Tue, 08/16/2011 – 09:59 – PokerPages Staff
While the inaugural Epic Poker League Main Event appeared to be a success, there remain several critics of the elite format. Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu has taken to his blog to explain his reasons for skipping the tournament in Las Vegas last week.
“I don’t believe this product will resonate with the public and based on my intimate knowledge of how these types of things work, I don’t think it’s possible to bring in enough revenue to survive,” the Canadian explained in his most recent blog post.
Negreanu, who has won over $14 million in live tournament play during his career, was eligible to take part in the event but opted out of meeting the $20,000 buy in at the Palms Resort and Casino.
The main reason Negreanu alluded to in his blog post is that the EPL is currently spending more money that it is bringing in with $400,000 added to the prize pools in each Main Event and a sizable $1 million in the season ending Championship tournament.
Negreanu believes that this business model is unsustainable and cited the prestigious World Series of Poker brand, as an example of how difficult it is to procure mainstream sponsorships.
“Ty Stewart, a straight shooter/great guy, and the man behind all of the sponsors of the WSOP has been able to bring in over the years, struggles to entice mainstream sponsorship.”
However, Negreanu revealed that he would support a league or series which would be beneficial for players and sustainable in the long run. “If I thought I could help a brand create a new league/series that helps put money in players pockets and will work, I’d absolutely back it.”
For a recap of all the action from this summer’s World Series of Poker pay a visit to the PokerPages Tournament Database.