round, Filatov actually picked a rising Polish poker player, but we’re pretty sure that wasn’t much of a problem considering Urbanovich’s latest success. The three Russians picked up afterwards are all solid players, all with seven-figure live earnings. Troyanovskiy is fifth in the Russian All-Time Money List with plenty of live experience who can complement well Urbonich’s youth.

Los Angeles Sunset

Team Manager - Maria Ho

Roster - Fedor Holz (#9), Olivier Busquet (#16), Eugene Katchalov (#33), Chance Kornuth (#40)

Maria Ho did a great job in selecting a roster that can represent the Lala Land with pride. The Sunset are a great mix a youth (Holz) and experience (Katchalov) plus great online presence. Busquet was, for many years, the top Heads-Up Sit & Go player in the world and we all know the HUSNG will be apart of the GPL. Kornuth is also another great piece of the puzzle, a High Roller who knows his way around the poker scene. And you know what’s more interesting than having such a roster? Pronouncing the name Olivier Busquet. Heck, it might be even better than Ankush Mandavia that Negreanu mentioned over and over again during the Draft. Olivier Busquet…

Berlin Bears

Team Manager - Philipp Gruissem

Roster - Brian Rast (#10), Sorel Mizzi (#15), Dominik Nitsche (#34), Jeff Gross (#39)

Gruissem wasn’t present but he handled the picks through Skype and don’t worry, he knew what he was doing when he selected both Rast and Mizzi, the two poker players who battled each other in the boxing ring on New Year’s Eve. Maybe it was because Philipp didn’t want to see any more fights between the two or maybe because Mizzi ‘looks like a bear’ - those are his words by the way. In fact, Mizzi entered the GPL after Gruissem convinced him to join his team. Now we'll have to see if they can make a team or if chemistry will destroy the Bears.

Paris Aviators

Team Manager - Fabrice Soulier

Roster - Bertrand Grospellier (#11), Davidi Kitai (#14), George Danzer (#35), Mike Leah (#38)

Another standout roster that can win the GPL championship. ElkY was the obvious choice in the first round and made a lot of sense if we look below where the Hong Kong Stars were closely watching (Grospellier is a very popular figure in all Asia). Kitai was another great pick and Danzer was a steal as well. Yes, he may not be a No Limit type of guy - he actually thrives in the Non-No Limit games - but he’s definitely one of the great poker talents out there. And Leah aka GoLeafsGoEh? Not only a great tournament player but also a great coach.

Hong Kong Stars

Team Manager - Celina Lin

Roster - Weiyi Zhang (#12), Raiden Kan (#13), Dong Guo (#36), Bryan Huang (#37)

With ElkY out of the way, the Hong Kong Stars are all about Asia. The names may not say much - all of the four members have under $1 million in live earnings - but the GPL is also about marketability and exposure. Celina Lin knows certainly that. Worst team of the GPL Season One? Probably, but at the same time, an important step for the game of poker towards mainstream Asia. The truth is, we may be very surprised by some of these lesser known talents. We'll have to keep an eye on them when tournament time rolls around.

What Now?

The roster creation is not over just yet. In the next couple of weeks the 12 managers will have to pick two extra players aka Wild Cards. The options are unlimited, it doesn’t matter if the pick is in the GPI 1,000 or not, so be sure to keep an eye close on PokerTube whenever you have the opportunity.

And afterwards? Well, the real action begins. The dates are not set but what we do know is this: there will be three arenas specially prepared for the 12 poker teams - online, in-studio, and live. In the online environment, the teams will play shorthanded Sit & Go’s, only one player per team included. In the GPL Studio, the players will battle against each other in Heads-Up matches, best of three. Live, the system will be knockout/playoff-based. The scoring system? Work in progress.

More details will be released in the future and we at PokerTube will make sure to deliver them to you as fast as possible. Till then though, make sure you pick the team to root for and start your fanbase. Are you ready?