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We all know what Daniel Negreanu thinks of the new Epic Poker League (and if you didn’t read our coverage a few days ago, here’s a summary: he hates it), but what about the 137 players that actually showed up and participated in the very first EPL Main Event, held last week at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas?

According to field reporting conducted by PokerNews.com, most players enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive experience. Chris Klodnicki, Justin Smith and Allen Bari enjoyed the structure of the tournament, with the latter player stating that he didn’t really mind the fact that a few levels of play were skipped early in the event. Several players were also impressed by Annie Duke, the Commissioner of the EPL, and her willingness to take to the floor and listen to player feedback.

Klodnicki described his enjoyment of the event at length before conceding that the league, as it is currently organized, may face an uphill battle when it comes to getting sponsorship dollars and an active fan base. Specifically, he cited the lack of recognizable household names such as Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu as a major weakness.

Dan O’Brien loved the exclusivity of the event, saying that it was a welcome change from lower buy-in WSOP events that tend to have a lot of inane table talk and cheesy posturing on the part of less experienced players. O’Brien also mentioned that the future of the league looks rather grim in the absence of a big name sponsor, but he’s hopeful that this will change soon.

Matt Giantz had nothing but compliments for organizers Matt Savage, Jeffrey Pollack and Annie Duke, and specifically mentioned his appreciation of the obviously experienced dealers that were handpicked for the event. Giantz believes that the EPL’s success will partially depend on its ability to add even more free money to the prize pools, given the incredibly tough competition the league is designed to attract.