Epic Poker League Kicks off
I have been following this for a bit and while I find the whole "pro card" structure a bit confusing as far as just skimming, huge fan of both Kat Kowal and Matt Savage and believe they know what players want.
All in all, truefully, they have one of the most experienced management teams out there and now owning the HPT is even bigger. The TV should be good for even the casual fan. Few of our favorites and PFC members also have pro-cards. I think this might get big in next few years.
Ps. Dan Fleyshman and Peter Jetten playing Day 2.
Thoughts??
Inaugural Epic Poker League Event Sees Top Canadians In Attendance
All in all, truefully, they have one of the most experienced management teams out there and now owning the HPT is even bigger. The TV should be good for even the casual fan. Few of our favorites and PFC members also have pro-cards. I think this might get big in next few years.
Ps. Dan Fleyshman and Peter Jetten playing Day 2.
Thoughts??
Inaugural Epic Poker League Event Sees Top Canadians In Attendance
Comments
my bad milo, I had meant "this years" series....outside it hes won damn near everything else worth anything!! now of course theres Phil Ivey free fields but even so....still a monster!
Negreanu and Annie Duke, what's up with that? I liked them both, but now I think at least one of them is lying and a jerk. And I don't know which one. Insight?
I was a huge Negreanu fan and always thought Duke more "stuffy", though I think she is one smart woman. However, if you were to google Negreanu and Duke feud, blog, I think you would find he has thrown out some pretty harsh Towards her in the past. I don't even care about that, but I thought before the names of those who qualified were announced, it would be Duke looking for away to alienate Daniel and not the other way around.
I am 100% confident in saying that the very best and most respected team is behind Epic; aside from Duke you have the former WSOP Commissioner, the most respected TD in the world, who set the standards for tournament rules and has designed some of the worlds most popular events and structures and one of the executive members from the original WPT team, Deepstacks and dream team poker. If these guys and gals do not know what their doing, then absolutely nobody does.
So for Negreanu to say that he wont support what will eventually fail is crap and he has had a lot of people on him to justify his comments. His twitter for the last week will give you a lot of insight.
I started to be less of a fan when he started bitching about needing exclusive events at Wsop as part of the board I believe and epic has basically created this. Negreanu has not been shy about bashing Duke in the past and clearly wants everything to center around the old school A list. If you haven't read his last blog, it explains this further.
Let's call it all for what it is, the Onyx Cup was a way that the high rollers could almost guarantee that the richest players in the world would get TV time. They keep raising the cost because, as the WSOP and other open events prove, it's pretty tough for them to stay in the spotlight other wise.
read Negreanu's blogs and tweets, think you might find that Annie is prob the favorite in this argument
These events can only work if the players show up to play. The biggest reasons they would play in one of the toughest fields is because of the added money, lower rake, comped rooms, and tv coverage. All of the costs of these benefits are coming out of the backers of this league. Take away some or all of these benefits, the event will fail.
How long can the backers continue to dump money into this venture before they see a return. Money doesn't grow on trees.
I would think that they would have thought of this, given the business minds running the show. It all goes back to the old saying "does Eatons tell Sears it's business?"
Daniel suggests that their plan is to start their own internet poker site once regulation occurs in the US. No one knows when that will happen.
Even if they are able to generate money from an internet gaming site, these EPL tournaments will always have to have added prize money for it to work. Poker players follow the money. Without adding money, pros will find better spots to spend their money.
For the EPL to be success, their gaming site has to be successful. The money EPL uses will basically come from the players on the site, which is fine...since shows like Poker After Dark, The Big Game, Million Dollar Challenge, and EPT tournaments are mostly done for marketing purposes. The EPL is in essence trying to do the marketing before they even have a product...which needs approval of US regulation before they can make money off it.
For most poker players out there, they have little to no chance to ever play in these event (well unless you satellite in their pro/am). For most players, it really doesn't matter if the EPL is successful or not. It's unlikely the EPL will be the catalyst to another Moneymaker boom, but the last thing your average poker players need is another FTP/UB situation.
I have to agree with what you have said in your last post, the kind off discussion I was hoping for.
Maybe they will go public with more later, kind off like he WPT and CPT.
CPT is going on five years now, investment dollars have sustained it thus far, they have produced a few TV production, added money in the forms of sponsorships and it is not near as hype as this?
I wonder if Palms was wiling to take a hit on rake knowing that the crowd they attracted is sure to also dump revenue at the other casino "properties", like table games. The casinos are already willing to comp a lot of what you have mentioned in he hopes that this type of customer will stay, would you agree?
That's all I have for now, look forward to reply
Now as for WPT which seems to be on a different network every 20 minutes, EPL finds a network and stays on in while running thier show at a time someone ACTUALLY WATCHES it might actually find some sucess if they market it properly, with the right promos/website/advertising...they have money to weather the early losses EASY
More of a time will tell for them, I dont think its just going to go away like PPT did, now of course chino isnt a good start for them, Im to understand people were waiting for him at the cage?? That would suck!!
44 for Day 1a, 34 for Day 1b, Kevmath said something about overlay if they didn't get 89 on 1b.
Sure we will hear more, looks like a lot of players have headed to Europe or are on route for events there. main Event will be interesting....
yup
Chino is a bad start PR wise for sure, then they make him "host" and try to
repair image...not sure if this is leaving a sour taste.
Really want to see ME numbers. Players seemed very pleased with everything but Chino winning, will be a bad sign if less than 100 show for this one.
For whatever reason, this had me looking at EPT schedule, now very interested in researching our top players there...
Back to OP, Greg Mueller and Matt Marafiotti (spelling might be off) onto day 2 with 20 left in Pro/Am. 9 get seats, looks like $33,000 Overlay.
Sponsors may decide to shy away from any affiliation to scandals and such, but I don't see this as the EPL end goal to achieve success anyways. It's seems like the only way they will make money is to create a potential new website. The people they are trying to attract will play on this site regardless. Pros and semi-amateur regs will join, because they will promote it, attract fish, offer tournaments/satellites/over lays and other incentives to get them on the site.
The new players will have no idea about any of Chino's background. Very few will ever search his history. Unless it's a pro that could appeal to outside the poker market like a Ivey, Hellmuth, Negreanu, Russo....most of the other pros really have no distinct feature that will attract the next 'wave' of players. If you're not familiar with poker, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference among Jason Mercier, Seidel, Chino, etc. In the general population, these players really have little impact in attracting more players. They're all the same.
More often than not your first try is where you set the bar to do better or worse....worse is looking pretty strong right now at the pro/am
But since this is aimed at the elite, who do now the scoop and are the only ones allowed to play, if they get bitter things won't look to good. Chino is kinda just a sliver in the big picture though, as you said.
Meh. Overlays are good for the player, so if they are buying... why not take a shot I guess
Timex
Mueller
Marafioti
Watts
Buchanan
G smith bust
chino and Seidel both at top of chip counts
think the cash cage line up will be prepared this time with a "take a number dispenser"
does Seidel ever not destroy $20,000 plus events?
ITM Mike is above average had the chip lead, a small pot away from regaining.
Should get at least 50k now, think it's 700,000 for first with 12 left playing down to 8
Then this:
League Main Event Live Updates - Epic Poker - Players First
Blahhhhhh.
Mike's turn.
1 to go before day 4 and tv table
Michael DiVita & Epic Poker's Stephen Martin Speak Out | PokerNews
Can someone actually shoot who is in charge of these things like throwing this guy out? Is he a good person? Probably not, but dont have him qualify and tell him to beat it? Either way it might be a black eye for poker, but doing it THIS way is putting the black eye for people who are not in the game, AND people that are in the game.
Get real, who ever has made this call got it wrong in some way or another! If the EPL isnt careful its going to be a mass cluster fu($ in about 2 more events!
December for next event I think, hopefully the sort things out before and the holiday season doesn't affect it too badly.
Hate the decision they made will Divata, it seems shady.