I don't think you get it.

When the market was not saturated people like Doyle, Daniel etc who are high profile poker players to the entire poker market will attract poker players who do not yet play online to sign-up.

Durrr and OMGCA won't.

Really, is that necessary?

I think you're kidding yourself if you think Tom isn't purposefully trying to brand himself.

Skipped out the last few pages of this thread, but if FTP signed up these online guys then they need to get their money back through the customers they bring in. Like someone said, all the guys that idealise them already play online, and are unlikely to go their site just because they play there; compare that to the millions of ordinary people that Pokerstars picked up because Moneymaker qualified from them.

only made it thru first few sentences but, your funny. Like u have any idea what your talking about.

YOu realize Olivert is an agent for many poker players?

interesting

it probably wasnt necessary but it is my gut reaction towards people like you who state their narrow minded opinions as facts. i was hoping the smiley would take some of the edge off

yes, i am aware of the selfmarketing poker players are doing but the emphasis you put on it was greatly exaggerated. you made it sound like he doesnt enjoy touring the tournament circuit and is only doing it for a sponsorship deal.

fyp

Lol, so I was right in presuming the latter.

My claim isn't the opposite but again, I'm not going to expect you to get that.

Maybe quit being so angry?

So what exactly is the issue here? You agree, but don't like the emphasis I put on it? Okay.

I never meant to imply it was his sole motivation for being active on the tournament circuit, and on televised events. If that's how you interpreted it, I'll try to be more clear and thorough next time.

BINGO.

While Tom Dwan, Phil Galfond, etc. have a following on online poker forums, there is no way (in my professional opinion as a poker agent) an online poker website can justify offering anything to either player other than the equivalent of a "standard" deal from FullTiltPoker.net, which is worth $18,200 a year in wage compensation for required online appearances ($35/hr x 10 hr/week x 52 weeks/year), excluding overtime hours, transaction fee rebate, and TV table bonuses.

In my opinion, there is ONLY one unsigned poker player out there who deserves a multi-million dollar deal right now because his name recognition goes FAR BEYOND the poker world.

If I were the likes of P----S----.net and I have two million dollars a year available to sign one player to a "Tier 1" deal, there is only one "free agent" poker player that I would even consider signing at this time.

The identity of this poker player is a no-brainer if you haven't already figured out who he is by now.

Hint: (use your mouse to highlight the next sentence, which is in white text)

This poker player (and a relatively good one) is a 14-time Olympic Gold Medalist

I wonder how many companies have money trucks sitting in Phelps's driveway right now.

Daniel...

are you saying players such as Vanessa Rousso, which by accounts of most people who have played with her quite frquently and is considered to be rude, very impersonable, and even a donk by many accounts, is a 'bankable' 'star', one whoPS readily signed and has in their commercials all over the place? somehow I have a feeling durrrr is a lot more 'valuale' to a site than Vanessa ever would be....

Michael Phelps?

If durrrr had breasts you might have a point there

Objection!
That's speculation, your Honor.

I have played poker with Phelps on many occasions.

Even though he loves the game, I think him signing with any poker site would be a colossal mistake.

He is still in the prime of his career and at the pinnacle of his marketabily. There is absolutely no way he would tarnish his image in signing with a poker site.

After his performance at this years olympics, $2mil a year is chump change.

http://psp.ign.com/articles/590/590659p1.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/29/magazine/29POKER.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...7/ai_n13723472
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in688897.shtml
http://www.maxim.com/articles/index.aspx?a_id=7097

In response to my claim about neither making a big splash on television or in live tournaments, I stand by that.

If you went to Tunica, MI. or to the Bay 101, these guys would likely still be totally unknown to the random fans that show up. In fact, I would bet, that among players not playing poker at the events, Kathy Liebert would get recognized more than both of them.

Aside from that, the question I would ask is whether or not they made a big enough impact during their television appearances to create a valuable following?

Off tangent, but I can honestly say that I'm genuinely surprised we haven't seen one of the young, amazingly good players make a bigger splash. Literally, the last two guys I can think of that combined poker skills and media appeal to enter the scene were Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak. They didn't do it by dominating, but they became household names in poker because they both seemed to understand that their televised opportunities represented more than a chance to win a tournament, but also a chance to make a name for themselves.

Others have tried since... mostly failed either due to a shtick that was annoying or because they lacked charisma. Charisma is something that's difficult to fake and it often becomes uncomfortable when a player tries harder than they should to stand out. It usually comes off as awkward.

If I'm missing a player with these qualities, correct me if I'm wrong. It's an interesting topic that often comes up at dinner with me and my buddies and we are totally stumped.

your realize 80 % of your articles are 3-4 years old?

gobbo obv.

Daniel, you have to also understand that a large reason why some people become more popular then others is through TV coverage and commentators talking about them.

ESPN and the Travel Channel created tv personalities for certain poker pros, which creates an interest for viewers.

Even looking at your personality as being shown on television. Think of how much of a boost it received due to the 2004 WSOP coverage when you won the player of the year. Things such as them showing your mom bringing you food to the table. How many other people have they ever shown doing that? Those type of things portray you to the viewers as being more then just another poker player on tv. It goes more into your character and gives people a reason to like you and root for you.

The media is far more influential in who becomes a "household name" then the individual players.

I'm not saying that the reason you're as well-known and popular as you are is solely due to media coverage. But I think that it would be naive to ignore the large influence that they've had.

Daniel,

This is because the poker market is completely oversaturated with poker celebs. There are only so many big name players that can be featured and promoted, and with Poker TV time in the US diminishing, there simply isn't enough room for many new players -- young or old. The public has also stopped caring about poker nearly as much as they used to, so the shows have to focus on bringing highly recognized, charismatic players like yourself in order to maximize ratings. Short of winning the main event, there isn't much you can do to make yourself a poker celebrity these days. Look at a guy like Bill Edler, if he had done what he did last year 3 years ago, he'd be a part of Team Full Tilt. Instead, he's just a nice guy/great player that is well respected by his peers, while his buddy Erick is a full blown poker celeb.

The same thing has happened online. There are only so many "spots" for celebrity (i use that term loosely) online players to be worshipped by poker forum followers. How many "new" high stakes online poker celebrities have we seen in the past 6 months? It's basically been the same pool of 15-20 top online players that are widely talked about on internet forums for probably 2 years now.

FWIW, Tom Dwan is invited to most of the new poker shows, I think he has made a pretty big splash.

Taylor

yeah, i have a feeling that there's a gavin griffith that is a straight up poker genius that'll take the world by storm.

Charisma lol.

Doyle Brunson said it better:


I accidentally tuned in on High Stakes Poker on GSN and I was absolutely fascinated by what I saw. I sometimes wonder how I came off a cotton farm in Texas to where I am today. After watching that show every night for the past month, I can understand it. Most of these so-called poker stars can’t play a lick! It is almost embarrassing to watch how badly they play. There are a few that I would call winning players but the bad players far outnumber them. I think I have played eleven times since HSP started and have yet to have a losing session.

Another thing I don’t understand is the behavior of some of the players. In my opinion, many of them make fools of themselves by their conduct. The viewing public seems to like it though so I guess that justifies it in their mind. I never use two Doylisms in one blog but one comes to mind…..it seems that Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, and “Sheiky” fit this one perfectly. “They are self-made men. And they love their creator”.

I have to add one more as I am in a sadistic mood tonight…..“It is better to be silent and thought of as a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.” –DB