A new poker tour has been announced and this one doesn’t take after the myriad of poker tours like the World Poker Tour (WPT) already in existence but rather is to more resemble the PGA Tour of golf, and its first Commissioner will be Annie Duke.
In an era of online poker satellite tournament filling the seats of most major poker tours, a new type of poker tour has been announced that will feature a league of professional players only, headed up by none other than one of the finest female poker players of all time, Annie Duke, recent winner of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship.
The new poker league, which has yet to be given a name, was created by Duke and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) former commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. A mathematical algorithm calculating factors like a player’s recent past performance, titles won, and career winnings will determine the 200 players that will first be invited to participate in the new poker tour. The specifics on this algorithm will soon be made public.
One of the ways the new poker tour takes after the PGA is in requiring players earn their tour card, allowing them to compete in the various tournaments, all of which right now are scheduled at the Las Vegas Palms between August and December of this year. Among the players expressing both interest in participating and confidence in their ability to make the cut is Erik Seidel, holder of eight WSOP bracelets.
All players on this tour way pay their own buy-ins, which look to be $25,000 for each main event.