Federated Sports & Gaming has released its list of pro poker players allowed into their exclusive league. The league is looking to become a respected league and will hopefully show, once and for all, that poker is a game of skill.

It’s an honor to be invited to join the Federated Sports & Gaming poker league. Annie Duke, league commissioner of Federated Sports and Gaming, made sure only the cream of the crop are allowed in. She says the players are picked based on their live tournament poker results, including cashes, wins, and total money won in the past three years.

The first crop of players invited will receive a five-year, three-year, or two-year tournament card. The players will be part of the poker league without their credentials ever being reviewed during whatever period is specified on the card.

Some of the biggest names in poker are on the list of invitees. The list of players that received a five-year card includes Daniel Alaei, Johnny Chan, Allen Cunningham, Freddy Deeb, Barry Greenstein, Phil Ivey, and Daniel Negreanu. Other names such as Tom Dwan, Chris Ferguson, and Greg Raymer are also on the list.

Some big names didn’t make the cut. The criteria requires consistency in tournament players which means one big win is not good enough for guaranteed entry. Each player’s top tournament win is capped at $2 million and six cashes of at least $300,000 since 2008 are also required. This eliminates the likes of players like Jamie Gold and Jonathan Duhamel.

It will be very interesting to see how the Federated Sports and Gaming poker league pans out. With only the best of the best competing, expect to see huge matches between old rivals!