Below is a short explanation of how the Sunday Poker League (SPL) started and where it may be heading in the future.
The Sunday Poker League (SPL) was the brainchild of Bradley Jackson, a poker enthusiast living in Columbus, Ohio. While attending The Ohio State University in the spring of 2007, he came up with the idea to have a league for 5 or 6 friends to determine who was the most consistent player. Unexpectedly, the league was able to garner interest from 10 players. It kicked off in mid June of 2007. On average, the league drew anywhere from 5 to 10 players each week.
The final tournament was held late in the summer of 2007, and the short stack coming in to the championship table was able to take down the first SPL Championship. The championship table lasted in the area of four to five hours.
The league took a sabbatical for nearly a year, before returning in the summer of 2008 for its second season. The majority of the players from the first season returned to participate in the second season, but the league’s first champion unfortunately did not return. The second season was quite similar to that of the first, with nearly the same amount of players showing up over the course of the season. This time, the championship table was an epic session lasting around 8 hours. Creator, and chip leader going into the final table, Bradley Jackson battled one of the founding members, Jon Carson, for over an hour before Jon Carson was able to claim the league’s second championship.
The third season of the league was actually not held on Sundays, but rather on Tuesday nights. It kicked off in the fall of 2008, and was so far the most successful season of the league, with a little more money in the championship pot than from the previous season. Again it came down to Bradley and Jon. This time the creator of the league was able to capture the championship.
Since the second season ended, there has been increased interest in joining the league. Therefore, the creator came up with an idea to expand the league. Brad has been searching since early 2009 to find new members to the league and retain those who have previously been members of the league. In February of 2009, the Sunday Poker League will kick off its fourth season and it is projected to be bigger and better than ever. The league will now consist of twenty players each week, with two 10-person poker tournaments being held each Sunday. After those 10 weeks, the championship will be held and the payouts are expected to exceed $1,200.
The league has grown quite a bit since it’s inception in 2007. The league now has its own website located at http://www.sundaypokerleague.com and still growing. Nobody knows what is next for the league, but the members of the league are growing anxious to begin the fourth season, to see just how big of a success it can be.
