Premier League Poker 2019

This Premier League season has been like no other. Lasting nearly a full calendar year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which caused all sport to go on a three-month hiatus in the Spring, we saw the first ever Premier League games in June and July over the last six weeks along with another unprecedented event – Liverpool winning the Premier League for the very first time.

A season which no one will forget, now's as good a time as any to look back at the campaign and select our Team of the Season as teams prepare for their final games of the season. This is the Grosvenor Sport Premier League Team of the Season for the 2019/20 campaign.

On the whole, VAR overturned a total of 109 decisions in Premier League games this past season, and we at Grosvenor Sport have taken a look at some of the most controversial decisions – and non-decisions – made by VAR in its first season. Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace On-field Decision: Goal by Sokratis VAR Decision: Foul by Calum Chambers Arsenal took an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from.

Goalkeeper: Nick Pope, Burnley

Appearances: 37

• Founded in 1992, the Premier League is the top division of English football. It contains 20 teams. The season runs from August to May, and teams play each other both home and away to fulfil a total of 38 games. The Premier League has promotion and relegation linked.
• 'Game theory was an aspect of the Premier League which was something we'd been trying to build into the series from the start,' says May. 'The last couple of hands in the last heat before the final was the first time in the Premier League where the points were so complicated and the money up top was so huge that it really became all about the game theory.
• This Premier League season has been like no other. Lasting nearly a full calendar year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which caused all sport to go on a three-month hiatus in the Spring, we saw the first ever Premier League games in June and July over the last six weeks along with another unprecedented event – Liverpool winning the Premier League for the very first time.

Clean Sheets: 15

At the time of writing, Nick Pope has been an ever-present between the sticks for Burnley this season and has enjoyed arguably the best season of his career. With 15 clean sheets already this season going into the final day, Pope is leading the race for the Premier League's Golden Glove – tied with Ederson for the most clean sheets in the division. His performances in goal have helped Burnley record their highest number of wins in a single Premier League campaign and going into the final day they need just one point to record their highest-ever points tally.

Right-Back: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool

Appearances: 37

Assists: 13

Trent proved that last year's creative explosion was not a fluke, backing up his 12 Premier League assists by going one better this campaign with a game to play. Still only 21, Trent has been an ever-present in a Liverpool side that ran away with the Premier League title and has pretty much cemented his status as the world's best fullback.

Centre-Back: Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool

Appearances: 37

Clean Sheets: 15

The towering centre-back has anchored Liverpool's back line with dignity and class this season, playing every minute of every game as the Reds romped to the league title. While his partner at the back has changed throughout the season due to injuries, van Dijk's consistency helped Liverpool secure 15 clean sheets throughout the campaign, one fewer than Manchester City.

Centre-Back: James Tarkowski, Burnley

Appearances: 37

Clean Sheets: 15

Premier League Poker Wiki

As mentioned, Burnley are on course to record their best-ever Premier League points tally, largely down to their stout defence which has kept 15 clean sheets already this season as Nick Pope leads the way for the Golden Glove. A lot of that success comes down to the back four in front of him, a unit that James Tarkowski marshalls excellently year in and year out.

Left-Back: Andy Robertson, Liverpool

Appearances: 35

Assists: 11

At £8m, Andy Robertson will go down as one of the greatest bargain buys of the modern era as he adds the Premier League to the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup to his honours list this season. For the second season in a row, Robertson has recorded 11 Premier League assists and his power and pace down that left flank has been a mainstay of Liverpool's prolonged success.

Central Midfield: Jordan Henderson, Liverpool

Appearances: 30

Goals: 4

The Liverpool skipper has anchored Jurgen Klopp's midfield excellently this season as he closes in on a decade at Anfield. His leadership and commitment has helped deliver Liverpool's maiden Premier League title while also chipping in with some big goals, netting four times and providing five assists throughout the campaign. In a midfield group that has spent nearly £150m in the last two years on the likes of Naby Keita, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Takumi Minamino, the fact Henderson cannot be lost from that trio in the middle of the part is a testament to his work ethic.

Central Midfield: Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City

Appearances: 34

Assists: 19

Kevin De Bruyne has reminded us that he is the best midfielder in the world this season, contributing towards 30 goals in the Premier League in 2019/20, including 11 goals and 19 assists, which is one behind Thierry Henry's Premier League record of 20 assists in a single season – and De Bruyne has a game left to play against relegated Norwich. His vision remains unparalleled in the Premier League.

Right Wing: Adama Traore, Wolves

Appearances: 36

Assists: 9

It could have been easier to select someone like Mohamed Salah for this spot, but it's hard not to reward Adama's breakthrough campaign. The Spanish winger has been lamented in years past for not having an end product, but the former Barcelona academy graduate has put those concerns to bed this season, scoring four goals and providing nine assists, seven of which to top scorer Raul Jimenez – the most common ‘assist to goal scorer' combination in the league this season.

Left Wing: Sadio Mane, Liverpool

Appearances: 34

Goals: 17

In a year where Roberto Firmino has struggled for goals, Sadio Mane stepped up to the plate to cover his downturn in production, scoring 17 goals in 34 appearances so far this season – a goal every other game. The Senegalese winger has also provided seven assists to his teammates and has been the star performer in that Liverpool front three, often outshining Mohamed Salah on the other wing.

Striker: Jamie Vardy, Leicester

Appearances: 34

Goals: 23

In a season where Leicester could clinch a return to the Champions League, they wouldn't have been anywhere close to doing so if not for the goals of Jamie Vardy. Now 33, Vardy is showing no signs of slowing down as he's bagged 23 goals in 34 games so far this season with a game to go, looking set to clinch the Premier League Golden Boot in the process having already broken into the Premier League 100-club.

Striker: Danny Ings, Southampton

Appearances: 36

Goals: 21

Danny Ings' career has been pretty much defined by injuries leading up to the 2019/20 campaign, but enjoying the first season in some time that hasn't been blighted by an injury, Ings has reminded us of his goalscoring prowess, enjoying the best top flight season of his career, netting 21 goals in 36 games and sits two goals back of Vardy in the Golden Boot race entering the final day.

Here's a look at our complete team of the season. Do you agree with our picks? Are there any players you think should have made the side? Let us know in the comments below!

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Table Of Contents

The fourth season of the partypoker-sponsored Premier League put the unique televised tournament format on the map, and captured the imagination of players and fans alike in 2010. For the series commentator, legendary host Jesse May, the devil really was in the detail.

'There were a lot of special things about that Premier League season,' May told PokerNews. 'The first three were all held in the U.K. It was supposed to be a combination of the best in poker and also the biggest TV stars in poker. We wanted the best poker and the best TV.'

Premier League Season IV Steps Up the Game

The first three seasons had become dominated by Phil Hellmuth's running battle with the late Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott, although Tony G stole the scene each time he was on screen. But for the fourth season, partypoker wanted to step it up. They moved it to the U.S., the M Hotel in Las Vegas, for what would be the only time in the league's six editions between 2007 and 2013.

They maintained the premise of a league format that demanded players pay attention to the points system to give themselves the best chance of winning. According to May, the vision for the league really came to fruition in season IV, a season that was even live reported by PokerNews.

'Game theory was an aspect of the Premier League which was something we'd been trying to build into the series from the start,' says May. 'The last couple of hands in the last heat before the final was the first time in the Premier League where the points were so complicated and the money up top was so huge that it really became all about the game theory.

'It was quite a production at the M Hotel,' May recalled. 'We wanted to get Hellmuth and Negreanu and some other big stars. The buy-in jumped in a big way and there was money paid back in each heat.'

There was a method to money being paid out before the final, something that wasn't commonly done in other league formats.

'The theory was that even if you did poorly, you were going to get at least some money back. As it turned out, a couple of people, including Phil Hellmuth, were absolutely crushed.'

Colorful Cast of Characters

It was a stellar field. The returning champion was the colorful character J.C. Tran, with Ukrainian Yevgeniy Timoshenko also in the line-up.

'Timoshenko was very well respected at the time, I was a huge fan of Yevgeniy's. But for me, that entire series was about Luke Schwartz. That was his coming out party.'

Schwartz, storming around the set in a bicep-hugging t-shirt, crushing dreams with one curl of his lip, was a British Brando at the felt in those days. May thought he was fantastic, and not just for ratings.

'Even though 'Full Flush' has made a name for himself, he's seriously underachieved in terms of what his potential was and I'm sure he'd admit that himself. In one of the early heats, he made a four-bet shove with 6-4 off-suit and it felt legendary at the time.'

Tattoo sleeve designs for men. Schwartz earned respect from each table he was on, from almost every player. He struck up a rivalry with David Benyamine that lasted throughout the series, but others like Daniel ‘Kid Poker' Negreanu held him in high esteem.

'Negreanu and he had a great relationship; Daniel had a lot of respect for him. Schwartz also got on well with Roland [De Wolfe], and Phil Laak loved him.'

May often shared the mic that season with Ike Haxton, who is known more for his own high-stakes prowess than commentary work but provided plenty of insights on the action.

'Listening back to my commentary with me and Ike, he probably should have been playing in the Premier League! But he wasn't, he was doing commentary. You could hear us trying to figure out the permutations and how that should affect the strategy.'

Game Theory of the League Format

The game theory side of the league format meant that some players found themselves in unfamiliar territory, having only played poker as a straight-bat game before that. May and Haxton began to split the players who had figured it out, those who 'got it' and those who didn't.

'Scott Seiver, who joined in Season Five, was just one of those guys who understood the whole game theory - as far as how your ranges change depending on how many points you needed - more than anyone.'

Seiver wasn't alone in showing aptitude to the game theory side of accumulating points rather than chips throughout the series.

'Roland de Wolfe was the same way. Negreanu was always a studier, he would have spent eight hours the night before doing stuff. Then you had people like Hellmuth. He just did not get it.'

If De Wolfe and Negreanu adapted to the game theory, The Poker Brat was the polar opposite. He wasn't the only one.

'Jungleman [Daniel Cates], who I love, and who became a huge guy for us in later seasons: I remember he was once in a spot three-handed where he had to fold 100% of hands to one player and he had to call 100% of hands to another player. He picked up ace-king and snap-called the player who he was supposed to fold 100% of hands to.'

There was no standing on ceremony for those around the table who saw his mistake.

'He was young and it was his first time around, but that was the kind of stuff we wanted to get into the Premier League. Premier League Season Four was the first time we managed to do that.'

It wasn't only the players who were forced to try to work out the nuances of the new poker format.

'I was so out of my depth. We were sitting there looking at charts. It was clear who were really quick thinkers, and those who although they were great at poker, weren't quite ready to adapt.'

2019 Premier League Team Locations

Season Four had gotten off to a terrific start, with the heats providing huge drama and excitement for viewers. But who would come out on top in what became a very personal battle between two polar opposites at the felt? Find out in Part Two of Jesse May's look back at Premier League Poker Season Four.

New Premier League Teams 2019

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  Jesse MayPremier League PokerpartypokerDaniel NegreanuDavid BenyamineLuke SchwartzPhil HellmuthPhil LaakTony GRoland de WolfeScott SeiverVanessa Rousso

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  Daniel NegreanuPhil HellmuthVanessa RoussoPhil LaakRoland de WolfeTony G