LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Federated Sports and Gaming (FS+G) today announced its alliance with the Palms Casino Resort to showcase a new, revolutionary professional poker league in 2011, with an initial schedule of four marquee tournaments and one championship event in Las Vegas. In addition, Annie Duke will take on a new role in her career as Commissioner of the league.
“A unified league is something we have been talking about in the industry for years and I’m really looking forward to bringing this vision to life,” said Annie Duke, Commissioner of FS+G.
The new poker league led by Duke will be comprised of the world’s top 200 players and the events will be rake-free for poker professionals and feature generous prize pool overlays. The league will have a proprietary ranking system based on an eligibility formula that is driven by mathematics and proven historic achievement. This system will rank the top professional poker players with guidelines similar to those governing professional golf and tennis.
FS+G was formed last year by sports, digital media and gaming industry leaders Jeffrey Pollack, the former President and Commissioner of the World Series of Poker, Michael Brodsky, David Goldberg and Jeffrey Grosman, who together recently ran Youbet.com, the largest legal US-based online gaming company - which was recently acquired by Churchill Downs. This team has partnered with Duke to create a league and unique series of televised events that will put a dedicated spotlight on the game’s brightest stars. The executive management team behind FS+G has unparalleled senior experience in gaming, sports programming, media and e-commerce. The company’s initial focus will be on developing and merchandising new forms of premium poker entertainment.
“I’ve long believed that the top professional poker players create enormous value for the industry and are skilled in a way that is worthy of star treatment,” said Jeffrey Pollack, Chairman and Co-Founder FS+G. “Our new league will celebrate poker professionals like never before and provide a tournament experience at the Palms that is first-class at every turn.”
“We are committed to growing our poker business and were looking to align with a best-in-class venture,” said George Maloof, owner of Palms Casino Resort. “A professional poker league celebrating iconic poker legends and the next generation of poker celebrity is a perfect fit for our property.”
This association with Palms Casino Resort will include three initial tournaments to be played from August to December in 2011, with a fourth event and a championship tournament to take place in January 2012.
“It has been a long time coming for a poker league on par with other professional sports,” said Erik Seidel, eight-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, WPT Champion and 2010 Hall of Fame inductee. “I am looking forward to true excellence in the game being rewarded.”
In addition to launching a new league with televised tournaments for poker professionals, in 2011 FS+G will enter the social media gaming market to engage poker enthusiasts at home and will soon roll out a unified consumer brand name to support all of these initiatives.
About Federated Sports + Gaming
Federated Sports + Gaming (FS+G) was founded in 2010 to create proprietary world-class sports and gaming brands through the integration of traditional and digital media, including televised events, social media gaming and interactive digital programming. The company breaks new ground in the poker world through its launch of a revolutionary professional poker league in 2011. FS+G will celebrate the world's top poker players by providing them with the spotlight they have long deserved. FS+G is dedicated to creating new traditions in poker entertainment by providing fans and players with an unmatched poker tournament, poker TV and interactive poker experience. FS+G offices are based out of Los Angeles and Washington D.C. For more information please visit www.federatedinc.com.
About Annie Duke
World-renowned poker player, television personality and author Annie Duke knows how to play her cards right. Duke currently hosts a show on the web, “The Annie Duke Show,” with guests, including Seth Godin, Peter Diamandis and John Prendergast. She was recently featured on the NBC hit show “Celebrity Apprentice” and is known for her fundraising and humanitarian efforts, as a founder of Ante Up for Africa, a board member of Decision Education Foundation and working closely with After School All-Stars, 1736 Family Crisis Center and many others. Duke’s competitive spirit have helped her garner more than $4.2 million in tournament poker earnings and driven her pursuit for entrepreneurial endeavors. She is the author of the autobiography, “How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Cursed and Won Millions in The World series of Poker” and her new poker strategy book, “Decide to Play Great Poker” is due out this spring. She is also an active lobbyist on Capitol Hill for the Poker Players Alliance, advocating for players’ rights, and has testified in front of both the House Judiciary Committee and the House Financial Services Committee supporting the civil liberties of poker players worldwide.
About The Palms
The Palms Casino Resort, heralded as one of Las Vegas' hippest resorts, is an all-encompassing, one-stop destination. Owned by the Maloof family, the boutique property boasts three distinct towers and a diverse mix of bars and restaurants across a 95,000-square-foot casino. Amenities include the legendary Playboy Club; Ghostbar; Rain Nightclub; The Pearl Concert Theater; Moon Nightclub; N9NE Steakhouse; Nove Italiano; Little Buddha; Simon Restaurant & Lounge; The Palms Pool & Bungalows; Palms Spa and AMP Salon; Drift Spa & Hammam; LA Sunset Tan; Brenden Theatres, a 14-theatre Cineplex; Huntington Ink Tattoo Lounge; the Fantasy Suites, including the Hardwood Suite, the only hotel room in the world with its own basketball court; and over 60,000 square-feet of meeting space. The Palms has played host to MTV’s Video Music Awards, Real World: Las Vegas and Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown, and E!’s Girls Next Door and Sunset Tan feature the resort on a regular basis. The Palms Casino Resort is located just west of the Las Vegas Strip and I-15 on Flamingo Road. For reservation information, call toll free at (866) PALMS-RES, (866) 725-6773, or visit www.palms.com. For groups of 15 rooms or more, contact the Sales Department at (866) PALMS-MTG or (866) 725-6768.