Annie Duke, the celebrity poker online pro, has been named as the commissioner of a new poker league that will only be open to 200 poker professionals. The elite league was created by Federated Sports & Gaming, and plans to host four tournaments and a championship in Las Vegas at the Palms casino. The league will be "rake-free", meaning it will not take a cut of the money wagered, and will offer generous prize pool overlays. The championship will be free for qualifiers to enter, and the payout will be worth $1 million.

Most other televised tournaments feature top poker players and amateurs playing side-by-side, because they allow anyone to participate for an entry fee. The World Series of Poker main event, for example, has a buy-in of $10000. To determine which 200 players to select, the league will use mathematics and historical accomplishment to rank players, similar to the ranking systems in other professional sports.