Federated Sports + Gaming (FS+G) announced it has launched the Global Poker Index™ (GPI™), a patent pending system to rank and track the weekly performance of the world’s top 300 live tournament poker players. The GPI will conclusively answer for the first time who is currently the best player in live tournament poker. Starting today, the GPI will launch in USA Today Sports and on GlobalPokerIndex.com, and will also be available through EpicPoker.com  after the site’s launch later this month.

“This system is revolutionary for poker and will provide a clear-cut, statistically definitive means for comparing the live tournament accomplishments of top players,” said Annie Duke, commissioner of the Epic Poker League.  “Many of the world's best players are not well known outside of the avid fan base. The Global Poker Index will not only create excitement around the rankings of the more established players, but will also put a focus on a new generation of young players.”

The GPI system assigns a score for a player’s performance in qualifying tournaments within a rolling 36-month window and accounts for all qualifying buy-in and field sizes. A player’s composite score is derived by a combination of finishing-place, buy-in and aging factors for each tournament in which the player records a result. Precise details of the GPI system are available at www.GlobalPokerIndex.com.

The GPI will play a key role in the third Epic Poker League Main Event this December with the seeding of information for players entering the Heads-Up Event. For likely the first time, a heads-up poker competition will determine the best player by starting with a draw of matches based on transparent quantitative rankings.

FS+G, in conjunction with Palms Casino Resort, will launch the first of four Epic Poker League Pro/Am tournaments in Las Vegas beginning Aug. 5. The Inaugural Season includes four rake-free $20,000 Main Events, each with $400,000 in added money, and a $1,000,000 freeroll Epic Championship Event for the top 27 players in the League. To be eligible to compete, Epic Poker League Main Event players must earn membership determined by a rigorous set of objective criteria (http://www.federatedinc.com/poker-league/qualification-criteria).

The four professional league 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.  Each event week will include a Pro-Am event, a charity tournament, and a $20,000 buy-in rake-free main event.