In the age of social networking and blogging, one company has taken the lead in the industry: Twitter. Looking to capitalize on the trend is the Twitter Poker Tour, which hosts micro buy-in tournaments on both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. The tournament series has garnered a sizable following thus far, relying on its members to spread the word and help it grow.
Trevor Holewinski, the organizer of the Twitter Poker Tour, told Poker News Daily, “We started the equivalent of an online home game. Our goal is just to have fun and get a lot of people together. We’re getting 30 to 40 players per week and it’s growing constantly.” The tournament series just held its fourth event on PokerStars, which saw “Flush Seeker” emerge victorious from the pack of 30 players, earning him fame and recognition across the Twitter world.
An overall leader board is also posted in order to help players keep score throughout the season. Coming in at 317 points at the top of the pack currently is “atte-D2,” who has a large margin for error over the second place score of “Zonetrap” (248). Points awarded for each Twitter Poker Tour event are based on a player’s finish, the total number of entrants, and the tournament’s buy-in.
Current regulars on the Tour use Twitter as well as other personal blogs to market the tour. Holewinski explains what separates his business from its competitors: “We’re just trying to grow it and make it fun. I think a lot of these tours are too serious. It takes away from the game. This is good poker.” By participating in a community as well as a game of poker, regulars of the Twitter Poker Tour have fostered relationships with each other as well as developed a keen understanding for the game.
Twitter Poker Tour events have typically posted a $5.50 buy-in. In terms of the biggest challenges to grow the site in the future, Holewinski stated, “The hardest part is to keep getting the name out there and keeping the Twitter Poker Tour fresh. The prizes will get better and better, especially if we can round up more sponsors. Getting the name out there takes time.” Holewinski launched PokerPlasm and has used that site to help grow the Tour.
Tour organizers have not yet contacted Twitter to ensure that the social networking site is amenable to the tournament series’ existence. Holewinski and company do not take a rake or charge for membership. Rather, their goal for the foreseeable future is to grow the Tour as much as possible. On the use of Twitter while tournaments are in progress, Holewinsky explained, “It seems like almost all of the users are on Twitter when they are playing. Accordingly, we’ve had some decent players turn out for events.”
The Tour has a core group of about 15 players who show up week after week for the PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker events. In addition, attendance has been growing steadily at about five players per tournament. Events are announced and then placed in the appropriate online poker room lobby about one week in advance. At the time of writing, no date or time for the next event exists.
Other popular social networking tools besides Twitter include Facebook and Linked-In. The former is one of the staples of the industry and allows users to connect to individual groups at will as well as upload photos and albums. Holewinski explains what makes Twitter unique: “It’s really quick to use and has a blogging feel. Our users can come in, sign up, and then immediately have a say. It helps us get the name out there a lot faster.”
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