Poker News

The inaugural season of the Federated Sports + Gaming (FS+G) professional poker league doesn’t begin until August, but the final measures are being taken to ensure that the highly-anticipated league goes smoothly. On Thursday, FS+G unveiled its eight-person Standards and Conduct Committee, which will work to ensure “fair play, good character and integrity in every aspect of the league’s operation.”

The Committee is made up of seven voting members and one non-voting member (league commissioner Annie Duke). Five of the members have earned player cards and will take part in the league: Eric Baldwin, Andy Bloch, Chad Brown, Joe Hachem and Nick Schulman. The other members are Tournament Director Matt Savage and an independent professional ethics advisor, Stephen Martin.

“The members who have been invited to sit on the Standards and Conduct Committee were carefully selected for their knowledge, understanding and desire to promote excellence and professionalism in poker,” said Duke.

The committee members will serve for an initial term of two years and have the following responsibilities:

–Monitoring the FS+G league member qualification and admission process.
–Partnering in the development of league tournament rules and other membership policies.
–Overseeing the continued eligibility of players to participate in the league after their initial qualification period.
–Functioning as a league and player resource for establishing and maintaining the credibility and integrity of the league.
–Overseeing player compliance with the league’s Code of Conduct, tournament rules and managing other related policies and procedures.

“I am honored to be on the Standards and Conduct Committee for the Federated Poker League. I hope my small contribution helps to make this very prestigious league the worldwide success I believe it will be,” said Team PokerStars Pro Chad Brown.

Added Baldwin, “I am excited about taking a position on this committee. I intend to work hard to uphold the organization’s integrity so that we can build a true professional league that all poker players can be proud of.”

Most poker enthusiasts will recognize seven of the eight committee members. The wild card is Martin, a former Federal prosecutor in Washington D.C., and a highly-regarded corporate governance expert and ethics professor at the University of Denver. He’s been asked to help guide the committee’s formation and initial work.

“There is an opportunity to further professionalize the game of poker through a focus on fair play and application of the same standards of conduct expected in other professional leagues.” said Martin. “I am honored and excited to be part of this effort and work with the committee members.”

The four-tournament series will take place in August, September, December, and January, followed by a League Championship in February. All tournaments will be played at the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and feature a Pro-Am event, a charity tournament, and a $20,000, rake-free Main Event.

The first event of the FS+G Professional will get underway August 5 with a $1,500 Pro-Am event, which is made available for any player who didn’t qualify for one of the 218 player cards. The top nine finishers in the Pro-Am will be awarded a temporary league card for that week’s Main Event.

Here’s a look at the full Federated Sports and Gaming League schedule:

Event #1
Pro-Am: August 5-8, 2011
Charity Tournament: August 7, 2011
League Main Event: August 9-12, 2011

Event #2
Pro-Am: September 2-5, 2011
Charity Tournament: September 4, 2011
League Main Event: September 6-9, 2011

Event #3
Pro-Am: December 9-12, 2011
Charity Tournament: December 11, 2011
League Main Event: December 14-18, 2011

Event #4
Pro-Am: January 27-30, 2012
Charity Tournament: January 29, 2012
League Main Event: February 9-12, 2012

League Championship: February 13-14, 2012

The four Main Events will feature different formats of No Limit Texas Hold’em, including six-handed play, a heads-up tournament with an innovative seeding structure, and a special multi-format tournament to round out the season. The League Championship will take place February 13-14 at the Palms, where the top 27 players in the league standings will compete in a $1 million freeroll.

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