Chris Moneymaker Named As GPL Team Manager

In 2016, the poker industry is trying hard to reinvent itself with a younger, more informed audience, and to this end Alex Dreyfus, CEO of the Global Poker Index (GPI) is soon to launch the first season of his Global Poker League (GPL). The way the league is set up involves 12 teams based in 12 separate major cities from around the world taking each other on in a series of tournaments over a 14 week period. Each team is assigned a Team Manager, and heading up the Las Vegas group of pros is none other than Chris Moneymaker.
While Moneymaker’ poker results may not be all that impressive since winning the 2003 WSOP Main Event for $2.5 million, the 40 year-old “everyman” still continues to be considered somewhat of a talisman by the industry for his part in helping spark the “poker boom” of 2003 to 2006. Therefore, having him involved in the project from the very start makes sense, and lest anyone forgets whose heading the five person team, its been named The Las Vegas Moneymakers. Commenting on the role of the position, Dreyfus explained:
“The manager is the soul, the spirit, the color of the team. He is the one drafting the team. He is no coach, but he is leading the team.”
Moneymaker may be the first GPL Team Manager to be named, but over the coming weeks we can expect to receive news of the other poker managers who have been chosen to represent their respective cities. In terms of logistics, the six teams which will comprise the Americas Conference includes New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, and Sao Paolo, while the Eurasia Conference teams will hail from London, Paris, Rome, Prague, Moscow, and Hong Kong.
Needless to say, Alex Dreyfus is a keen poker enthusiast and visionary whose efforts to further the game is held in great regard by the industry. The Frech entrepreneur is now hoping that his GPL can also ride the wave of popularity currently being witnessed in the video gaming industry, and at the heart of every GPL match will be an innovative playing area called “The Cube”, which allows an audience to see the players’ hole cards, and all the action.
“Just think about this: If people pay to watch video games, why wouldn’t they pay to follow a spectacular poker game? You just have to make sure you do not offer the poker we know today. You need to offer something different from the WSOP, the WPT, or the EPT,” stated Dreyfus.