GGPoker hired Daniel Negreanu, a Poker Hall of Famer, in 2019 as its brand ambassador, and it has steadily grown since then. Negreanu is a six-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner who was a free agent since leaving PokerStars in May 2019. The poker pro represented PokerStars for 12 years and had enabled it to dominate the gaming industry for over a decade.
The Canadian-American player didn't wear a patch in that summer's WSOP, and he puzzled many poker enthusiasts who had associated him with PokerStars for many years. Even so, he got patched up once more after five months while representing a poker site with great determination to compete with PokerStars.
Name Recognition is Powerful
The impossible is now a reality, a few years after Negreanu started representing GGPoker. He is one of the most brilliant hires that the site signed of late.
When PokerNews asked Negreanu whether GGPoker made the right decision to hire him, the poker pro stated that he thinks he has helped the site to develop lasting relationships with partners with who he relates well, like the WSOP. Besides, he has immense experience marketing poker on his YouTube channel and through social media.
The player further added that he has a huge following on different platforms, thus making him the perfect choice to promote or endorse a brand.
Paul Burke from GGPoker commented about the site's relationship with Negreanu, fondly known as the KidPoker. He said that GGPoker has grown fast since it partnered with him since he cares about players and growing poker to broaden its fan base.
Negreanu played a key role when GGPoker introduced GGCheers and GGCare, rewarding average players. This makes him an appropriate ambassador for the poker site.
Negreanu is A Perfect Ambassador
The poker pro has more than 600,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, the largest following on any professional player's social media account. He uploads vlogs daily each year as the WSOP continues to attract 100,000 views.
Negreanu has more than 500,000 followers on Twitter who he engages, unlike other pros such as Phil Ivey, who have a huge social media audience. Also, he has actively represented GGPoker despite being a skilled player. It is normal to see him slapping the site's patch on whenever he is in an interview.
Many sponsored poker pros wear patches in live events and show up in some promotional gigs. But, they rarely promote their sites while retaining their following, unlike Negreanu and Chris Moneymaker.
The latter launched ClubGG, a pay-per-month mobile poker application through which players get buy-ins for major live poker competitions.
It is More Than the Canadian-American Poker Pro
GGPoker hasn't grown because of Negreanu alone, as it has an amazing product. The player stated this and further added that the software is the most unique poker product ever built. It offers an enjoyable experience that players lacked before GGPoker developed the software.
The poker site has won the hearts of renowned players including Jason Koon, Dan Bilzerian, and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, since Negreanu joined it.
The last two years' WSOP bracelet events have also promoted GGPoker's growth. For example, WSOP.com and GGPoker hosted over 100 online bracelet events during the Coronavirus pandemic that helped it attract players who aspire to win WSOP bracelets.
The WSOP organized the second bracelet series on the poker site in 2021 before the live version began in Las Vegas. GGPoker was awarded 33 gold bracelets between August 1 and September 12.
Stovan Madanzhiey received $3.9 million after winning the WSOP Online Main Event in the 2020 WSOP series. It was the biggest prize pool in the history of internet poker. The series and event were the fruits of the site's efforts to widen its clientele.
Reports state that GGPoker had matched PokerStars' cash-game traffic in December 2021. A year earlier, its traffic was 39 percent lower than PokerStars'.
Negreanu's Comparison with Tom Brady
Negreanu is a quarterback at GGPoker. His absence in the team would make it resemble the New England Patriots before they signed Tom Brady. They were a reputable team with remarkable talent but lacked a reliable quarterback.
Brady joined the team's first squad in 2001 after Drew Bledsoe sustained a serious injury. He drastically improved its performance in the National Football League (NFL).
