Partypoker Ups Ante on Rivals with New Online Team

February 8th, 2018 | by Kaycee James

Partypoker has announced the formation of a new online team that will work alongside its roster of Ambassadors to promote its ever-expanding selection of products.

Partypoker has announced the creation of a new online team which will feature the likes of Australian pro, Josip Simunic. (Image: mypartypokerlive.com)

Following the recent signing of Isaac Haxton and Philipp Gruissem, partypoker Managing Director Tom Waters has drafted in four players from Brazil and Austria.

Although the latest recruits aren’t as well as known as partypoker’s Ambassadors, which includes the aforementioned Haxton and Gruissem, they are all regulars online.

Experience Live and Online

From Austria, Josip Simunic has been on the European poker scene for the last few years and currently has just over $1.3 million in career earnings. From Brazil, Renato Nomura, Lui Martins and Day Kotoviezy all have experience in online gaming.

Nomura and Kotoviezy have both enjoyed multiple cashes in major online events, with the former taking down partypoker’s recent Title Fight for $52,000. As for Martins, his experience with online poker came via the professional gaming world.

Like players such as Bertrand Grospellier, Martins was a strong eSports competitor with his games of choice being World of Warcraft and Quake. After making a single online deposit of $120, Martins has gone on to win more than $500,000, with his biggest single cash to-date topping $115,000.

As part of their roles as Team Online representatives, the quartet will compete in all of partypoker’s major tournaments. Additionally, the pros will travel the live circuit wearing the company’s branding and perform media duties such as providing live commentary at events.

Team Marks Another Positive Step for Partypoker

Although it hasn’t been stated, Team Online will serve a slightly different function to partypoker’s Ambassadors. Unlike Haxton et al, the online pros will undertake more promotional duties while the Ambassadors will have more input into partypoker’s products.

“Isaac’s profile and experience makes him a perfect ambassador for the company. Over the years he has also demonstrated a real commitment to principles and will play a key role in helping us meet and exceed player expectations,” Waters said after signing Haxton on January 22.

For partypoker as a whole, the addition of new team members is yet another positive announcement. Since launching its new MILLIONS series and partnering with some of the industry’s most influential figures, the brand has grown in stature.

As the largest operator in the world, PokerStars, has moved more towards celebrity endorsements and casual players, partypoker has focused more on increasing value for its regulars.

The creation of Team Online is clearly another step towards this goal and, interestingly, another breakaway from one of its closest rivals.