LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- With its third live tournament event scheduled in early December, Epic Poker - the new professional poker league that held its first two events this past summer at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas - today announced content partnerships with the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and the largest U.S. independent online sports property, Big Lead Sports. The new affiliations will see the latest Global Poker Index (GPI©) updates - a patent pending system to rank and track the weekly performance of the world’s top 300 live tournament poker players - published weekly in both the print and online editions of USA TODAY. In addition, Epic Poker is now the exclusive source of poker news and information for Big Lead Sports.

“Our work with the USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Big Lead Sports will help drive poker deeper into the mainstream news cycle and further position the game right alongside other professional sports content,” said Jeffrey Pollack, executive chairman of the Epic Poker and its parent company, Federated Sports + Gaming.

Each week, print editions of USA TODAY will publish the latest GPI™updates, which will be presented to readers as the “USA TODAY Global Poker Index.” The first announcement of each week’s revised rankings will also be available online at http://www.usatoday.com/sports/poker-rankings.htm.

“More Americans are playing and watching poker than ever before, and this partnership will enable us to provide that avid, growing audience with the content they want,” said Tom Beusse, president of the USA TODAY Sports Media Group. “The USA TODAY Global Poker Index will give our readers access to new and relevant content that’s easy to track and understand. It will also help open up the game of poker to the casual fan as well.”

Building on the USA TODAY Sports Media Group partnership, Epic Poker has also teamed up with Big Lead Sports, the leading U.S. online sports property with more than 20 million monthly unique visitors, to become its exclusive source of poker news and information. The exclusive content will include highlights from tournament action featuring the world’s best professional poker players, reporting from Epic Poker’s team of trusted poker feature writers, and video teasers and content from the Epic Poker League.

Furthermore, the commissioner of the Epic Poker League and 2011 poker Hall of Fame nominee, Annie Duke, will provide valuable insight into not only the sport of poker but also the current events taking place throughout the entire sporting world with her exclusive weekly blog on thebiglead.com.

“Partnering with Epic Poker will enable us to offer our fans top-notch coverage and insights into everything happening in the world of poker,” said Chris Russo, chief executive officer of Big Lead Sports. “Epic Poker’s pool of talented poker feature writers will be providing coverage of all the world-class players and tournaments and will complement the already growing archive of poker news content found on EpicPoker.com.”

The Epic Poker League Inaugural Season includes four rake-free $20,000 Main Events, each with $400,000 in added money, and a $1,000,000 freeroll Championship Event for the top 27 players in the League. To be eligible to compete, Main Event players must earn membership determined by a rigorous set of objective criteria http://www.epicpoker.com/events/league-documentation.aspx. A complete roster for players that have qualified for Season One of the league can be found on the Epic Poker website at: http://www.epicpoker.com/players/player-directory.aspx.

The four professional league Main Events feature different formats of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, including six-handed play and a special multi-format tournament. Each event week includes a Pro/Am Event, a Charity Event, and a $20,000 buy-in rake-free Main Event (http://www.epicpoker.com/events/tournament-landing.aspx).

2011-12 Epic Poker League Season One Tournament Schedule

Pro/Am

Charity Event

League Main Event

Event #3

Dec. 10-13, 2011

Dec. 12, 2011

Dec. 14-18, 2011

Event #4

Jan. 27-30, 2012

Jan. 29, 2012

Feb. 9-12, 2012

Championship

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Feb. 13-14, 2012

About Federated Sports + Gaming (FS+G)

FS+G is a leading poker entertainment company that serves players and fans through nationally televised events, interactive digital programming and social media gaming.

The company is breaking new ground in poker with the launch of the Epic Poker League - an exclusive tournament series designed to serve more than 200 of the world’s top live tournament players, as determined by a set of objective, analytically rigorous qualifying criteria. In its first year, the Epic Poker League is staging four $20,000 rake-free Main Events for its members and awarding to its champion a $1 million cash prize.

Through its ownership of Heartland Poker Tour (HPT), FS+G also serves poker players and fans across the United States. Built on a grass-root strategy of “Real People, Unreal Money,” HPT provides poker enthusiasts across the country with a televised tournament experience that prides itself on affordable buy-ins. HPT has hosted more than 82,000 entrants, awarded more than $29 million in prize money, produced more than 170 hours of television content, and staged nearly 90 events since 2005.

FS+G has developed and made available for poker players and fans everywhere 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 is distributed weekly through www.globalpokerindex.com, published in both the print and online editions of USA TODAY, and through EpicPoker.com. For additional updates and features from Epic Poker, visit the Facebook page; follow along on Twitter @EpicPoker and play Epic Poker online, anytime, anywhere with the new Facebook game available now.

FS+G has offices in Los Angeles, Fargo, N.D., and Washington D.C. For tournament schedules and information please visit www.federatedinc.com, www.epicpoker.com, www.HPTpoker.com and www.globalpokerindex.com.

About Palms Casino Resort

Palms Casino Resort, heralded as one of Las Vegas' hippest resorts, is an all-encompassing, one-stop destination. Owned by the Maloof family, the boutique property boasts three distinct towers and a diverse mix of bars and restaurants across a 95,000-square-foot casino. Premier amenities and world-renowned venues include 9 Group operated hotspots, such as Playboy Club; ghostbar; Rain Nightclub; Moon Nightclub; N9NE Steakhouse; Nove Italiano and Palms Pool & Bungalows; as well as The Pearl concert venue; Little Buddha; Simon Restaurant & Lounge; Palms Spa and AMP Salon; Drift Spa & Hammam; LA Sunset Tan; Brenden Theatres, a 14-theatre Cineplex; Huntington Ink Tattoo Lounge; the Fantasy Suites, including the Hardwood Suite, the only hotel room in the world with its own basketball court; and over 60,000 square-feet of meeting space. Palms has played host to MTV’s Video Music Awards, Real World: Las Vegas and Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown, and E!’s Girls Next Door and Sunset Tan feature the resort on a regular basis. Palms Casino Resort is located just west of the Las Vegas Strip and I-15 on Flamingo Road. For room reservations, call toll free at (866) PALMS-RES, (866) 725-6773, or visit www.palms.com. For groups of 15 rooms or more, contact the Sales Department at (866) PALMS-MTG or (866) 725-6768.

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Source: Federated Sports + Gaming