National Poker League Starts in June

Practically every poker fan knows about the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker Circuit Events, but most don’t know that another tour is starting up in June – the National Poker League (NPL). Set to kick off on June 2 with the Vegas Open at Caesar’s Palace, the tour will be televised on the INHD cable network.

One thing that makes the NPL unique is that it features $1,000 buy-in tournament (plus a $60 entry fee), designed to make it more accessible to the every day player who can’t normally swing the $2,500, $5,000, or $10,000 buy-ins of the WPT or WSOPC. And because the events are televised, it could be an opportunity for some excellent players who otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to play in a major event to get some exposure. Who knows, maybe the next big poker star will be discovered!

The format of the NPL is also interesting. There will be ten tournaments, with the winner of each advancing to a semi-final round consisting of five heads-up matches. The five semi-final winners will then move on to the winner-take-all final table for $100,000. The ten preliminary $1,000 tournaments will all distribute prize money, as any poker tournament would. The final table money is bonus cash, provided by the NPL.

Oliver Nejad and Scott Fischman will be doing the color commentary.

Originally published May 12, 2006