[ba-poker] Poker popularity and sponsorship

[JonesLeeH(deleted the rest)]

In a message dated 2/7/2004 3:07:57 AM Pacific Standard Time, Kittock opined:

> [4] Unlike professional sports, poker does not need fans
> to survive.  After all, we play for each others' money,
> not for sponsors' money.  Sponsorship is nice, but not
> required.  So maybe the goal should be to keep poker just
> popular enough to keep new players coming in, and to just
> punt on the whole "make it like the PGA" concept.  My
> guess is that poker players, who are human beings with
> egos, are starting to enjoy the limelight enough to actually
> want to keep the ball rolling on this new phase in the
> history of poker.


Er, it's more than that.  The WPT is juicing the pot on most of the shows for this season.  Just $25K, but that number will go up.   Anheuser is dumping money into the WPT (you'll notice there is now an official beer of the WPT).  Sponsorship is going to change this game in (positive) ways that we can only dream of right now.  Sponshorship all of a sudden gives a whole new group of people (the advertisers) incentive to direct people to the poker world.  Lick your chops, +EV poker players.  

Sure, those of us with egos are digging the attention, and I'm definitely in that group.  But this is way bigger than all that.

Regards, Lee