Home / Poker News December 2010 / The poker grapevine – PokerStars on the offensive
The poker grapevine – PokerStars on the offensive
Posted by: Randy Williams - Mon, 2010-12-20 11:37
PokerStars seems to have started an all out offensive against rival
Full Tilt Poker in recent weeks. The site considered the
biggest online poker room in the world has recently signed Swedish mystery player Isildur1, with the more or less obvious purpose of transforming the PokerStars’ high-stakes cash tables into THE definitive scene for high-stakes cash games. That may not have been the declared purpose of the move, but it doesn't really take a rocket scientist to see what the game is about. Tom Dwan’s high-stakes million-dollar challenge seems to have been hijacked as well: PokerStars now have the SuperStar Showdown, starring the above mentioned Isildur1, and featuring a similar but improved structure.
To top things off, it now seems like PokerStars have made yet another not-so-subtle move against their arch competitors. What they basically did was to buy High Stakes Poker, the well-known TV poker show on GSN. This has Full Tilt Poker in a tight spot for several reasons.
PokerStars has apparently acquired the archives of the show as well reruns of which, coupled with the fact that players did not wear sponsor badges during the early seasons of the show, might create confusion about their affiliation for new viewers.
Full Tilt Poker also does not like its in-house professionals to play in a show sponsored by their competitor and that may well mean that the household names shall disappear from the show.
In other news: the first leg of PokerStars’ new Isildur1-centered challenge series, the Superstar Showdown will kick off on December 19. The Swede will face Isaac Haxton, at four $50/$100 no limit holdem tables. Given the fact that Isildur1’s Achilles' heel seems to be PLO, as long as he manages to keep the action on the NLH tables, he should be fine.
One thing is certain about the Superstar Showdown: challenge rounds will conclude much faster than the Durrrr challenge ones.
