Global Poker Index to Power WPT Player of the Year Award
It��s been a busy week for Alex Dreyfus and the Global Poker Index (GPI). On Wednesday, Aug. 6, the GPI and the World Poker Tour (WPT) announced an expansion of their already existing partnership. Dreyfus also revealed that the GPI inked a strategic collaboration with Aria Resort and Casino that will see the two companies work together to create a leaderboard rewarding the room's best players.
The biggest news coming out of the announcement was that the WPT Player of the Year leaderboard will now be powered by the GPI. Also, for the first time ever, the WPT Player of the Year calculations will include the WPT500, WPTDeepStacks, and WPT National and Regional Events.
WPT President Adam Pliska explained why the company chose to work with the GPI, and why the WPT Player of the Year leaderboard has been expanded to not just include the most major events.
"I applaud Alexandre Dreyfus and the Global Poker Index for taking positive steps to professionalize the sport,�� Pliska said. "The GPI ranking system will allow more WPT players, regardless of the WPT offering they choose, to participate in the Season XIII Player of the Year race and provide better indicators for players throughout the entire season.��
GPI Owner and President Alexandre Dreyfus is equally pleased to expand the relationship with WPT. It was announced in June that starting in 2015, the GPI rankings will be used to automatically select 10 of the bounties at the WPT Shooting Stars tournament in San Jose, CA based off the GPI rankings.
Dreyfus also believes expanding his relationship with WPT should help with the growth of the social Fantasy Poker Manager games. "I��m thrilled to expand our relationship with the World Poker Tour and to help promote the WPT as a whole,�� he said. ��In the United States, the success of fantasy games correlates strongly with the popularity of many sports, and we believe the same rings true for poker. Our Fantasy Poker Manager advocates engagement from both hardcore and casual fans of the game."
The two new partnerships follow the GPI��s strategic partnership with the Ivey League last month.
Is there still more to come from the GPI and Dreyfus? We bet this is not the end. Stay tuned to PokerNews as GPI continues to make waves in the poker industry.
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