Party Poker Repositions Itself for US Market
Once the number one online poker room in the world, Party Poker has taken a backseat to now thriving online poker presences in the US such as Full Tilt and PokerStars. After backing out of the US market at the onset of the UIGEA fiasco, they have been forced to sit back and watch as other online poker rooms welcomed their otherwise loyal clientele with open arms. Their decision to leave behind a large sect of their traffic was a moral one, as they wanted to do the right thing in the eyes of the US government, and protect themselves as well, from the unforeseen retribution that they might be forced to bear had they gone against the UIGEA’s conditions. What they did was offend many faithful North American players who logged off their Party Poker accounts after happily playing poker online, only to wake up the next day unable to access their real money accounts. After almost four years, Party Poker is hoping that wounds have had time to heal and the soreness felt towards the brand by US players has somewhat alleviated.
Now moving into a new era that sees the absence of the company’s founder, Anurag Dikshit, who sold his last share recently, Party Poker is taking it slow, but sure enough, seems to be making moves toward re-conquering their US domain, or at least making a new one. Recently the company realigned themselves with one of the most familiar faces of poker, Mike Sexton, who is also the face of the World Poker Tour, also recently purchased by Party Poker. Sexton’s presence is well known in the US market, as he’s been on numerous televised poker events that have aired in the US, and he’s just an all-around nice guy—someone US players do and will relate to.
Also part of Party’s new strategic plan was the signing of two additional poker personalities, Kara Scott, and Tony Guoga, also known as Tony G., and these contracts have not been taken lightly. Deliberately pointed, together these three personalities will become the new face of Party Poker, far reaching in the worldwide reign of poker. Sexton’s worldwide appeal along with Scott’s influential pull in her own country of Canada and throughout Europe along with Tony G., who draws attention in Russia, Lithuania, Australia, and on the Net in general, will be a strong triumvirate for the online poker room’s new prevalence across the globe.
Another unique draw about these three players is that while they will help Party build a more uniform presence, they will also paint a picture of poker as a past time rather than a profession. Part of the branding strategy is to stray away from the serious side of poker that other online poker rooms have honed in on. Party Poker hopes to redefine the game as a hobby and remind players of the good times when players laughed and joked at the tables, not hiding behind masks of sunglasses, hoodies, and ear buds. The plan is to ultimately recreate what was once lost with the UIGEA.
Party Poker and those that followed them out of the US hoped to gain some sort of respect by honoring the UIGEA so that when regulation did take place, they’d be remembered as those that cooperated. Now the time of regulation still looms in the future, but it seems more in reach every day, and Party Poker is proud of the decisions they’ve made and are hoping to rebrand themselves around the world, so that when they are welcomed back into the US market, there will be a place for them that no other online poker room can fill.
Sexton states, “We’re starting to sign team players from around the globe from all these countries where poker is legal and active, to get branding out there. We’re making online acquisitions… doing all the right things to put ourselves in position to be at or near the top of the market, and I’m very excited about that.”
Thanks for reading my article. If you’d like to play at PartyPoker be sure you head over to my friend’s site, OfficialPartyBonusCodes.com, to get a Party Poker bonus code so you can get the maximum bonus on your first deposit.
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Mike Wittmeyer is the founder and owner of PokerSite.org, and does the majority of the writing for the site. He has played online poker for over five years now, and has also played at several live casinos around the world. Mike has been writing about online poker and poker strategy for over three years now, and owns several other online poker and online casino websites. Learn more about Mike at his personal blog, MikeWittmeyer.com.