In a current era of online poker which is seeing few players given sponsorship deals, it was announce Friday that defending World Series of Poker H.O.R.S.E. champion and former World Champion Scotty Nguyen will become the poker ambassador for Expekt.com.
During the announcement of the agreement with the online gaming company, Scotty was his usual exuberant self when he proclaimed, “This will be fun, baby. I am looking forward to working with Expekt.com and make their successful poker even more popular.” As a part of his ambassadorship, Nguyen will provide an exclusive video blog for the site as well as a monthly poker column that will focus on strategy. “Overall, I will be the face of Expekt.com Poker and play at the WSOP and more live tournaments in the late summer and autumn. It will be great fun, baby,” Nguyen said.
In an exclusive conversation with Poker News Daily, Dan Vikman, the public relations manager with Expekt.com, expounded on the reasons the company wanted Nguyen as their featured player. “We wanted a high-caliber profile and personality that is both charismatic and who sticks out in the crowd. Scotty fits the bill perfectly,” Vikman commented. “We are really happy to have signed him and are looking forward to an exciting 2009.”
The addition of Scotty as the poker ambassador for Expekt.com should further expand the visibility of the company, Vikman noted. “We will have a much stronger profile in our promotions and our public relations on a daily basis,” Vikman said. “That will lead to a bigger buzz and add to our already huge customer base going forward.” There is no doubt that Nguyen will be the focal point for the Expekt.com poker site. When asked if there were future signings on the horizon, Vikman stated, “Scotty is and will be our Number One, but we are working to strengthen our local profile in big markets such as Sweden and Poland with strong local names that can be connected to Expekt.com.”
Nguyen is one of the most recognizable players in the game today and also has one of the best track records as to success. Besides winning the 1998 World Series of Poker Championship Event bracelet over amateur Kevin McBride – where he uttered the now famous line, “You call and it’s all over, baby” – Scotty has amassed four other WSOP bracelets and a World Poker Tour title. In 2007, he missed out on a chance at a second WSOP Championship Event title when he finished in eleventh place. He currently holds two of the most prestigious titles in the game today with his victories in the $50K H.O.R.S.E. at last year’s WSOP and another $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. title at this year’s L. A. Poker Classic. In all, “The Prince of Poker” has garnered over $10 million in career earnings.
Expekt.com, which offers its customers a variety of online gaming options including a sports book, bingo and poker, is a part of the iPoker Network. According to the latest figures from PokerScout, the iPoker Network has recently passed PartyPoker as the third largest online poker room in the industry today. The poker room at Expekt.com – which doesn’t accept American players – is ranked 3rd in cash game players, only behind U. S.-facing PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.