Reads of the Week
Key Takeaways
  • Daniel Negreanu comments on the state of poker sponsorships and the Global Poker League.
  • Bill Perkins discusses prop bet gone wrong for poker pro Antonio Esfandiari.
  • Speculation abounds on how David Baazov might be able to take PokerStars private again.

GPL And The State Of Poker Sponsorships In 2016

If you follow the poker industry on Twitter, chances are that you have seen plenty of discussion surrounding the contract for players that are vying to be part of the Global Poker League. A number of individuals have sounded off on the topic, complaining that the contract is “unfair” for players (particularly those in the US).

Perhaps they are truly worried that the terms of the contract will do serious harm to the poker industry as we know it, perhaps this is their way of just trying to negotiate a better deal for themselves, or perhaps they are just internet trolls with other axes to grind. After all, as Daniel Negreanu points out in his latest blog post, there is no mandate that players participate, and the GPL is not asking players to buy into the events to compete.

Negreanu makes the point that sponsorship deals in poker are not the same as they were a decade ago, and the value of such deals are highly dependent on individual circumstances. Aparently, a fair number of poker players agree with him as 203 signed and submitted the contract hoping to be drafted to one of the 12 teams in the league.

The industry is currently at a point when very few people are even trying to grow the game of poker, let alone doing so while requiring no money from players.