The Global Poker League (GPL) looks set to take the poker world by storm thanks to its unique format and the bringing together some of the world's best poker talent. Previously, PokerNews took a closer look at the rosters of the Rome Emperors and the Montreal Nationals, and now the New York Rounders and San Francisco Rush go under the spotlight.
New York Rounders
| Player | Live Tournament Winnings | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Mercier | $16,422,563 | USA |
| Tom Marchese | $12,653,422 | USA |
| Kevin MacPhee | $5,444,368 | USA |
| Jason Wheeler | $2,712,154 | USA |
Donnie Peters, PokerNews' award-winning Editor-in-Chief, penned his thoughts about the GPL draft and stated he believes team managers needed to not select their rosters based on a player's ability, but on the marketability and personality of the players. Bryn Kenney seems to have done a little bit of that, judging by his team being, in this writer's opinion, one of the stronger rosters with a more fun group of players.
Kenney himself is a colorful character and one who is well known on the world poker circuit. With almost $9.2 million in live tournament winnings, Kenney certainly knows his way around a poker table. Kenney cut his teeth in the online poker world, so should be able to adapt to the anticipated fast-paced format of the GPL. This is also true of his four draft picks.
Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier was Kenney’s first pick and nobody will deny that Mercier is a catch. Hugely successful both in online and live poker, and across a number of poker variants, Mercier is one of the greats of the game. Mercier is used to being in the spotlight and playing under the glare of the cameras and bright lights, so that part of things shouldn't faze him one bit.
Pick two was Tom Marchese, who may be better known to some of you as "kingsofcards," which was his online alias. Marchese is more focused on live poker these days, preferring to play in the $25,000 High Roller events at ARIA in Las Vegas instead of travelling the poker circuit. It will be interesting to see how any travelling effects Marchese because his last non-US cash, not including the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, was back in 2010 when he finished seventh in the European Poker Tour London Main Event.
Kevin MacPhee is another player who could be entertaining during GPL broadcasts. While he is usually focused on playing when playing, MacPhee is willing to participate in interviews and always comes across as a player who likes to have fun away from the tables. MacPhee has almost $5.45 million in live tournament cashes, including an EPT title and two World Series of Poker bracelets, and more than $7.1 million in earnings from the online arena, according to PocketFives.
Jason Wheeler was Kenney’s fourth pick and another player who travels the world playing the circuit when he is not busy grinding out the hours at the virtual felt. Wheeler, 38, was ranked as a high as second in the world for online tournaments in 2013 and has almost $7.15 million in online cashes. In the live arena, Wheeler has amassed $2.712 million in cashes, including a recent WSOP Circuit win in Las Vegas worth $323,236.
Kenney is very likely going to pick himself as one of the wildcards, leaving one spot to fill. One thing is for certain, Kenney will not shy away from picking another colorful character for his roster, perhaps one of the players that Peters described as one of the "bad boys" like Justin "stealthmunk" Schwartz.
San Francisco Rush
| Player | Live Tournament Winnings | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Phil Galfond | $2,339,619 | USA |
| Tony Gregg | $10,854,878 | USA |
| Kitty Kuo | $1,092,510 | Hong Kong |
| Anton Wigg | $2,016,044 | Sweden |
Faraz Jaka seems to have taken the approach of selecting players who are both skilled at online and live poker, mirroring himself, the team's manager. With just shy of $4 million in online winnings and almost $5.1 million in live tournament winnings, Jaka is one of the most successful players in the world today.
Phil Galfond was the first pick for Jaka and it's no wonder when you consider his poker prowess. Galfond is predominately an online cash-game player and has a very analytical approach to the game. He will be a key team member away from the tables when it comes to breaking things down, that is for sure.
Jaka selected Tony Gregg as his second pick, and, like Galfond, it is easy to see why. Gregg may not be the most prolific of poker players when it comes to volume, but he has an almost unnatural ability to go deep in a large percentages of tournaments that he graces his presence with. You may recall that Gregg won the $111,111 One Drop High Roller at the 2013 WSOP for over $4.8 million. That result that makes up around half of his live tournament winnings, but Gregg also has a World Poker Tour title and has made the final table of the PCA Main Event three times, so he's no one-hit wonder.
Online, Gregg has $1.7 million in winnings, showing he can adapt to the different formats of poker, and he's also known as a top-level live cash-game player.
Kitty Kuo may not have been the name every manager scrambled to secure, but Jaka made her his No. 3 pick. Kuo has been a regular on the EPT for some while now and although she may only have two six-figure scores to her name so far, she is completely fearless on the felt and will be a formidable opponent for anyone facing her in the GPL. Kuo’s flamboyant style and willingness to chat at the tables is sure to be a hit with viewers when the GPL hits the airwaves.
Anton Wigg was the fourth pick for Jaka and could be an absolute steal because the dashing Swede is a superb poker player. The former EPT Copenhagen champion has cashed for more than $2 million in live poker tournaments and an additional $6.24 million in the online world, where he is better-known as "antesvante."
Of all of the franchises, the wildcard slot of the San Francisco Rush is the hardest to guess. Jaka has thought outside of the box when picking his team, but I'm going to say he selects Mohsin Charania, who went undrafted and is a top player. Not only that, but he and Jaka are good friends.
Stay tuned to PokerNews in the coming weeks as we preview the rest of the 2016 GPL franchises.
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