The EPL makes a dramatic debut

The Epic Poker League, brainchild of Annie Duke and Jeffrey Pollack, has reached its first ever final table. Six remain from the original 137 competitors in the #1 Event, which had a $20,000 buy-in and 6-max format.

The final promises fireworks, with seasoned pros Jason Mercier, Huck Seed, Erik Seidel, Chino Rheem, Gavin Smith and Hasan Habib comprising the line-up. Habib currently holds the status of chip leader, but it’s clear he’ll have a fight on his hands before he can even hope to bag the first prize, a bang tidy $1million.

While the league boasted indisputably impressive attendance figures, some big name players were conspicuously absent. Examples of missing pros include Phil Hellmuth, Doyle Brunson, Scotty Nguyen, Mike Matusow, Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson and many others.

Among these absentees was one four-time bracelet winner who was considerably more vocal about his reasons for declining to participate. Many suggested the no-show of Daniel Negreanu was down to a long-running feud between himself and organizer Annie Duke.

Negreanu has never been one to bite his tongue, recently stating via his blog “I’m always careful about what I attach my name and likeness to, and after doing my due diligence on the ‘business plan’ I don’t think this league can succeed. Of course I could be wrong, but I’m not.” Meow.

With Event #1 drawing to a climax, one thing is for sure – whether your opinion of the EPL is complimentary or condemning, absolutely everyone is talking about it. As always, PokerPlayer will keep you posted on all the latest developments and disputes in poker.