As the online poker industry awaits the tidy profits that US gambling regulation will bring, two companies at the forefront of the industry continue to jockey for position as the top dog in the world of poker.
PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker have long fought each other to, amongst other things, acquire the best pros on the circuit, all with the end of attracting the most custom to their sites. The fact that the two are so closely matched just goes to show how successful they both are and the number of jewels in each crown are unsurpassed by any other poker site.
PokerStars is probably just about edging in front right now after they acquired the hottest property in the poker world Viktor “Isildur1” Blom, after he had played much of his career on the tables of Full Tilt. Blom’s SuperStar Showdown has become a staple for the site and something that they can really pride themselves on.
Other than Blom, Stars have the 2010 WSOP Main Event winner Jonathan Duhamel in their stable as well as the highest earner in the history of live poker, Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu. Add to this the likes of Liv Boeree, Jason Mercier, Joe Hachem, and Vanessa Rousso and you can see why they’re so successful right now.
That’s not to take anything away from their main competitor, Full Tilt Poker. This company has built up a similarly stellar reputation and can count on the same huge amount of poker playing talent in their squad.
Team Full Tilt is headlined by the winner of eight WSOP bracelets and the man second to only Negreanu in earnings, Phil Ivey. With respected poker industry voice Howard Lederer, Phil Gordon, Mike Matusow, and Gus Hansen also integral parts of the team, it’s no surprise that they also continue to streak ahead of the competition.
When the US gets an regulated online gambling market of some description theses two are definitely the best placed poker companies to make a success of it and will continue to enjoy success the world round.
