Today’s news that UB Poker signed Prahlad Friedman as a sponsored player, making him a spokesman for the site that cheated him out of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars during the Super-User scandal has the potential to shift the balance of power in online poker. But the signing itself will be of little consequence if UB Poker does not continue to push their branding to the limits.
With the departure of Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, and the sale of the site to Blanca Games, UB Poker had wiped the slate about as clean as they can ever get it –picture a chalkboard with that one line that no matter what you do you can never get it out—and with the signing of Friedman, who has never signed a sponsorship deal with an online poker site and now represents the brand that cheated him in the past, UB Poker has even gotten that line out!
All that said, wiping the slate clean will not be enough to return UB Poker to the top of the online poker food chain, or allow them to contend with current powerhouses PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, now they have to continue to expand their brand, through online poker innovations, as well as signing MORE big-name players.
When I look at player sponsorships I grade them in three categories:
- Popularity amongst casual fans
- Popularity amongst poker enthusiasts
- Popularity amongst the hardcore online poker followers
On a scale of 1-10 Friedman is about a 2 amongst casual poker fans; a 6 amongst poker enthusiasts; and a 9 amongst the hardcore online poker crowd. So, while Friedman’s signing will help with many of the online poker players who were still wary about joining/rejoining UB Poker he is a huge asset, but when it comes to attracting new players to the UB Poker tables he will not be able to fill the shoes of Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth –who were basically only appealing to casual fans.
Although, Friedman is a TOP level poker player, and should he have a good showing in a major tournament he will immediately be brought to the forefront of the poker community, and now that he is “patched-up” you can expect to see him on a few more televised poker programs as well –so in the long-run I think his exposure to the casual poker fans will increase dramatically.
But I still feel UB Poker is another “name” or two away from having a solid team of sponsored pros. Fortunately, with the money they are saving by dropping Hellmuth and Duke they should have the cheddar to lure in a couple more players –this is something else the Friedman signing will help with: Similar to how a big-name free agent signing in Football or Baseball can bring in other players to a franchise that was previously considered a laughingstock (Google: New England Patriots).
Hopefully with their clean slate and growing list of young sponsored pros and poker celebrities, UB Poker can claim a foothold in the upper echelon of online poker. Players like 2010 Card Player Magazine Player of the Year Tom Marchese; the all-world Phil Galfond; and other big names are still without an online sponsorship.
Comments