The marketing side of poker is big business with the top players paid to wear branded logos for poker rooms. At tournaments like the World Series of Poker, representatives for the biggest poker rooms offer large sums for players to wear their badges. It was reported that Darvin Moon, the second place finisher in the 2009 WSOP main event, declined all offers for sponsorship and was apparently offered $500,000 by a poker room in a last ditch attempt to have him wear their brand for the live final table. Amazingly, Darvin declined the offer.
Are these types of sponsorships worth it? Many poker sites send players to large events and stipulate the players wear their branded T shirt and caps as part of the deal. They hope the players get on television but this may not happen and they may bust out early in the tournament. The site hopes that the player wins their seat through their site and goes on to earn a big score from the event. Other players then follow suit hoping for a similar outcome. Chris Moneymaker won his seat to the 2003 World Series of Poker through winning a series of satellites into the event. His total investment was said to be $40 to win $2.5 million. Pokerstars did very well in subsequent years sending hundreds of players to the event.
Competition is high for the poker rooms and many rooms sign up players to long term deals. Annette Obrestad works with Betfair who pays her buy-ins to large tournaments all around the world. You question whether this is value for money. Annette does get a lot of exposure but it is she that gets the exposure not the site she represents. Of course their badge is on display if she gets on television, but there is no verbal discussion of Betfair when the TV watches Annette. The site hopes people notice the badge, like Annette’s play, and visits the site she recommends by the logo she is wearing.
The problem for the poker rooms is that every site sponsors players and it is costing a lot of money to keep up. There is a trend towards sites rewarding their high raking regular players with live sponsorship deals to go to live events, thus holding onto their custom. It also shows other players that increasing their play with the site could be very beneficial to them.
James Akenhead signed up as a Full Tilt Red Pro after making the final table of the World Series of Poker and went on to play in the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event and win the Poker Million. He appeared in many magazines and interviews as a result of his achievements in 2009. In every picture or TV segment he was wearing the badge of Full Tilt. Whatever they paid/pay James for him to wear their logos paid off. There are, however, many Red Pros who are staked into events and earning great rakeback that you wonder whether they are value for that investment.
Poker rooms also run the risk that the player may get into trouble. If an incident occurs like Scotty Nguyen in the 2008 HORSE event at the WSOP then the poker rooms would not enjoy being associated with it. The motivation of the players for sponsorship is also a worry for the sites. Many of them are just looking for a way to be a poker professional, live comfortably and play in large events. A proportion of them will care about the site and how they represent it, but most would sign up with whoever offered them the deal. Darvin Moon should be praised for his refusal to sign up as a sponsored player. Why? Because he said he never played online poker and to wear a badge would mislead the public who did not know he was a live only player.
A great way to represent a poker room is to win a satellite and be sent to a large poker event. Bwin sent many players to the Aussie Millions and their players are genuinely representing the site and their progress can be followed by reading the bwin poker blog.
By Malcolm Clarke
March 22nd, 2010 2:13 am
OKAY, HERE IS HOW I BELIVE IT WORKS. I WILL USE PHIL HELMUTH AS AN EXAMPLE. HE WON THE WSOP AND LATTER WAS SPONSORED BY ULTIMATE BET, FROM THEN HE HAS NOT HAD TO OUTLAY SINGLE DOLLAR FOR BUYINS, HOTEL AND PLANE TICKETS. MEANING EVERY SINGLE TOUNAMENT HE HAS PLAYED SCINCE THE DEAL IS A FREEROLL. I GUARANTEE HIS BUY-INS VASTLY EXCEED HIS CASHES MEANING IN REALITY THIS SO CALLED POKER PRO IS ACTUALLY A LOSSING PLAYER WITH A WAY NEGATIVE ROI (AND THAT’S NOT INCLUDING ASSCOCIATED EXPENSES SUCH AS AIR FARES, ACCOMODATION ETC. WHAT IM SAYING IS THAT IF HE NEVER GOT SPONSORED ALL HIS MONEY HIS MAIN EVENT WIN WOULD HAVE BEEN BURNED THRU IN A COUPLE OF YEARS AND HE WOULD HAVE TO FIND A REAL JOB. A PLAYER LIKE MIKE CARRO PROBABLY COULD MAKE A LIVING OF THE FELT ALONE (IE. 100% OF HIS INCOME COMING FROM BIG BETS WON) THIS IS VERY RARE. FOR EXAMPLE MIKE THE MOUTH IS A LOSER EVEN THOUGH I LOVE THE GUY. I SUPPOSE BARRY GREINSIEN COULD MAKE ALL HIS MONEY FROM POKER BUT WHY WOULD YOU TURN DOWN FREE MONEY LIKE SPONSORSHIPS AND COLUMNS AND STRATGY ADVICE ETC ETC. THE POINT IS: THE “POKER PRO” IS A MYTH. “POKER ENTROPENOUR” IS WHAT THAY ARE, SMART BUSINESS PEOPLE WHO DONT NEED TO EVER PLAY A SINGLE HAND FOR THE REST OF THIER LIVES.
May 2nd, 2010 9:54 pm
Umm…okay…
Phil Hellmuth is one of the top tournament players in the world as far as cashes. He’s generally acknowledged to be the #1 Hold’em tournament player in the world, owing to having the record for most bracelets, most final tables, and most cashes. Plus he was the first winner of the Natl Heads-Up Championship.
Sponsorship isn’t designed to buy you a new house. It’s designed to pay your bills and food while you win the money to buy a new house. In addition to tournaments, you (as the sponsored player) also have the responsibility to attend whatever event the site tells you to attend, play within their guidelines (which is why Jon Little got fired from Full Tilt), and do promotions for them.
Phil Hellmuth could definately make a solid living only playing poker. But why do that when he could make a RIDICULOUS living playing poker while being sponsored?