Since its inception, Twitch has slowly become known as a star-maker. The site’s quest to showcase to fans of gaming the experts in their field and their insight into the games they play flourished and has already made millionaires of some of the players. As the Twitch platform itself grows, the digital revolution enables stars to be born from their bedrooms with a screencast, a microphone, and a memorable username. Whether the game is Crash Bandicoot, Dota 2, Minecraft, or even Texas Hold ‘Em. The ability for a streaming site to unearth those skilled at various games is one of the hidden benefits of the internet – and hours of gameplay can be rewarded with brand deals, sponsorships, and cash. But can Twitch help make a star of a more traditional game such as poker?
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The History of Poker on Twitch
With more than 2 million people showcasing their gaming talents every month, Twitch provides the perfect platform to show off games that require strategic thinking and in-depth skill. Streaming poker on Twitch isn’t a new phenomenon. Some of the swiftest poker moments of well-known stars such as Daniel Negreanu, Jason Somerville, and Lex Velhuis have been documented on the streaming platform to hundreds and thousands of poker fans. To succeed on Twitch as a poker star, it requires a heady mix of good old-fashioned poker acumen, an ability to cultivate an adoring fanbase, and the YouTube-esque persona that has people tuning in every game to follow your rise and join in the conversation about your growing stardom. Arlie Shaban is one of the latest poker stars to quit their job to go full time on Twitch playing the game they love. With almost 10,000 followers, Shaban shows that focusing on playing professional poker can become supercharged by streaming it on Twitch. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of such players as Negreanu, who managed to bag $50,000 after his first official Twitch poker game. While interacting with fans and spectators, the poker legend was able to pull in 150,000 unique viewers and leave the game with an extra 4,000 subs. Lex Velhuis helped craft poker personas – especially with his ‘Blow Up Fridays’, where he spent the day playing an aggressive poker game to give the fans something different. By marking the day in the calendar, he could ensure the followers knew exactly what was happening and the spectator count grew.
The World Series of Poker on Twitch
But it was arguably thanks to Jason Somerville, who put Twitch poker on the map with the World Series of Poker. Having won his World Series of Poker bracelet in 2011, Somerville was a perfect poker star to help launch the Twitch poker platform of the World Series. The World Series of Poker – sponsored by 888poker – is one of the most prestigious poker tournaments the world over, bringing in fans from across the professional board. Poker on Twitch was wholly different back in 2015 when he started playing for it and the main way of accessing poker was through playing it online – in fact only he and Jaime Staples formed the Twitch poker community. Flash forward to now where the next big poker star could be one of those churning out hilarious and exciting content week after week. Summer 2018 promised more than 30 individual World Series of Poker events, which is a huge rise and allows a new crop of fans to engage with the tournament, fall in love with poker, and enjoy the entertainment provided by the poker stars battling it out. Former poker pro Jeff Platt was even roped in to commentate alongside David Tuchman. The fact that Twitch is focusing so hard on embracing its poker side shows that there could perhaps be several poker stars to emerge from the channel, as opposed to heading to the channel after their initial exposure. Head of poker partnerships, Farhan Ahmed, stated his excitement at bringing the World Series to the channel. He said: “The World Series of Poker represents one of the top levels of competition the sport has to offer, it’s exciting to bring it to our passionate poker fanbase.
Run It Up Competition
Somerville’s legacy for poker on Twitch continues with his Run It Up competition. The series of videos keeps fans rapt as Somerville attempts to video and stream his quest to turn $50 into $10,000 through playing poker. While his indelible poker skill is no doubt one of the reasons for his intrepid fanbase, the personality that goes alongside it also contributes. The 2014 inaugural game cropped up again until 2017 when he seemed to drop the format. A tour instead was posted for October, showcasing a number of poker stars. Fans cried out for the return of the game that showed true poker grit – but it also opened up opportunities for others to follow in his footsteps with the simple concept of taking a starting sum and turning it into more money. Whether budding poker stars on Twitch were able to succeed in this or not didn’t matter, they had a niche that would always encourage eager and excited spectators (even if just to see how quickly they failed!). By opening up a platform for new poker stars, Somerville shows that his dedication to the streaming platform can encourage more than just dedicated fans and a growing poker community
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When it comes to finding the next big poker star, there are multiple avenues in which they could appear. The traditional way of working through the professional circuit is still an option, as poker merit, not fans, is often how stardom is judged. But, for those who this might be more impractical, by using one of the greatest digital inventions – live streaming – players are able to turn their poker hands into opportunities to showcase comedy and personality. The poker star of tomorrow most likely won’t be the traditionally stoic, blank-faced Omaha Hi-Lo player, or the silent Seven Card Stud star, but a combination of the true grit needed for poker and the dazzling YouTube personality that creates influencers the world over. The world is changing and the world of poker is no exception.