Global Poker League announces 2016 schedule

The inaugural season of the Global Poker League (GPL) kicks off next week with its first live matches taking place on Tuesday April 5, live streamed on GPL.TV and Twitch.

Over the course of the next six months, 12 franchise teams will go head-to-head throughout the season, culminating in a live playoff event in North America before heading to Wembley for the first ever GPL Finals from Nov. 22-23.

Inspired by initiatives developed by the likes of the NBA, eSports and the UFC, the GPL is attempting to bring together a fragmented audience of 100 million worldwide poker fans via 400+ hours of live-streamed content throughout the regular GPL season.

Season 1 of the Global Poker League will be broken down into four different phases:

-- The GPL Regular Season: April 5 to Sept. 26 – Three match days per week every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. All live streamed and following an eSports broadcast format with competitive online matches on GPL's own game platform.

-- The GPL Summer Series: June 6 to July 8 – 33 Days of daily Heads-Up battles filmed live on location in GPL's Las Vegas Studio.

-- The GPL Playoffs: (Dates TBA) – The Global Poker League's "Final 8" play down for four places in the GPL Finals.

-- The GPL Finals: Nov. 22-23 – Live from London at The SSE Arena, Wembley, where the first ever Global Poker League Champion will be crowned.