Pro Poker League Announces Tentative Schedule

The new professional poker league being organized by Annie Duke has announced a tentative schedule for their first season, shedding light on the format and structure of the league. The league – at least for the time being – appears to be using the name Federated Sports and Gaming.

As was already announced, the first season for the league features four events, along with a season-ending championship tournament. The first event of the year will take place from August 12-19.

At each of the four tournament stops, there will be three distinct events. Each event will have a single-day charity tournament. There will also be a $1,500 buy-in “Pro-Am” tournament that will allow players the chance to win a seat into the Main Event – essentially giving them a one-event tour card for that week. Each player who makes it to the final table at the Pro-Am will earn a seat in the Main Event, which has a buy-in of $20,000.

Finally, each event will end with the aforementioned $20,000 Main Event, which will be rake-free and open to all players with tour cards (along with those who won their seats in the Pro-Am).

The other events for the first season are scheduled for early October, early December and late January. The year-end championship – a $1 million freeroll that will feature the top 27 players in the league standings, based on their performance in tour events.

It was also revealed that each event will feature a different format, including a multi-format tournament, heads-up play, and a six-handed event.

"We decided to vary the format of our events to showcase and challenge the skill of the best live tournament players in the world," said Annie Duke, the new league’s commissioner. "Our Pro-Am events will create opportunities for break-out stars to shine."

Several details about the league have yet to be released, including the criteria that will be used to determine how players will initially be granted tour cards and which (if any) players have committed to participating in the league. It is also unknown if or when the league would have their events televised.