888poker has announced two new additions to their team, with the American pro Samantha Abernathy signing up to be a new brand ambassador and Jordan Banfield of Canada joining the room’s StreamTeam to improve its online presence.
The signing of Abernathy represents the first time in two years that 888 has expanded its team of ambassadors in this way. With live poker coming to a halt over the past 18 months, the operator has turned more to the online side of things, but is now ready to boost its presence in the live arena as well.
While Sam Abernathy will be joining forces with the likes of Sofia Lovgren, Dominik Nitsche, and Kara Scott to represent the brand on the live circuit, Jordan Banfield will bolster the operator’s StreamTeam, which was created a few months back to bring attention to 888pokerTV, 888’s brand-new Twitch channel.
What Do New Team Members Bring to the Table?
Sam Abernathy is a well-known young poker pro that made her claim to fame in the 2016 Aussie Millions Main Event where she finished third. Ever since, she has been growing her presence in the poker world, appearing on various poker shows and live streams.
As of right now, she has over 100k followers on her Instagram account and almost 21k followers on her Twitter. Abernathy also features her own Twitch channel with close to seven thousand followers.
This means that Abernathy will be a valuable asset for 888poker and will definitely help improve the brand’s exposure in the community. On her part, Sam expressed her excitement and gratitude for the opportunity:
“I’m looking forward to growing as a player with 888poker, reconnecting with friends on the felt, and my hope is just to inspire others to take the leap in their own journey to play this great game,” she said in a press release published by 888.
As for Jordan Banfield, he is relatively unknown to the wider poker audience. The 31-year old only started taking poker seriously in March 2020, setting up his Twitch channel a few months later. The Canadian pro managed to grow his Twitch following to over 9,000 in a relatively short period, which might be one of the main reasons for 888’s decision to sign him on.
For Banfield, this represents an important milestone, as he was hoping to become a sponsored streamer ever since he has launched his channel.
Moving forward, he will join the 888 StreamTeam, which comprises of relatively unknown players hailing from the UK, Portugal, and Canada, who all share the same passion for the game. The team was set up back in July of this year with the aim of improving the brand’s online presence.
New player signings represent an important milestone for 888poker, showing the commitment for the future. The company has seen a big surge in its online numbers, with online poker showing 13% year-on-year growth, but now seems determined to pick things up in the live arena as well.
With live poker coming back all over the world and major events being scheduled in the near future, 888 will look to improve its exposure via brand ambassadors like Abernathy. At the same time, the StreamTeam will continue to create the hype in the virtual arena, covering both sides of the spectrum.
