Few days ago PokerStars added 12 new up-and-coming content creators to its line-up of brand representatives, including four new PokerStars Ambassadors and eight sponsored PokerStars Streamers.
The OP Poker team as well as former Big Brother Canada contestant Arlie Shaban will join a team of leading content creators that already includes Jason Somerville, Lex Veldhuis and Ben Spragg.
The new PokerStars Ambassadors are:
Arlie Shaban (arlieshaban)
James Mackenzie (OP_Poker)
Nick Walsh (OP_Poker)
Eva Reberc (OP_Poker)
The new PokerStars Streamers are:
Mason Pye (PyeFacePoker)
Georgina James (GJReggie)
Tom Hayward (Pleb_method)
Alberto Pérez (Catof_Poker)
Guillermo Inclan (PokerStarsSpain)
Steve Enriquez (PokerStarsSpain)
Benjamin Bruneteaux (PokerStarsFrance)
Julien Brecard (PokerStarsFrance)
“It's no secret how much love I have for Twitch and how important I think it is for the growth of poker,” said Lex Veldhuis, Pokerstars Ambassador and the current most-popular poker streamer on Twitch. “I'm really happy PokerStars is recognizing the effort these streamers are putting in and empowering them on top of that. It will be very inspirational to watch them develop and grind. There is so much quality out there, not just among the top streamers, but through the whole directory. Whenever I browse through other streamers I'm so impressed with how many good, quality streamers are out there. People with five viewers having a very pleasant lay-out and stream to hang out in. They're already providing quality to the audience and they're just getting started.”
The popularity of poker on Twitch has continued to rise in terms of both the volume of streamers and the size of their audiences. PokerStars has led the charge with a host of sponsored Ambassadors growing the space and contributing to its success with online series and streamed live events.
Building on the popularity gained from his appearance on Big Brother Canada in 2014, Arlie Shaban burst onto the Twitch Poker scene by completing wild challenges and building an audience who tuned in for his uninhibited antics as much as for his growing poker skills.
“My whole life I’ve been obsessed with poker. To become an ambassador for PokerStars is something I never imagined possible,” said Shaban. “I’ve given poker everything I must give, even more than I thought possible, and to be awarded the biggest trophy of my career by becoming a PokerStars Ambassador is the actual dream come true. Being signed by PokerStars is the start of a new chapter in my life. Having that red spade beside my name has been a lifelong fantasy of mine... I’m ready!”
In 2018 Shaban accepted a challenge from PokerStars to endure the “12 Labours of Arlie”, a homage to the historic Hercules challenge, which helped him build his audience as he worked with poker legends to accomplish various poker feats. The 15-week-long challenge culminated on Christmas Day when Shaban completed his tasks and was awarded a Platinum Pass to the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship.
“PokerStars gave me some crazy stuff in 2018 when I didn’t even represent them,” said Shaban. “I can’t wait to tell my fans about what the Poker Gods have in store for us in 2019!”
Regular viewers of the PokerStars Twitch channel will be familiar with OP Poker and the trio of Mackenzie, Walsh and Reberc, who are now all PokerStars Ambassadors. Initially the unofficial home of all things PokerStars Power Up, they have built a growing community of poker enthusiasts who share a love of innovation in the game.
As adopters of all new variants, the trio use their poker skills and understanding of the game to allow them to explore and discuss strategies required to conquer the innovation behind each new variant and stream this to their viewers. Each player is at a different level, providing content, conversation and community at varying levels of ability on the OP Poker channel.
Rising Twitch stars Pye and James came to attention when they competed in Jason Somerville’s Platinum Pass giveaway to find the next big Twitch streamer. They didn’t make it to the Bahamas but are joining the PokerStars Twitch family along with Hayward, whose creative streaming and interactive style set him apart on Twitch.
Pérez (Spain), Inclan (Spain), Enriquez (Spain), Bruneteaux (France) and Brecard (France) are names fans of the PokerStars streams in Southern Europe will be familiar with and now will be known as PokerStars Streamers. They have been working with PokerStars for a while now and this will continue as they provide commentary, special streams and dedicated content for their audiences while representing the PokerStars spade.
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