Poker Central has a sister, ESP Gaming, a competitive gaming and production company looking to handle some of the most prominent esports contests in the world.
Games like Overwatch, League of Legends (LOL) and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds are wrapped up in a comet hurtling through the entertainment industry at 366 mph per second. Poker is 
standing patiently at the bus stop. It can hear the comet coming. Let’s hope it can catch the tail because if it flies past, I can’t see how anyone will ever notice it.
PokerStars has the answer; I’m sure of that.
Poker needs a hit of Darwinism. It needs to mutate quickly, to evolve, to become stronger, faster, and more enjoyable to people who have never tried the game. PokerStars has done this with Power Up. The Global Poker League (GPL) looks like it will soon become the Global Player League (GPL) dropping the word ‘poker’ and welcoming competitive gaming on a broader scale. And now it’s the turn of Poker Central.
When Poker Central announced plans to launch the US Open, I wasn’t shy demonstrating frustration. For a moment, I could see the channel burning out through a lack of regular revitalising content.
I think differently, today.
Prowling through the various emails, news reports, and social media madness, I came across an article in VentureBeat promoting the esports gaming content company ESP Gaming.
ESP Gaming is the sister company of Poker Central. A new one on me, like my Adam’s Apple that’s slowly morphing into one of those statues on Easter Island. And suddenly, I can see opportunity.
ESP Gaming formed in 2016, and the website shows Zynga Poker and the World Series of Poker as former partners, in a clear indication that the company isn’t afraid to mix the two gene pools.
Jeff Liboon has the rudder.
Up until September of this year, Liboon was the Head of Mobile eSports Media and Content for Amazon. Microsoft and DoubleDown Interactive have also paid the man.
Liboon told VentureBeat that the work the team did on the WSOP for ESPN has helped them develop the expertise to turn ESP Gaming into one of the top competitive gaming and content providers in the world.
The team has been busy.
ESP Gaming was behind the M2 Mobile Masters Invitational in New York, and the Summoners War World Championships this summer. They will handle Amazon’s Champions of Fire Tournament in New York over the weekend. The ESP team also produced the recent Twitch Charity Poker Tournament featuring the likes of Jason Somerville, Lex Veldhuis, and Andy Milonakis.
The team will continue working with partners throughout 2018 but do have plans to produce original content, like PokerGO, from 2019 and beyond.
Brother.
Sister.
If poker can catch that tail, and I sincerely hope they do so I can continue paying my gas bill, then maybe the lack of poker content won’t be a problem as ESP Gaming, and PokerGO becomes a unified esports competitive gaming and production destination showcasing the WSOP alongside tournaments like Dota 2’s International.
