Annie Duke refutes Epic Poker League cynics

On Last week’s DonkDown Radio podcast hosts Bryan Micon and Brandon Gerson stumbled into an interview with Epic Poker League commissioner Annie Duke (the entire lead-up to the interview is absolutely priceless in terms of entertainment value), and before the interview was over the conversation turned to the long-term solvency of the Epic Poker League.

Duke took the time to explain the Epic Poker League business model which has come under severe scrutiny by some in the poker world, most notably Daniel Negreanu -Bryan Micon himself was another critic of the league’s business plan, although unlike Negreanu he is supportive of the league and hopeful that it succeeds.

Basically, Duke explained that the Epic Poker League wasn’t designed to be an instant money maker, and that the investors behind the league are looking at long-term dividends and not at the bottom line numbers of Season 1 of the poker tour.

So, while most critics point to the fact that the EPL purchased their television time on CBS and Velocity (basically akin to an infomercial) as well as the fact that the league is shelling out at least $2.6 million in added money over the four stops of the tour and the final $1 million freeroll tournament, Duke maintained that this was part of their business model and that the league itself has enough capital to make it to at least Season 3 before needing to be a self-sufficient business.

Other factors the critics of the EPL have pointed to when detailing their case against the tour is the fact the tournaments are Rake-Free, so the league will have to rely on sponsorship dollars now, and in the future, to survive. While the league is unlikely to be able to survive on rake alone, an added $500-$1,000  per person in revenue would definitely help the books in the short-term (bringing in $50,000 to $100,000 and possibly more per Main Event).

While poker players are having a hard time seeing the profitability of such a venture, most capital investors understand that a brand takes time to build, and as long as the business plan is sound they will forego short-term profits for longer-term gains -not to mention the chance to hit a homerun if the EPL becomes the next big thing.

Although Micon wished Annie Duke and the Epic Poker league all of the success in the world, as well as praising the tournaments themselves, he remained skeptical about the long-term solvency of the league; going so far as to offer a $100 prop-bet to Annie Duke, giving her the over on a Season 3 of the Epic Poker league.

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