After hearing feedback from several players at last night's draw party, the GPI have adjusted the structure to make it fairer and a better spectacle.
All levels will be 15 minutes long rather than 20 and the second level (75/150) has been taken out. These adjustments means that there is now space for three extra levels at the end of the 2.5 hours allotted time for each heat: 700/1,400, 1,000/2,000 and a final 1,500/3,000 level.
The last level of each heat will be played hand-for hand and play will suddenly stop at some point during the level. Only referee Thomas Lamatsch will know the hard stop time. The hope is that it'll help to eradicate any tanking tactics team members might try to employ.
The pregame show has kicked off with Kara Scott and Eric Danis, and of course you can follow all he action live on Twitch throughout this epic day of poker.
The big clock inside the beautiful Global Poker Masters studio counts down from 10 minutes and then this spectacular event will kick off. Players and media are gathered inside the studio and the room is buzzing with excitement for what's about to happen.
PokerNews was in attendance at the Global Poker Masters Draw Party, and we wanted to get an idea how each team was feeling about representing their country while facing off against the best in the world. To get answers, we grabbed a representative from each team for a quick chat.
Here's what they had to say:
Mustapha Kanit (Italy):
“It’s a fun competition for me and I really like it. It’s nice that we get to represent our country
“Italy’s strength is that we are always kind of crazy, so for sure we’ll bring something to the competition. All of us, in a different way, have to bring something to the team. We’ve all known each other a long time and have a lot of experience together, which will help, and I’m looking forward to playing with my friends.
“I think the favorite of course is the US, followed by Canada, but I like all the teams. They all have good players and everybody knows what’s going on so everyone has a chance to win. I like Russia, the Ukraine, and each team has something we have to be wary about.”
Olivier Busquet (USA):
“It’s an honor to be able to play for the US, especially with my team. I’m probably the fifth-best player out of the five, so it’s very cool to be able to play with such great players and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
“As a team we have an overwhelming amount of strength; we have so many super-talented players. A decent amount of the format is heads-up so that’s good for me and good for a bunch of the players on our team. We have a couple of players – Vanessa [Selbst] and Dan Smith who are very, very good at adjusting to new formats or ways to change up a game or create a new game plan. I think we have a great chance.
“I know the Canadian team is very strong and the German team too. To be honest, there are 40 very good poker players here, so a lot of it will come down to whoever plays the format best. “
Eugene Katchalov (Ukraine):
“Definitely looking forward to representing Ukraine, I think it’s going to be fun.
“We’re all good players so we’ve been laughing at the odds that existed at first. They’ve corrected now, but when they first came out we were 40-1 underdogs, which is insane! It’s basically saying that if we get it in with jacks versus ace-king we’re like 10-1 dogs, ha, ha! It’s kind of silly as I like our chances.
“It’s hard to say which team to fear most, a lot depends on the structure. Every team has good a shot at winning this, there’s no big advantage here.”
Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier (France):
“I feel great about representing my country. It’s a great competition and the first time so hopefully will help the profile of poker. It’s kind of similar to a World Cup with all the top national teams. There were efforts like this before but this is on a grander scale.
“I don’t think we the favorites by far, but we have a strong team. There are some other superstar teams though, so that definitely makes us outsiders. It will help us that there are a lot of heads-up matches and in poker anything can happen. Patrick Bruel is on our team and a lot of the other players haven’t played with him so that could be good for us.”
Antoly Filatov (Russia):
“I’m really excited to be representing Russia. It’s a new format for us and we play only for fame and our countries. It’s going to be fun and we’re going to do our best to show you what we can do.
“I think all the teams have equal chances to win as there’s not a big difference in skill between us. We just need to run good!”
Simon Deadman (UK):
“I feel good about representing my country, it should be a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to it. Getting to represent your country in anything is exciting and, as it didn’t happen in football, I’m glad it could be poker, even though I thought that would never happen.
“We’re not going to have many strengths is the heads-up format. I think we have one trophy between us despite lots of heads-up matches, so not looking forward to that. The Salter brothers are sit-and-go specialists so that bit should be fine.
“I think it’s close as all the teams are really, really good. You know what poker’s like, I don’t think any team can be a huge favorite. Ukraine are odds-on to come last but I think that’s silly as they have a great team the same as everyone else.”
Andrew Chen (Canada):
“I’ve no idea what it’s going to entail but I think it’ll be fun at the very least, players against some good players.
“I’d say the US is probably the favorite, especially as there’s a heads-up format. They probably have two of the best players, period. Olivier [Busquet] plays heads-up obviously, and Ike [Haxton] is just one of the best heads-up players. The rest of the team are really good, too. I’d say ourselves and Germany are right up there, and then the rest are not that far behind. I think Russia are underrated to the general public, and a couple of the unknown Italian players – Rocco Palumbo and Giuliano Bendineli – are actually pretty good. Basically, no team is going to be really bad or severe underdogs.”
George Danzer (Germany):
“It feels very nice to represent Germany. We have a lot of new players and I’m one of the chosen ones so that feels great.
“I don’t want to avoid any teams but I want to play Italy last. They are the most unpredictable with the style they employ. I think they are the most dangerous team and definitely the most underrated. They play with feel, go on to check-raise you and you don’t know what to do! It’s different with the other teams, as you kind of know where you are at against most of the players. Of the 40, I probably know 30 or 35 of them pretty well.”
Today’s events all are going to be streamed live on Twitch with commentary from EPT Live’s Joe Stapleton and Jesse May. We caught up with the latter to get his thoughts:
“I love team events! I’ve been involved with a lot of different team events in poker and I think this one’s got a nice shot of working. Anytime you can get tactics involved and players cheering for their team, it’s going to be fun. Hopefully the Twitch stream will get people really going for it, I want to see people in there getting really partisan. I’m not sure who I’m rooting for as Denmark doesn’t have a team. I kind of like Germany and Canada right now but the Germans seem strongest top to bottom right now, with Canada second favorites.”
At 7 p.m. on Friday, March 20, in a quaint ballroom in the bowels of the Hilton Hotel, the first-ever Global Poker Masters (GPM) got underway. Not with a traditional "shuffle up and deal" – that'd come a day later – but with a festive draw party catering to a mix of players, tournament officials, and the media.
The two-day GPM, the brainchild of the Global Poker Index's Alexandre Dreyfus, will see 40 of the world's most elite players, each representing one of eight countries, battle in a series of heats to determine the best of the best.
It will begin with the Playoffs – 25 total eight-max matches played in five rounds of five concurrent matches – which will be followed by the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals. For more info on how it will all work, click here.
Here's a look at the eight teams in this year's GPM. Click on each for more information:
It's a complex format, and explaining it was one of the reasons for the get together. The other, of course, was to determine the full table draws, round by round of the Playoffs. However, before that happened, there was plenty of food to be consumed, drinks to wash it down, and of course mingling to be done.
Dreyfus, the man who less than a month ago gratified the poker industry with the American Poker Awards in Los Angeles, was the man of the hour, and understandably it was a busy week for the man from Malta, who was not only hosting the GPM, but also the European Poker Awards on Wednesday.
"I'm excited, but I'm a bit stressed because I haven't prepared anything for my speech [laughs]," Dreyfus told PokerNews. "No, no, I'm excited. As you can see 80-90% of the players we invited are here even though they never replied to my emails, so I actually feel relieved. It's a three-year plan and six months of work. I'm very happy. In reality I'm more nervous about tonight than tomorrow. After tomorrow it's going to be amazing – I don't know if it's going to be amazing – but it's going to be beautiful. If we're very lucky it's going to be amazing."
Dreyfus was soon swooped away by others interested party guests, which opened the door to talk to his right-hand man, Eric Danis. The long-time face and voice of the Global Poker Index was a driving force behind the draw party, which was a prelude to his GPM commentary duties, which he'd undertake alongside the lovely Kara Scott.
"I think it's been ok," Danis said when asked about the night. "Some deadlines that we had to meet were very stressful. At this point I'm still good. I think tomorrow is when the jitters will start. Really cool to see a lot of people here. We're adding tables as we speak. That's cool. We didn't expect every player to be here, but it looks like they will be. We appreciate that. They see the hard work we've done, and we're going to appreciate them coming out tomorrow."
Indeed, the turnout seemed to surpass even the most optimistic expectations. Not only were GPM participants – like Sam Trickett, Vanessa Selbst, and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier – in attendance, but a who's who of industry veterans were there to partake. For instance, there was the president of the European Poker Tour, Edgar Stuchly; poker hostesses Tatjana Pasalic and Laura Cornelius; legendary poker commentator Jesse May; and EPT Live's Joe "Stapes" Stapleton.
Liv Boeree & Joe Stapleton
"The alcohol came out a little too late," Stapleton joked when asked about the atmosphere of the party. "I would have started a little sooner with the drinks, but hey, Alex is a rich guy, but he probably doesn't have bottomless pockets so I can understand. When you have drinkers like me here it can get costly.
"The atmosphere of the party? Everyone seems to be in good spirits. It seems like a fun thing, there's a nice competition aspect, but not in a bad way. Sort of like the Pro Bowl. It's fun and everyone is excited to see what happens. The big stars show up. No one is going to hit too hard, but they probably will at the table because everyone wants to win. It's all fun and games until they say 'shuffle up and deal.'"
A life of the party, Stapes was busy entertaining guests regardless of their nationality, but he did take some time to dish on which countries he wanted to see do well in the GPM?
"I don't know if I should say this or not, but apparently you can bet on who is going to win, so I bet all the long shots a couple days ago," Stapleton admitted. "I want Russia to win. I've got £40 on Russia. If Russia wins, I got the line when they were 40-1, so if they win I'll get like a grand. I'd like to Russia to win, but if not them than Ukraine, because they were like 35-1. And then after that France, [switches to a hushed voice] but honestly France probably isn't going to win regardless of the bet. If you ask me, Russia is no long shot, not by any stretch."
As Stapes talked, waitstaff ramped up the festivities by making the rounds with wine and hors d'oeuvres (the Ukrainians seemed especially fond of the former). They brought in more tables and chairs to accommodate the groundswell of guests, and all the while players socialized. The Salter brothers, Jack and Louis, chummed it up with fellow countrymen Simon Deadman and Oliver Price; the nationless Steve O'Dwyer settled in between Team USA's Dan Smith and Bryn Kenney; and Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, who recently launched his own Twitch stream, was busy chatting with Scott Ball, the man who connected Twitch to the poker world.
"I think the whole mission to sportify poker and make it more mainstream is really exciting," Ball told PokerNews after concluding his conversation with the Frenchman. "If you look at the country-versus-country thing, it's really been successful in every traditional sport you can think of. The fact that there is someone pushing it to happen in poker is exciting, and I'm super excited it's going to be on our site for sure. Our demographic is definitely worldwide, and definitely quite scattered. It's by no means everyone from the US, so it should appeal to a huge variety of audiences."
Ball, who accepted an American Poker Award on behalf of Twitch for Innovation of the Year, also offered his pick for the GPM.
"I'm from the USA, but I think the German team looks quite strong," said Ball. "However, I definitely hope the USA team does well. I'm just really excited to see everyone compete for something they usually don't compete for, and to see how it turns out. I think there are a lot of interesting dynamics. They're not just playing for a million dollars, they're playing for the pride of their country."
After the socializing period wound down, players took their seats and Dreyfus took the stage. He proceeded to thank the GPM sponsors, explained the rules, and eventually got to the draw, which he did with the assistance of Danis and poker vixen Liv Boeree. Afterwards, Dreyfus fielded a Q&A session where players like Selbst and George Danzer expressed concerns over certain elements of the event.
Selbst among Team USA.
Selbst worried that, given the seat draw, some countries would always have position on others, something that was an issue at the World Poker Cup at the PCA a couple years back. Likewise, Danzer pointed out the structure made it so at the end of each heat, which were slated to last 2.5 hours each, the correct play for the shorter stacks would be to move all in no matter their cards. The German then explained that the winner of that hand could very well end up as the chip leader.
The was feedback both Dreyfus and referee/tournament director Thomas Lamatsch took to heart. Dreyfus admitted Selbst's concern may not be rectified in time for the first GPM, but would be certainly be taken into account. Meanwhile, Danzer's was immediately resolved when Lamatsch said they would end each heat around the 2.5-hour mark (give or take a few mintues) without prior notice to the players.
The inaugural GPM draw party ended up being two things. First, it was a social event that brought together players and industry veterans from across the world. Everyone was in good spirits – even the late-arriving Ole Schemion – and all either supported Dreyfus' "sportify poker" mission, or were willing to give it a fair shake. It was also a learning opportunity. Things weren't perfect, not all details had been considered, and there were definitely things that needed ironing out. The good news was that Dreyfus and company was willing to listen. They're committed to their mission, and will do whatever's necessary to achieve it.
Whether or not the GPM proves to be a success remains to be seen, but by weekend's end the industry will have a clearer picture on the whole affair. In the meantime, there's sure to be some great poker action to be had in this brand new event.
For more on the GPM draw party, check out Sarah Herring's video interview with Dreyfus:
Remember, when talking about the GPM on social media, be sure to use the dedicated hashtag #globalpokermasters. You can also watch the competition on Twitch, and of course PokerNews will be providing you updates throughout the event.
Today at 12 p.m. local time (in 90 minutes), the first edition of the Global Poker Masters (GPM) will begin. The event is deemed the "World Cup of Poker" and will see eight national teams compete against one another in a very uniquely formatted event. Each nation will be battling for the right to be crowned poker's world champion.
Today will see the first five heats of action play out before the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals take place tomorrow, Sunday March 22nd. Not only will you be able to watch the event live on Twitch, but PokerNews will be providing live coverage from the tournament floor for the entire event.
GPM’s 40 Players Are Broken Up Into 5 Separate 8 Player Sit-n-Go’s:
Each table features 1 player from each Team, and all tables are drawn to have balanced competition
The Playoffs Feature 5 Heats Running Simultaneously Per Round:
Between rounds, teams will re-draw for new seats, ensuring that each player is able to compete against all or most of the other competitors with equal opportunity for players to play at the feature table. Each heat will be time capped, with teams only having 2.5 hours to finish all the action.
Player Points are then Compiled By Team & The 8 National Teams are Ranked From 1st till 8th Place:
The team that places 1st in the Playoffs wins a pass directly into the Semifinals. This leading team also receives a Winner’s Bonus of 50K in chips that is added automatically to their Semifinals starting stack.
The 8th place team is eliminated from competition and does not progress on to the Quarterfinals.
THE QUARTERFINALS (day 2 – March 22nd)
With the 8th place team already eliminated and the Playoff winner leapfrogging directly into the Semifinals we are now left with the 6 remaining teams in the Quarterfinals all playing each other in a series of “Best out of 3” Heads-Up matches to determine which 5 teams will move onto the Semifinals and which team will be eliminated.
Heads-Up Quarterfinals
2th Seeded Team
vs.
7nd Seeded Team
3rd Seeded Team
vs.
6th Seeded Team
4th Seeded Team
vs.
5th Seeded Team
Each Heads-Up match will be played by a different player of each competing team. This means each competing country will need to deliberate and decide which 3 of its teammates will represent them during Heads-Up play.
After a total of 9 Heads-Up matches, Quarterfinal points are tallied and combined with playoffs points to determine the Semifinal chip count. The team with the lowest amount of point after the Playoffs & Quarterfinals is eliminated from competition.
THE SEMIFINALS (day 2 – March 22nd)
The Semifinals Play Out As A 6-max Sit-n-go’s, With 1 Player Each Representing Their Nation & Play Down To A Champion.
The remaining 6 Nations each select a player to represent their team in the Semifinals. Play begins as normal deep stacked 6-Max action with each team’s starting stack dictated by how many points (chips) they were able to win as a team during the Playoffs & Quarterfinals.
The Semifinals will last for 4 hours of play – or until action gets down to Heads-Up play.
TBD: Teams may be able to “tag” one another in and out of play during the Semifinals.
THE FINALS (day 2 – March 22nd)
Once Semifinal Play Gets Down To Heads-up Action Play Pauses & All 10 Remaining Players Split Off Into 5 Heads-up Matches Simultaneously, Each Using Their Teams’ Stack As It Was At The Conclusion Of The Semifinals.
All remaining players participate concurrently, playing Heads-Up against opposing Team members w/ each side using their Teams’ end-of 6-Max Semifinal chip stacks to play.
The GPM Finals play out until one of the 2 remaining Teams’ players have won 3 out of 5 concurrent Heads-Up matches - this team is crowned Champion of the 2015 Global Poker Masters.
The eight teams involved are from Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, U.K., Ukraine, and the U.S. Each team will consist of five players. Let take a look at each one of the nations involved.
Here are your favorites, Team U.S. Looking at the list of these five players, there isn't a weak spot to be found. Even the lowest country ranked player — Isaac Haxton — is widely considered one of the greatest minds in the game.
Vanessa Selbst was a late addition to the team and certainly will be welcomed by the other four team members. Selbst is one of the best tournament poker players ever, and she's not someone to take an event lightly. Expect her to bring her top game to Malta.
Along with Haxton and Selbst, you've got Bryn Kenney, Olivier Busquet, and Dan Smith rounding out the squad. These are three of the best players the poker world has to offer. Kenney can get a little wild and crazy sometimes with his style, but having a looser, open-minded, aggressive player can be a good thing in this format. You definitely don't want an entire team made up of Kenney-like players, but he'll complement the others very well. Busquet and Smith are very calculated players and will be extremely difficult players for other teams to deal with.
If we were able to grade each and every decision made by teams in the GPM, we'd expect Team U.S. to have the most consistently high score.
We just cited confidence as a big factor for poker players and something that plays a pivotal role in current success. Team U.K.'s Jack Salter should have plenty of confidence right now after recording two final tables at the 2015 Aussie Millions and then finishing fifth in the L.A. Poker Classic $50,000 Turbo High Roller. His brother, Louis Salter, is slowly following in his footsteps and we're sure they will be a tough tandem to deal with for the other countries.
Another tough and talented player from the U.K. will be Oliver Price, and he's also been on some good form as of late. Simon Deadman has been quiet recently, but he's a solid player in his own right who should take this event seriously and bring his best to the table. Sam Trickett could likely be the complete opposite.
Over the years, Trickett has put up many big results, but it goes without question that his heart must be in it. If it's not and he doesn't care too much on that particular day, he could be off to the rail very early. He also recently tweeted about coming down with a fever, and that could play into how well he's able to perform.
One thing is for sure, though, and that's U.K.'s pride in their country. Knowing how much they want to compete well on all international stages around the world should help bring this team together.
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