PokerStars has unveiled their latest marketing campaign, beginning with a series of commercials stating “We Are Poker.” These spots, featuring some of the biggest names in the game, showcase the drama of the poker playing experience. Check out the videos themselves right here, then hop on back for a few thoughts.

Both feature the same basic tactic – a narrator reciting dramatic lines over a collage of images. Both are grounded in a pivotal poker hand, in which two players square off across a large, tournament-style table. The editors make liberal use of visual metaphors through interesting cutaway shots, some of which are used to depict the emotions and tensions of a heated poker match. Such faces as Pius Heinz, Daniel Negreanu, and Vanessa Rousso all make appearances, some in very entertaining ways.

While some will question why PokerStars (being an online company), didn’t attempt to feature their software in a more prominent manner. But then, filming a bunch of high stakes online players sitting around their various computers simply wouldn’t be that interesting. Well, scratch that – It certainly could have its share of exciting moments in a sort of remote-faceoff sort of way, but that’s not the message PokerStars is trying to convey here. The entire purpose of the “We Are Poker” campaign is to create the allure of coming together as players, as depicted in the (presumably) high-stakes live games the ads revolve around.

Speaking as someone who’s made an extensive study of video production (and has a degree, in fact), I can tell you that these are some of the most technically and artistically excellent poker ads I’ve seen. The tone and tension is pitch perfect, interspersed with just enough offbeat images to keep one’s eye riveted to the screen.

There’s another thing that I happen to be which was touched by these commercials – a former online player at PokerStars. And boy, did these spots ever make me miss the good old days.