Liv and Igor leave PokerStars

Vallet

Vallet

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PokerStars will soon be without stars. Chris Moneymaker is still with them.
 
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valeski 28

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Hello,it´s a pity specially for Liv but it seems that in the near future we will only see UFC fighters or actors as PokerStars Team Pros.
 
D

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Yes, but as others have pointed out whilst Liv Boeree and Igor Kurganov both seem like charming people...what exactly were they supposed to be doing in terms of providing PR and exposure for PokerStars? I don't remember either of them doing anything specific to draw new players to PokerStars, in fact, all they ever did was wear patches. This is not a criticism of them so much as PokerStars itself.

In fact, I am not sure other than the initial craziness following the Moneymaker effect that sponsoring players ever really offered a return on investment for the on-line sites. It made sense to have someone like Negreanu as a brand ambassador because he loves promoting himself and therefore the site. Outside of Negreanu and Chris Moneymaker, few seem to have ever put much effort into promotion.
 
Vallet

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Hello,it´s a pity specially for Liv but it seems that in the near future we will only see UFC fighters or actors as PokerStars Team Pros.
I agree with you. But when I read the article, I thought the couple broke up. Many professional players have left PokerStars.
 
skaniol

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After the departure of D. Negreanu, nothing surprises me anymore. PokerProStars has turned into StarsPlayingPoker. Don't get me wrong—I am not judging. These deals never bothered me, and I think they already served their purpose.

It would be interesting to see if the poker pros could help another poker room to rival PS. Stronger competition is better for the players. We shouldn't be taken for granted.
 
Iryna Stryzheuskaya

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I think this is a deliberate decision.
 
acidburnfx

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The current scenario:

(group 1 - loyals)
Chris Moneymaker (EUA)
Ben Spragg (GBR)
Fintan Hand (IRE)
Felix Schneiders (GER)
Lex Veldhuis (NED)
Jason Somerville (EUA)

(group 2 - players who were more active in the old days)
André Akkari (BRA)
Fatima Moreira de Melo (NED)
Mikhail Shalamov (RUS)
Celina Lin (CHI)

(group 3 - new members with little sampling)
Kalidou Sow (FRA)
Arlie Shaban (CAN)
OP Poker [Nick Walsh, Eva Reberc] (GBR)

(group 4 - i've never seen)
Maria Konnikova (EUA)
Aditya Agarwal (IND)
Muskan Sethi (IND)
Jennifer Shahade (EUA)
Leo Fernandez (ARG)
 
Nikolay Nakhaev

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PS loses its best messengers
people leave them probably because of their policies?
 
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fundiver199

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Yes, but as others have pointed out whilst Liv Boeree and Igor Kurganov both seem like charming people...what exactly were they supposed to be doing in terms of providing PR and exposure for PokerStars? I don't remember either of them doing anything specific to draw new players to PokerStars, in fact, all they ever did was wear patches. This is not a criticism of them so much as PokerStars itself.

In fact, I am not sure other than the initial craziness following the Moneymaker effect that sponsoring players ever really offered a return on investment for the on-line sites. It made sense to have someone like Negreanu as a brand ambassador because he loves promoting himself and therefore the site. Outside of Negreanu and Chris Moneymaker, few seem to have ever put much effort into promotion.

I agree. Maybe PokerStars just realised, that all this "team pro" thing was not a very effective way of spending marketing dollars, and then they made the terms so unfavourable, that a lot of people left. There are other ways of advertising, and maybe the brand is so strong, it more or less sell itself. Despite all the ciriticism PokerStars still see 4-6 times more traffic than their closest competitors.
 
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tmsr

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I'm a casual player for forever, and I've never even heard of these people, I'm sure Pokerstars will be fine ;)
 
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I agree. Maybe PokerStars just realised, that all this "team pro" thing was not a very effective way of spending marketing dollars, and then they made the terms so unfavourable, that a lot of people left. There are other ways of advertising, and maybe the brand is so strong, it more or less sell itself. Despite all the ciriticism PokerStars still see 4-6 times more traffic than their closest competitors.

Fundiver- good points.

That said, I am not sure poker stars have learned any lesson as now they swing to celebrities etc. Again I have no idea how someone such as Kevin Hart, even with his all his celebrity, actually brings people to the game. Its a dumb rationale to me. Further to that one which takes money out of the poker ecosystem which could go to direct promotions for the players.

By way of example. Last year (as a newbie of sorts) I stumbled across Poker Stars daily freerolls which were running through August/September 2018. I had never seen them before (could not tell you why they were promoting them- perhaps someone else could) but they were awesome. A few times a day, they would run freerolls of $200 or $300 dollars and split the winnings to a really broad field such as between 800 to1800 players. This meant that most would only win 10 cents but people obviously loved them- the fields were about 7,000 on average up to 11,000 plus. The largest I recorded was 14,000 plus runners. They stopped mid September.

The key to me was the idea that so many could win something, no matter how small.

What occurred to me at the time was the span of daily freerolls was costing Poker Stars a few hundred dollars a day (which obviously stayed in their ecosystem in players accounts). Yet they were pulling thousands to play them who were obviously loving it and building small bankrolls- I cashed many times and it was thrilling.

By comparison, they are said to have paid many of their team pros six figures and possibly one over seven figures a year in sponsorship. So they could simply apply what they pay one Team Pro member to having say, two open freerolls daily (and now presumably many in the US could participate) and generate a huge fee good factor for themselves.

So...I watched for them to occur again this year (had no idea of it was something to do with SCOOP) but they failed to materialize. Meanwhile, we have Keven Hart, the UFC or whatever half-baked idea they come up with in terms of promotion. Liv Boeree and Igor Kurganov ???

However, on the flip side, they must know that giving a little back to a broad field of entrants (again between 800 and 1800 paid off each event) was generating a huge amount of excitement and direct feel good factor for themselves.

So I honestly do not get the thinking.
 
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akgross

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It seems that every year the atmosphere inside PokerStars is getting worse and worse. Purely business and nothing personal, say the Amai Stars :call2:eek:wners.
 
Timmi1015

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Perhaps the advertising contract has ended. And soon he will be imprisoned with someone else
 
antonis32123

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Too bad , for PokerStars . This poker couple inspires many people , Liv is one of my favourites . The ones that have left can't compare with the stars of the old times , is some time noone will be left as an ambassador .
 
theRaven68

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sorry, but who cares about sponsored players, that was not effective, I think that any of them did anything specific to draw new players to PS
 
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danntesvarna

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Very sad to hear that.It`s just business.
 
xxxSSSxxx

xxxSSSxxx

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For sure not great times for poker stars
 
Lucky Alalk

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wtf is going on? do they know smth and we need to start worrying?
 
Maikychan

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W-Wow... everybody is leaving Pokerstars...
 
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