It’s official – 2006 World Series of Poker champion Jamie Gold has signed an exclusive sponsorship deal with up-and-coming poker room, Ace Poker. It seems like a long time ago that Jamie would strike a deal, considering he is widely hailed as one of the best Holdem players around; now that the deal is closed, it looks like it was worth the wait.
The signing of the agent as one of the largest in the history of online poker – some sources claim that the numbers involved stretch into the 7-digit range. If true, this revelation would imply that Mr. Gold has become the most valuable professional in the online poker industry.
Sponsorship- Good for Both Parties?
The concept of online poker sites sponsoring players is not new. From the beginnings of the beast that is modern online poker, the rooms have been trying to understand the names and keep track of the records of the top live tournaments and cash games in the world. The idea is simple – if a top person lends his name to a room, plays there exclusively, and participates in television shows wearing the room’s attire, players will in turn trust that room, and play there.
This works for Full Tilt Poker. The room was founded by some of the most profitable poker players in the world; Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Phil Ivey and Patrik Antonius helped the room become an online poker giant by lending their support. The same can be said for PokerStars; Daniel Negraneu, Chris Moneymaker, and Greg “Fossilman” Raymer were largely responsible for the comet-like room’s rise to the ranks of the top online poker rooms.
If conventional wisdom holds true then, it’s safe to assume that Poker Aced is setting itself on track to follow in the footsteps of the poker-megasites before them, who have dominated the poker landscape by backing the best pros. It’s not all a one-way street, though- Gold would, and has, benefited from the deal too. Just a week after the deal was written, Jamie Gold hosted a charity poker tournament, where participants competed for a special prize generously donated by Ace himself. Good-Jamie looks good, and good value.
Underline
In the end, the partnership between Jamie Gold and Ace Poker can only have the effect of increasing the influence of both players and the site. Players will flock to Ace to play with Jamie Gold, and Gold will increase his credibility in sharkpool which is the online poker industry.
While Ace is currently enjoying a decent-sized player pool right now, with 6000 players online at its peak, experts predict that number will skyrocket in the coming months. As the Jamie Gold/Aced Poker engine gets stronger, the site is sure to position itself to compete with the biggest players in the online poker landscape.