GoDaddy to Sponsor National Heads-Up Poker Championship
GoDaddy.com will be the presenting sponsor for the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, according to the official press release with dates and other pertinent info. Big news, really. When a company like GoDaddy.com embraces the poker industry by sponsoring such an event, it lets other major corporations know that’s it’s okay. C’mon in. There’s money to be made from this kazillion dollar industry!
In truth, it’s a brilliant move from GoDaddy.com to make itself a friend of the industry, as poker is filled with internet-savvy, blogging, html-minded people, some of whom (not naming names!) tend to buy domain names like they’re rebuys in a tournament. And it doesn’t hurt that the National Heads-Up Poker Championship ends up airing on NBC, which is some solid air time on a major network. Welcome to our little niche, GoDaddy.
Kevin Mathers says:
February 10th, 2009 at 1:29pm
It’d be even better if the NHUPC announced the rest of the lineup (only the ~15 players who have automatically been invited), especially since it’s starting in less than a month. I’m sure if Oliver Tse was still around, he’d say GoDaddy isn’t that much of a step up from Vonage or Outback Steakhouse (previous presenting sponsors).
DanM says:
February 10th, 2009 at 1:35pm
Actually, we recently switched to GoDaddy … not as a server, but as our domain registrar.
Kevin Mathers says:
February 10th, 2009 at 1:44pm
Forgot to note, those who have gone to nbcsports.com/poker should have seen that GoDaddy.com was a sponsor of the NHUPC for almost a month. Since the press release didn’t mention it, here’s the players who qualified for an automatic invite:
Phil Hellmuth
Ted Forrest
Paul Wasicka
Chris Ferguson
Andy Bloch
Chad Brown
Phil Ivey
Huck Seed
Scott Fischman
Jamie Gold
Jerry Yang
Peter Eastgate
Ivan Demidov
Erick Lindgren
John Phan
Kenny Tran
John Juanda
Jonathan Little
Glen Chorny
BJ Nemeth says:
February 10th, 2009 at 2:42pm
Yeah, I’m not that impressed with GoDaddy as a sponsor. (Their Superbowl commercial was embarrassing — they’re definitely not targeting women with their ads.) But corporate sponsors outside of the close-knit poker industry are *always* welcome.
DanM says:
February 10th, 2009 at 3:14pm
Like Levitra?
DanM says:
February 10th, 2009 at 3:16pm
***here’s the players who qualified for an automatic invite***
What put’s Scott Fischman on this list? Likewise with Phan, Tran, Little, and Chorny …
Kevin Mathers says:
February 10th, 2009 at 3:39pm
Fischman’s made the money each year of the NHUPC.
John Phan won two bracelets and was Card Player and Bluff POY.
Kenny Tran won the WSOP HU event.
Jonathan Little won WPT POY.
Glen Chorny won the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.
An interesting note about GoDaddy: They handed over to the Commonwealth of Kentucky several Internet gambling domain names.
David Alexander says:
February 10th, 2009 at 8:17pm
Hmmm…
Just hypothecating… but,
Kinda makes me wonder if Doyle didnt maybe threaten some kind of law suit for turnin over the domain name….
That might be why the sponsorship….