Barrels of a PokerStars flavour including sponsored pro-Andre Akkari striking a deal with Puma; The Open renamed within a week, and Shaun Deeb chooses poker over the birth of his little pooper.
Andre Akkari has nailed down one of the most incredible endorsement deals in the history of the game.
In an industry that can’t seem to stop the word ‘legitimate’ from floating around the ether, Akkari’s new deal with the sportswear giant Puma is increíble. The poker industry struggles to attract mainstream sponsors, but fortunately for Akkari he hails from a country where the rule makers accept that poker is a mind sport, hence the willingness from Puma to do the deal.
Akkari is also a very popular sports star in his home nation and is friends with his fellow PokerStars teammate Neymar. At the recent Olympic festival in Rio, Neymar won a gold medal when the Brazilian football side beat Germany 5-4 on penalties after drawing 1-1 in normal time, and Akkari got to carry the Olympic torch representing Brazilian mind sports.
Other famous faces sponsored by Puma include Rihanna, Usain Bolt, and Joel Thomas Zimmerman ‘deadmau5’.
The Open Renamed “The Bookmaker_85 Open.”
PokerStars need to make their promotions tougher. Nutshell: Lex Veldhuis made the final table of a $22 PLO event on PokerStars three times in a week so they renamed it the Lex Veldhuis Open. To ensure parity Stars declared that anyone matching the Dutchman’s accomplishments could have their name on the door and interest in the event rose by 73%.
Last week, PokerStars opened up the same promotion to fans of No-Limit Hold’em (NLHE), promising to name an $11 buy-in event after the first player to make the final table twice in seven days. Two was declared the magic number instead of three because the $11 NLHE event attracts a much larger field.
Just how tough was the gig?
It was ‘mission accomplished’ within the first week, and it’s with deep regret that I announce that it’s The Bookmaker_85 who now has a tournament named after him and not Solid Penis or Suk Mike Hok.
The Bookmaker_85, from Chile, won the event on Thursday 9 Sep beating 949 players to win the $1,556.29 first prize, and then came seventh the following night from a field of 757.
The promotion remains open to anyone else who can make the final table within a week.
Shaun Deeb Chooses Poker Over a Pooper
My fine lady is due to drop any day now so perhaps I am a tad biased in my belief that I find it incredible that Shaun Deeb chose to travel to Mexico to compete in the World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP) while his wife Ashley was expecting their second child.
I have heard of professional footballers choosing to play for their teams instead of being at the birth of their children, and people in the armed forces not having a choice, but a poker player?
According to Shaun Deeb’s Twitter account, his wife Ashley gave birth Turbo style, pushing Chance Deeb out in only five minutes of labour, while Daddy was winning his fourth WCOOP title in Event #12: $1,050 NL 5-Card Draw Championship for $22,185.60.
His wife had a different spin on things:
@shaundeeb don’t you fucking dare say 5 min of labor- I labored at home the past 2 days — Ashley Deeb (@crashleyonfire) September 8, 2016
Deeb’s fourth title ties him with Dan ‘djk123’ Kelly as the men with the most WCOOP titles in history. A tournament that is seemingly more important than being present when your wife gives birth.
