High Stakes Poker, one of the game’s most popular television renditions, has selected Gold Strike Poker as their new lead sponsor.
This move comes as a result of the actions of Black Friday, which removed many of the major online poker rooms from the American market. Formerly, High Stakes had been under the patronage of PokerStars. After the government crackdown, the executives at the Game Show Network decided to pull all commercials featuring the popular site. Players were still seen wearing their typical badges, but no mention was made of this on the broadcast.
Now, according to Gold Strike spokesman John George, his US-based company is ready to step in and fill the gap.
“With the FBI seizing the illegal poker sites,” he says, “50 million American poker players have no idea where to play poker. Gold Strike Poker is America’s only legal online 3-D poker site and is taking the leading position in the U.S. market.”
So what makes Gold Strike different from Full Tilt and PokerStars? The answer, simply, is that it’s not a free poker site. By charging their members a monthly fee of $20, the company falls under the label of private club, similar to the rules of taverns operating in supposedly “dry counties.” This subscription style of service then allows players to participate in as many freeroll tournaments as they are able, all of which hand out real money prizes. There are no sit and goes, since these do not conform to a free-entry structure.
Game Show Network hopes to regain a portion of their viewers now that PokerStars is no longer in the picture. Full Tilt pro’s, who once were banned from competition due to contract issues, will now be able to sit in on the action. Fans are also hoping to see a return of their favorite hosts, Gabe Kaplan and AJ Benz.