Monster, Inc. and The World Poker Tour Ink Deal

Monster, Inc. and the World Poker Tour (WPT) have inked an innovative deal that will see the consumer electronics company become the headphone of choice at WPT events.

When you consider that poker is the only game/sport that sees the participants wearing headphones for a large duration of an event, it makes you wonder why a deal like this had not been made before.

Nevertheless, the WPT have followed in their fathers footsteps, by being the first kid on the block to introduce such a thing, at the same time that PartyPoker announce groundbreaking sponsorship deals with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers.

The pair have shaken sweaty palms on a deal that will run until the end of 2016, and it will allow Monster to have access to all WPT players; and WPT will return the favor by promoting Monster products at all of their Main Tour live events, and throughout their television broadcast segments.

“We are partnering with Monster because of their heritage in high-performance audio, creativity and their proven track record of building brands in the audio space. This deal is a natural fit for both brands, and reflects Monster CEO Noel Lee’s vision of working with industry leaders like the WPT to create mutually beneficial partnerships for everyone involved,” said WPT President, Adam Pliska. “This comprehensive deal represents a huge commitment from both parties, and we’re very excited to be working with Monster over the next three years.”

The deal will see Monster setting up camp at live events, where they will give players, and guests, the opportunity to check out their equipment. Furthermore, each player who makes the final table will be given a new set of cans courtesy of Monster.

It will be interesting to see if the rules are relaxed to allow players to wear headphones at the final table, as currently all electronic devices are barred once the action gets down to the final six players.

The deal also includes some other additional features such as the Monster Hand of the Day, and a special Monster Invitational, a six player charity tournament that will be held in 2014 and filmed for broadcast as part of a special two-part episode airing in WPT’s 13th Season.

“The partnership between World Poker Tour and Monster has already begun, and we are thrilled to be able to share Monster headphones with the WPT players around the world,” said Head Monster Noel Lee. “At Monster, we understand poker players enjoy listening to their favorite tunes at the table since it keeps them focused. In many situations, from bad beats to tough decisions, listening to music keeps them from tilting, and we’re confident the WPT players will appreciate the quality and comfort of Monster headphones.”

The announcement forms part of a beehive of activity for Monster, who have also announced a new partnership with Adidas that will see Monster headphones printed on the Adidas clothing line, and news of the planned release of The Superstar – which they claim is the world’s smallest high quality Bluetooth speaker – and the new DNA Pro Wireless headphones.

One just hopes that the rumors that poker players are inherently lazy are false, because if they don’t read this article from front to back, they may start turning up at poker tournaments dressed as Mikey and Sully.

Monsters Inc. photo courtesy of Michelle O’Connell cc @ flickr.com