In the current day of professional poker, players look to find ways to alleviate the pressures faced by everyone who works for a living. Many times this is done by being the spokesperson or sponsored player for one of the multitude of online poker sites that crave a vibrant face to place on their product. These sponsorships – which can pay the players’ buy ins for tournaments, and offer them the possibility to offset the variances inherent in poker – are very difficult to come by and, when you do have them, it can be in your best interests to keep active. It was announced earlier this week that one such deal between a top pro and an online room has been renewed, although details were not released.
After one of the better years of his career, professional poker player Jean-Robert Bellande recently renewed his exclusive sponsorship deal with Bodog, one of the sites that still cater to American action. As a part of the Bodog team, he participates in much of the action online with the site and – along with fellow professionals David Williams, Evelyn Ng and Justin Bonomo – is sponsored into many worldwide tournaments and made-for-television events.
A press release from his management company Poker Royalty pointed out the reasons for Bellande’s continued sponsorship by Bodog. James Sullivan, President of Poker Royalty, told Poker News Daily, “Jean-Robert is a perfect fit for Team Bodog. His charisma and personality embody the Bodog lifestyle.”
Bellande’s history of success in poker dates back to 2001, but it wasn’t until 2005 that the poker world began to take notice of him. In 2005, he made the final table of a WSOP Circuit event and scored a nearly $150,000 victory at the 2005 Winnin’ O’ The Green at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. He barely missed winning his first WSOP bracelet last year with a second place finish in the $1500 No Limit Hold’em Shootout and also cashed in the Championship Event, finishing in 442nd place of the massive 6,844 player field. All totaled, Bellande has won nearly one million dollars since he began playing in 2001.
While his success on the poker tables has earned the sponsorship from Bodog, his association with Poker Royalty has earned him notoriety beyond just being a poker player. For example, he has appeared on the made-for-television productions of the World Poker Tour’s “Bad Boys Of Poker.” In 2007, Bellande also became the first poker player to participate in a reality show when he was a part of “Survivor: China.” He finished in eighth place on that program and admitted that he used many concepts and strategies from his poker background to his advantage on the show.
Bellande’s renewal of his contract with Bodog caps what has been a busy month in the sponsorship world of poker. Earlier this week, Betfair signed 2007 EPT Poland champion Peter “Zupp” Jepsen to a deal that will give the site an excellent roster of young talent, including 2007 WSOP Europe titleholder Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad. Additionally, former World Champion Jamie Gold stunned the poker world with his reported eight figure deal with online poker newcomer Aced Poker in early February.
