Stephanie Abrams & Courtney Spritzer: Social Poker

We’ve already talked about how influential Social Media and related platforms such as Twitter are in helping change the political landscape (check out our contribution to the Recovering Politician’s 12 Step Program to Survive Crisis).

However, while following our favorite “recovering” politician, Jonathan Miller (a.k.a. Johnny Poker) during this past weekend’s World Series of Poker tournament, we recognized a new reality of the pervasive influence of Social Media.  It has officially permeated the world of professional poker as well!

Where else besides social media could one directly ask all of their family, friends, followers, and fans to help strategize on what outfit they should don at the table (Good call on the Maccabee jersey, Jonathan)?   How else would poker fans not only know who is playing at Phil Hellmuth’s table, but also get a picture of such to boot?  Where else could you hear about which tournaments poker legend Doyle Brunson is contemplating entering?  Yes, that’s right.  Even Texas Dolly, well into his 70’s, is active on Social Media and Tweeting with his fans and the poker community.

Social Media provides any interested party an instant inside look at the personalities, battles, and tough breaks this rare group of individuals contend with each time they saddle up to the table.  Now all can witness first-hand, and in real time, what the players themselves think, see, and feel while in the heat of competition.  The conversation doesn’t stop there.  Take the recent social media beef between Gus Hansen and Daniel Negreanu.  “The Great Dane” took to Twitter to not only remind Negreanu of the $300M he won from him in a recent tourney, but provided a link to a YouTube clip of it as well.  Negreanu responded in kind by issuing a battleship style challenge to Hansen in which he asked his fans to Tweet him names of players they think he should select to play on his team.  So fans are not only able to see and hear what the pros are thinking and doing, they can directly engage and interact with them as well!  This type of access is priceless and extremely valuable to a “sport” which isn’t blessed with the saturating media coverage enjoyed by other professional leagues.

Now a beginner player can get a tip directly from a pro on how to improve their game, all while watching them use those same skills against elite competition during the biggest poker event in the world!  Intimately sharing the joy and pain they experience while playing this crazy game gives us virtual front row seats to the annual Vegas spectacle.  We here at Socialfly are on the edge of ours!