The Naked Truth

Do you play Naked? That is what the new poker Internet startup is asking the poker community. NakedPoker.com has some fascinating and unique ideas that it's implementing to brand itself as a premier online poker website.



Internet gambling is currently the fastest growing segment of the gaming industry. Analysts are forecasting the market to be a $17 billion industry by 2009. Needless to say, competitive poker is the faster growing segment of the industry.



Over the last couple of years, online poker room wagers have doubled every three months, and now average an astonishing $150 million per day. NakedPoker.com is attempting to carve out its own slice of the pie in this booming industry with its own special niche.



With the explosive growth of the Internet gambling industry, several new poker websites have entered the market. Most of them are small operations; however, there are large conglomerates that presently control online poker rooms.



NakedPoker.com is attempting to challenge the heavy hitters of this industry head-on. This new site is attempting to integrate the concept of poker with the allure of sex appeal.



To celebrate the launch of NakedPoker.com, the site threw a party in July in the penthouse suite of the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Invited to the VIP party were Hollywood celebrities such as Danny Masterson and Laura Prepon of That '70s Show and professional poker players. Additionally, Barry Shulman and Jeff Shulman attended the party to represent Card Player. Also in attendance was a NakedPoker.com-sponsored player in the World Series of Poker main event, adult film star Ron Jeremy, who sported a NakedPoker.com T-shirt wherever he was during his stay in Las Vegas. Several media outlets covered the event, including NakedNews.com. Cameron Shore, a NakedNews.com newscaster, interviewed many of the guests, Naked-news style, and this footage can be seen at NakedNews.com.



It's not only online that NakedPoker.com is creating a buzz in the poker world. The site sponsored players in the World Series of Poker main event. However, NakedPoker.com is not following the norm with sponsorships. The sponsored players are not professional poker players, whom everyone is able to recognize through the mass amount of media coverage that has triggered the online poker boom. Instead, NakedPoker.com implemented an unorthodox sponsorship policy, sending people such as adult film star Ron Jeremy and other adult film stars, who may be even more recognizable to many poker players for other reasons.



All Internet poker rooms attempt to establish themselves as the premier online gaming site by offering something that has never been done before to acquire players. Most of the poker sites offer sign-up bonuses, freeroll tournaments, affiliate relationships, frequent-player points that can earn players prizes or tournament entries, and a number of other marketing ideas to bring players to their sites. Some of the promotions offered by the online poker world have been: win a Ferrari for a year, fly in a private jet, and win seats in the main event of the World Series of Poker, which has actually become common nowadays. NakedPoker.com will offer promotions such as these, but the bottom line for these promotions will be that, sex sells! So, NakedPoker.com will use the allure of sex to sell poker on its site.



In line with this strategy, NakedPoker.com is giving away a night on the town with Playboy Playmate (Miss June 2006) Stephanie Larimore. All registrants of NakedPoker.com will have an opportunity to win a no-limit hold'em tournament and the date, together with free airfare and accommodations. Who hasn't fantasized about going out on a date with one of the most beautiful women in the world?



NakedPoker.com will also be showing appreciation to its loyal players by having a player appreciation party at Hedonism, which is located on the island of Jamaica. The players who earn the most frequent-player points will be invited to join the NakedPoker.com team and party it up with the NakedPoker.com models at Hedonism, an oasis of pleasure. Players do not have to use their NakedPlayer.com points to earn these giveaways; they are being given away as a token of appreciation to the players. Players will be able to keep all of their NakedPlayer.com points to use for freeroll tournaments or other prizes that will be given away by the site.



Aside from the unconventional style of the NakedPoker.com marketing and branding strategies, NakedPoker.com offers a premium online poker experience, from the software and payment processing to the back-end support of the site. The software for NakedPoker.com was designed by CyberArts, a Silicon Valley company that is a long-established pioneer in gaming technology. CyberArts was co-founded by Ken Arnold and Chris Derossi. Derossi is known for co-authoring Winning at Internet Poker for Dummies, and has had 20 years of leadership experience at some technology companies, including Apple Computers. Derossi served as the chief architect of OS 7 prior to starting CyberArts, which has become a state-of-the-art software and technological company. CyberArts has designed software for several poker rooms, and recently agreed to relaunch the online business for WPT Enterprises.



Although the site seems to cater to the single male demographic, considering the outrageous giveaways of a sexual nature, in actuality there are many prizes that will be available for the married male and female players who decide to play on the site. Have you ever wanted to catch a touchdown pass from your favorite NFL quarterback? Have you ever wanted to try to hit a fastball from your favorite major league baseball player? Have you ever wanted to go to a movie premiere with your favorite actor and/or actress? These are some of the things that NakedPoker.com is going to make happen for its players. Not only that, but the players will be able to tell NakedPoker.com what types of prizes they would like to see made available in the future, and NakedPoker.com will try to make it happen. All of this, plus the traditional bonuses, prizes, and affiliate programs that everyone has become used to in the online gaming world, will be offered. NakedPoker.com is setting the bar in giving its players a great return on their buck. "Playing Naked" is a great way to play! So, are you ready to play Naked?