01.5.2009 | 12:17 am | Poker Stars
As the sport of poker has become more and more popular around the world we have seen celebrities from every walk of life flocking to have their name associated with the sector. From the likes of Boris Becker, the youngest winner of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, to actors around the world, it seems as though poker has a magnetic pull for people from these walks of life. So what is it about poker which attracts an ever-growing number of celebrities?
There are a number of factors to consider which include:-
The increased popularity of poker
Firstly, let us not forget that any celebrity or sport star around the world is only human and as the popularity of poker increases it is only natural that more and more celebrities will come to the fore. Initially seen as a game of relaxation and friendly banter with friends, poker has for many people become more of a career. Naturally, the more games which celebrities play the more chance they will be noticed and used in marketing material.
Promotion of the latest poker sites
What better way to promote your new poker business than bringing in a celebrity who already has a substantial following and fans that are likely to be attracted to the site because of their favourite celeb. A picture of a celebrity promoting a specific site can literally say 1000 words!
Life after their celebrity status dims
Those who follow the celebrity poker circuit will notice that the vast majority of celebrities who are promoting and marketing various sites and games will have passed their “sell by date” in their traditional marketplace. Poker has given many former celebrities a perfect opportunity to rebuild their careers and get their names around the Internet again.
Poker is the new celebrity hideaway and the growing number of poker players who have been and continue to be celebrities seems to be growing by the day!
09.5.2008 | 4:34 am | Poker, News, Poker Stars, casinos
As we near the final table of WSOP 2008 the tension is starting to mount and the money is starting to flow on who will pick up the prize this year. A quick look at the betting exchanges will show you that there is a very small band of the final 9 whom gamblers think are in with a chance but could it all change when the event begins?
As a taster here is a list of the betting exchange odds for each of the players left at the final table of the main even WSOP 2008 :-
Dennis Phillips 9/2
Craig Marquis 12/1
Ylon Schwartz 9/1
Scott Montgomery 11/2
Darus Suharto 12/1
David Rheem 11/1
Ivan Demidov 9/2
Kelly Kim 39/1
Peter Eastgate 11/2
The odds would suggest that the likes of Dennis Phillips, Ivan Demidov, Peter Eastgate and Scott Montgomery are in the driving seat but is it really that clear? Or will we see one of the so called outsiders sneak in and grab the pot?
The beauty of poker is that fact that it can change from hand to hand and results can literally turn the betting on its head in a matter of minutes. While all of the players at the final table know what they can do and how to play the game, playing the final table at the main WSOP event can be daunting for even the most hardened professional.
How easy must it be to let your heart rule your head, to feel you heart pumping and make the wrong move or fall for a well disguised bluff?
Life in the world of poker is never straight forward and while those carrying big chip stacks to the final table have the cutting edge at the moment, this can all change very very quickly.
08.11.2008 | 5:55 am | Poker, News, Poker Stars, casinos
Last month, the winner of the one of the major 2008 World Series of Poker events gave in his notice in his boss’s office at Archer Technology in order to pursue a professional poker career. Whilst usually, this would be regarded by an employer as foolish, Grant Hinkle has already proven his potential in the gambling arena through his amazing win at the WSOP summer tournament – and has already made an estimated $1million from gambling winnings. It’s no wonder that everyone is right behind Hinkle’s decision to turn professional - including his wife, Kim.
Since his victory in the No-Limit Hold’Em event on 4th June, which earned him an estimated $831,462 after 3 days and 40 hours of poker, Hinkle has become a celebrity in the gambling world. After the ESPN broadcast of the event, Hinkle says he is being recognised in the street by total strangers, and contacted by many of his former classmates whom he hasn’t heard from for years. After that sort of recognition, Hinkle says that the decision to turn pro was easy – “It’s something that I’ve thought about for a while… I just never felt it was the right time to make the jump. With my wife being self-employed, I just didn’t think we wanted to be put in the situation where we didn’t have at least one steady stream of income. But the World Series changed all of that.â€
Hinkle is taking this opportunity very seriously – he’s keeping up a strict routine throughout his day to ensure he doesn’t lose focus on the game. In the morning, he checks his email and then scouts for cash games to play online, and these are regimented throughout the day so that the levels of difficulty increase as he goes. He tracks his play very closely and refreshes his hand history with his brother, who is also a high-level poker player. The change that Grant Hinkle has experienced since winning the World Series of Poker this summer has been absolutely astounding.
07.18.2008 | 10:07 am | Poker, News, Poker Stars, casinos, gambling
One of the most popular casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, the Venetian, today announced plans to introduce a live, interactive, poker themed stage show entitled “The Real Deal!â€.The show will blend humour, the latest wireless technology, and of course, an abundance of prizes- and enable audience members to play alongside or against professional poker players, with the chance to win a $1 million grand prize. Aside from the grand prize of one million dollars, prizes range from logoed merchandise to home electronics and more.
The professional players will be participating in shows each month, taking on Vegas tourists with any level of skill in the game. Merv Anderson, the brains behind the new show, has high hopes for “The Real Deal!â€, saying that “never before has poker been so integrated with entertainmentâ€.
The show will differ from televised professional poker action because the viewer will also become a participant. Not only can audience members enjoy a fast-paced, exciting game of poker, the tourists who become players also have the opportunity to learn tips and tricks from the professional they play alongside – creating a “one-of-a-kind poker experience†in the words of Doyle Brunson, the leading poker professional of the new show. In addition to this, every member of the audience can participate in the show using wireless touch screens, bringing a whole new level of interaction to professional poker.
Along with the all-star lineup including poker pros such as Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Laak and Phil Hellmuth, Jr., the search is currently on to find a comedian to present “The Real Deal!â€, integrating star quality with the light-hearted humour set to characterise the show. Through including these big-name stars, it is hoped that the new show at the Venetian will become a hot ticket in months to come.
07.10.2008 | 11:31 am | Poker, Poker Stars
If you read the poker press and check out the latest news and stories in the industry, life as a professional poker player looks fun, it looks exciting and it looks like they are all millionaires. But is it all it is cracked up to be? Can life on the road really be that much fun?
The first thing to remember is the fact that there are literally thousands of professional poker players around the world, players who can often chase half way around the world in pursuit of their next big pay day. However, when you consider the number of big bucks tournaments around the world divided by the number of players the whole idea of being a professional poker star might just start to unravel. We see the headlines about those bagging the big wins, the multi-million dollar pots and a place at the WSOP main event, but what about those left in their wake?
Life on the road can be lonely, it can be tough and it is not cheap travelling to all areas of the US, Macau and even Europe for some of the larger tournaments emerging there. This is perhaps one of the main reasons why so many professional poker players are happy to make their bread and butter winnings at large online tournaments – obviously this will exclude those in the US for legal reasons – and then venture into the big wide world for the main events.
It is very rare for online poker wins to be reported with as much vigour and enthusiasm as the likes of WSOP wins so many professional poker players will actually slip under the radar and often go unnoticed. Even life online can be tough with pressure to meet the bills and fund overseas excursions so maybe it is not as rosy as many in the media would have you believe.
06.20.2008 | 5:46 am | Poker, Poker Stars
The last few years have seen the mergence of a new style of gambling known as the betting exchanges which allow customers to bet directly against each other without a middle man taking a turn. As this market has developed they have taken away great numbers of customers from the traditional bookmakers such as Ladbrokes and introduced a whole new era to the gambling market. While gambling on the exchanges has never been more popular it seems as though this in itself is not enough, they want the poker market as well!
As you might expect it is Betfair who have been the more aggressive in the sector as they attack the poker markets. They are in the process of putting together a great team of sponsored poker players to carry the Betfair message to the poker arena and bring in more and more customers. Interestingly they have decided to go for the younger up and coming players in the game, as oppose to the more expensive established players, taking a gamble on the future. But will it work?
Betfair are spreading themselves in such a way as to almost guarantee that one of their poker team is sure to hit the big time. Interestingly they have recently signed up a number of up and coming young ladies to the team, adding glamour and hoping to grab some of the lucrative woman’s poker custom. As we have covered on this blog on a number of occasions, woman’s poker is the fastest growing sector of the poker market at present and one which still has much life left in it. So what next?
How many players Betfair will signup remains to be seen but each and every up and coming younger player seems to be on the company’s radar. The added marketing power of the poker team and the fact the company name is out in the poker industry bodes very well for the future.
06.19.2008 | 5:47 am | Poker Stars
If you have an interest in online poker there is every chance that you will have come across Daniel Negreanu, the Canadian poker star with a liking for WSOP. In fact Daniel Negreanu has a total of four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour championship titles under his belt. But what do you know about him? What makes him tick and where did he come from?
Daniel Negreanu was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on 26th July 1974 to parents who had escaped the vicious communist regime of Romania in 1967, making Canada their new home. While the USA had been their initial target they actually plumped for Canada and shortly afterwards expanded their family with the arrival of Daniel Negreanu and his older brother.
While initially Daniel Negreanu had been looking at a career in comedy or acting, he decided to give poker a try at the ripe old age of 15, unaware that only a few years later he would be earning more money that he or his family could ever have imagined. It was 1997 that Daniel Negreanu first came to attention of the wider poker community bagging two events at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods and earning himself $133,600 in the process. However, this was only the start!
Negreanu continued to progress and 1998 saw him become the youngest WSOP bracelet winner at the time, a record he held until 2004. He then went on to claim two World Poker Tour events and was named World Series of Poker player of the year in 2004, and World Poker Tour player of the year in 2005.
While till only 33 years of age, Daniel Negreanu has done so much in his short poker career and is still competing at the highest tables. He will go down as one of the poker playing greats, but there are many that believe the best is still to come from the Canadian superstar!
06.18.2008 | 6:01 am | Poker Stars
The last few years has seen a number of changes in the poker industry, new players, new tournaments and a massive increase in the number of online players, but tournaments are still the bread and butter of the poker world, the main attractions. One name which many people are putting forward as a major superstar of the future is Vanessa Rousso, the 25 year old professional poker player who has seen her winnings top the $1 million mark. But what do you know about Vanessa Rousso?
Born on 5th February 1983, Vanessa Rousso has dual citizenship with the USA and France through her parentage. However much of her life has been spent in the USA where she attended the University of Miami studying for her law degree. Aside from her aspirations in the field of law she has qualifications in economics and politics, so why did she choose to go down the path to poker?
Vanessa Rousso has always been a poker player with rumours that she began to play the game as young as 5! Since taking a summer break from her studies to become a professional poker player her career has gone from strength to strength. She has an array of in the money finishes but she has also bagged some major crowns in her short career, taking home the Borgata Open honour in 2006 and winning $285,450 into the bargain.
However, what has caught the eye of many is her history in the World Series of Poker events where she finished seventh and eighth in two separate WSOP 2006 events. There are many experts tipping her to bag the big one in the future and really put woman’s poker on the map. Quite where she gets her skills from is anyone’s guess, but then again she is engaged to the master, Chad Brown!
05.23.2008 | 7:28 am | Poker, News, Poker Stars, casinos, gambling
While the last few weeks of the Poker world have been dictated by the massive demand for seats at the forthcoming 2008 WSOP, it seems as though the feel good factor which this tournament brings is set to continue for some time yet. We have passed the qualification stage with the majority of tournament ‘free’ seats already taken and many players now looking forward to watching the tournament or playing, if one of the lucky ones.
However, we have seen a whole raft of new mini-tournaments announced over the last few days, the majority of which are playing at the same time as 2008 WSOP. Take up for these tournaments is expected to be high with recent activity reaching a year’s peak in the online Poker sector. While life has been tough for the last couple of years, for some reason the 2008 WSOP has attracted more than its fair share of attention.
It will be interesting to see if 2008 WSOP actually marks a change in the challenging environment of late and sees players’ new and old return to the ‘table’. If the increased promotion of the last few weeks continues and we get a follow through with numbers, many are hopeful that 2008 could be a turning point.
While there are few tournaments in the Poker calendar which can create as much interest as WSOP, there are few sporting events around the world which can create the impact it has. Since starting in the 1960s WSOP has been the pinnacle of the Poker world, the tournament they all want to win and the one which carries the most kudos.
Who will win this time? Who will come in from the shadows to make their mark?
We are not far away from the ‘big one’ and the whole Poker world seems primed for the action.
05.22.2008 | 11:41 am | Poker, News, Poker Stars, casinos
With less than two weeks to go before the start of 2008 WSOP the tension is starting to mount, people are starting to look at the players and the Poker tourists are making for Las Vegas. It seems that the whole Poker world stops while WSOP is on, but can it live up to the hype?
The reputation and profile of Poker has been on the increase for many years but nothing reflects the increase in Poker players more than WSOP. It began in the 1960s and while probably not recognisable from the earlier tournaments it still carries the same clout in the world of Poker, this is the one that they all want to win.
So who are the movers and shakers this year? Who will get the crowds on the edge of their seats?
A quick looks back at recent winners of the main event is like a who’s who of the Poker world featuring, Jerry Yang, Jamie Gold, Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer and Chris Moneymaker all names that stand a fighting chance of being successful again. However this is WSOP, an event which never quite goes to plan and has launched a number of relatively unknowns on the road to superstardom.
The beauty of WSOP is the fact that there are so many players who actually stand a fighting chance of winning the main event. There is so little between the top players and those on the next level down that it only take one of the unknown player to be on top form and they could make that break through.
It will be interesting to see who comes out of the shadows for this one, who makes the break from the crowd and who comes home with the biggest prize in world Poker and a reputation which will give them a licence to print money – at least for 12 months!
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