Poker is Leaving the Backrooms for Boardrooms, and WPT is Situated to Lead the Way

Editor's note: Meet Brian Balsbaugh, who recently was recruited to lead World Poker Tour Management (WPTM). Brian is a 14-year veteran of player management and sponsorship sales in the golf industry. He earned his undergraduate degree in marketing from the Indiana University School of Business and his law degree from the Indiana University School of Law. He is a licensed attorney and previously worked at Imani Sports and the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). He has a passion for business, sports, and entertainment, and has compiled 14 years of experience in these areas.

I have successfully managed the careers of 15 professional golfers, including several of the brightest stars on the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour. I worked for a prominent sports marketing and management company and was an expert in the area of negotiating player-related sponsorships. Why, then, did I leave the comforts of the golf industry to team with the World Poker Tour? In a word – opportunity.

The World Poker Tour is the most well-positioned organization in the poker world to bring sponsorship opportunities to the players. As the first-ever weekly televised series of poker tournaments in the United States, and the first to reveal players' holecards to television audiences via the WPT cams imbedded in the tables, the World Poker Tour has revolutionized the industry, and has already attracted sponsorship opportunities to the world of poker. Fortune 500 companies, along with most everyone else I know, are now hooked on poker and look to the World Poker Tour to continue to break new ground for the poker world.

As the World Poker Tour television ratings, prize money, and participation continue to rise, so does corporate interest in poker-related hospitality and branding opportunities. To that end, the WPT has created World Poker Tour Management (WPTM).

This independent division of the World Poker Tour represents and serves as a management company for the best and most recognizable professional poker players in the world. We provide player services, including corporate marketing and consulting, contract negotiations, media and public relations, financial and tax consulting, corporate outings, and television and event opportunities.

I often hear the same question from players: "Will corporate America embrace poker players and provide sponsorship?" The evidence is clear: Anheuser-Busch has already agreed to sponsor the WPT, and other deals are in the works. I speak daily with companies interested in sponsoring the WPT and endorsing its players. It is clear that the poker viewer represents a demographic that is coveted by corporate America.

Direct corporate sponsorship is not the only opportunity for professional players to make supplemental income. WPTM will also serve as the official event sponsorship arm of the WPT, and will utilize its relationships with players and casinos to create and manage unique corporate hospitality opportunities. Many corporations are looking for new ways of entertaining their key customers and clients. WPTM will develop special events in conjunction with its tournaments to meet this objective, and in turn will bring personal appearance opportunities to its players.

The future is bright for poker and the World Poker Tour. I believe strongly that the popularity of the game will continue to explode, and in turn, more companies will decide that sponsorship is appropriate in this newly emerging industry.

If you are a corporate leader interested in having WPT players or commentators participate in a sponsored corporate event or would like more information, please e-mail me at [email protected].

The WPT Invitational is coming back to Commerce Casino. Last year, Norm MacDonald went out first, but Playboy Playmate Brandie Roderick lasted longer than many of the pros. L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss went heads up with Layne Flack for the top prize. Will the celebrities outlast the pros this year? Size up the competition during the cocktail reception before joining your fellow players and top Hollywood stars at the WPT's exclusive freeroll event, the WPT Invitational. With a $200,000 prize pool up for grabs, and the celebrities playing for a special charity prize, this year's WPT Invitational will be the hottest poker event in town.

When: Feb. 25-26, 2004, following the L.A. Poker Classic

Where: Commerce Casino, Commerce, California

Want to play in the WPT Invitational? There are three ways to be invited:

1. Buy in to the $25,000 WPT Championship at Bellagio in Las Vegas before Feb. 24 and you'll receive an invitation to play in the WPT Invitational freeroll. Contact the poker room at Bellagio, (702) 693-7290, for information about how to register for the 2004 WPT Championship, which will be held April 19-23.

2. Win your buy-in to the $25,000 WPT Championship at Bellagio through a satellite before Feb. 24 and you'll be invited. Check with WPT member casinos or your local casino for satellite schedules.

3. Win a WPT event. All WPT tournament winners from Season No. 1 and up through the WPT event at Commerce Casino in February will be invited.

These are the only ways to get into the Invitational. So, don't ask Lyle Berman, and don't cozy up to Steve Lipscomb. They can't get you in! Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis only, so secure your seat today.