If you’re a poker pro looking for a popular face to back your products, who do you turn to? Your closest circle of friends which would, more than likely, include other poker pros. That’s exactly what Brett Richey did to help promote his blockchain sports betting platform, calling on Poker Brat himself, the highly vocal Phil Hellmuth.
Hellmuth has signed on to be an advisor to BlitzPredict, a portal that is located on the blockchain, and which scans constantly a wide range of markets—sports betting, eSports, cryptocurrency and others—to aggregate the information into one location. That information pulls the best prices in any marketplace at any given time so that gamblers can place their wagers on the most lucrative deals.
The winner of 14 WSOP bracelets has been busy this past year. In February, he was picked up to be an ambassador as well as advisor for YouStake, an integrated sports crowdfunding platform. He has also published two books: a self-titled autobiography, “Poker Brat,” which hit the bookshelves last August, and “Positivity – You are Always in the Right Place At the Right Time,” which came out in January.
Hellmuth, who has amassed over $21 million in live action, is one of the most recognizable figures in poker today. He has an extensive fan base, a trait that probably appeals to the companies more than his personality. This is seemingly supported by YouStake. On the advisors page of YouStake, he is simply listed as a “Professional Poker Player,” while Chris Hunichen, with only $2.8 million in live-action earnings, is listed as an “Expert in Investor Relations & Strategic Partners.”
Richey was highly active on the poker tournament scene from about the middle of 2005 to 2015, when he announced that he was leaving poker to work on BlitzPick, the company behind BlitzPredict. During the decade he was seen at the felt, he picked up around $1.4 million and two second-place WSOP finishes. After a disappointing showing in 2015, combined with his interest in ramping up BlitzPick, he left the game for good.
BlitzPredict turned on its lights earlier this year and its beta application is scheduled to be released next month. The company has already picked up a few million from its initial coin offering (ICO). The initiative was launched as a joint effort between Richey and fellow high-stakes poker player, Eric Liu.
