Party Poker Premier League roster set, Seiver takes last spot

The Roster for the Party Poker Premier League V is now officially set, with the 14 professional poker players set, and just the two qualifying spots up for grabs. The Premier League is set to commence just before the WPT Vienna Main Event in early to mid-April, and will likely be one of the most highly anticipated poker events in 2012 thanks to the incredible roster of poker talent that has signed on for the tournament.

The Premier League format pits 16 players in a series of heats with the top point getters landing a spot at the final table. Over the years some of the best players in the game have walked away with the Party Poker Premier League title, including: Season I winner - Juha Helppi; Season II winner-Andy Black; Season III winner-JC Tran; and Season IV winner — David Benyamine.

Matt Savage will preside over the action as the tournament director, which is scheduled to take place from April 4^th through the 10^th -the WPT Vienna Main Event will begin on the 10^th.

So who has a chance to join the above mentioned quartet of Party Poker Premier League winners this time around? The list includes a mix of big names and up and coming talent in the poker world:

• Patrik Antonius
• Vanessa Selbst
• Sam Trickett
• Tony G
• Luke “FullFlush” Schwartz
• Erik Seidel
• Andy Frankenberger
• Yevgeniy Timoshenko
• Eugene Katchalov
• Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier
• Tom Dwan
• Phil Laak
• Daniel Cates
• Scott Seiver

Seiver is one of the players that skirt the lines of both categories (top young talent and established names in the poker world) along with ElkY, Patrik Antonius, Sam Trickett, Vanessa Selbst, and Tom Dwan. The young guns on the roster include FullFlush and Daniel “jungleman12″ Cates, while Seidel, Laak, and Tony G make-up the established Poker Pros in the lineup.

One interesting storyline to watch will be between Dwan and Cates who are still in the midst of a durrrr Challenge match (which was thrown off-pace thanks to Black Friday). The two are not only adversaries at the poker table, but there also seems to be no love lost between the two, with several snide exchanges having taken place between durrrr and Jungleman on the forums and in the chatbox.

In a press release in January Party Poker issued the following statement summing up the Premier League event in April:

“16 elite players will be split up into two groups of eight, each competing in four league matches showcasing the famous point system ($2,000 per point). The top three from each group will automatically go through to the final table, while the fourth and fifth seeds will square off in a series of heads up matches (best of three) for spots in the eight-handed finale. This year’s special event boasts a massive $200,000 added for the final table and awards the winner with entry into the $25,500 2012 WPT World Championship, running 19th to 26th May at Bellagio in Las Vegas. Kara Scott will be covering the WPT Premier League V for television, as four hours of each heat will air initially in the UK on SkySports and then be distributed internationally.”