With World Series of Poker season soon approaching, a handful of online poker sites are getting their ambassadors all set.
Alexandra Botez joins global leader
Alexandra Botez, the 29-year-old Twitch streamer and YouTuber who built a brand around her love of the game of chess, is a new ambassador for GGPoker. Daniel Negreanu is the online poker room’s biggest name, and he welcomed Botez to the GGPoker family.
Besides poker, the two have the love of exclamation points to share.
“I’m so happy to be on Team GG!” said Alexandra Botez, on GGPoker’s site. “They share my vision for growing the game, and I’m excited to embark on this journey together.”
Negreanu, who may have given his statement while winning his second PokerGO Tour event in 2024, chimed in with:
“I’m really happy to have Alexandra Botez on the team; she is a top-notch chess content creator who’s documenting her journey into poker, and it’s a lot of fun living vicariously through it! I’m sure her progress will be very relatable to many poker players and lovers of all games. We are thrilled to welcome her to GGPoker and look forward to achieving great success together.”
Starting around 2022, Botez began showing up on poker livestreams and tournaments, shooting to the top of the poker conscious after winning more than $450,000 on the Hustler Live Casino stream that year.
With GGPoker now behind her, you can bet the influencer with nearly 3 million followers will expand her brand more into the poker world as she clicks into her 30th year.
According to GGPoker, “fans can expect thrilling gameplay, insightful analysis, and entertaining content across GGPoker’s platforms.”
Boatman docks with PokerStars
Barny Boatman, who is approaching three-decades as a TV poker celebrity in the UK, is now a PokerStars Team Pro. He joins the likes of Lex Veldhuis, Sam Grafton, Jennifer Shahade, Ben Spragg, and a dozen others as representatives of the Red Spade.
“We are delighted to welcome Barny Boatman to the PokerStars family,” said Kevin Harrington, CEO at PokerStars, in a press release. “Barny’s reputation as one of the most respected and accomplished players in the industry precedes him, and we are confident that his insights and contributions will be invaluable as we continue to innovate and evolve as a platform.”
Many things have “preceded” Boatman, who, at 68, has seen plenty both off and on the poker table. A founding member of the Hendon Mob, he started appearing on TV playing poker in 1999 on one of the first poker shows, “Late Night Poker.” He transitioned to the commentator booth of the show a few seasons later.
He’s a two-time WSOP bracelet winner. PokerStars added him to their roster a week or so after he took down the PokerStars’ European Poker Tour Paris’ €5,300 headliner for €1,287,800 ($1,388,059). It was his largest lifetime cash.
Darren Elias stays with BetMGM
Record-holding four-time World Poker Tour champ Darren Elias isn’t going anywhere. BetMGM announced Elias will continue serving as the face of the online casino’s poker brand.
“BetMGM Poker has been a tremendous partner and I’ve been proud to be part of the company’s growth for the last few years,” Elias said. “Together, we will continue innovating our online poker offerings and focus on bringing new hybrid online and live poker opportunities to all of BetMGM’s poker and sports markets across the U.S.”
The “hybrid online and live poker opportunities” are live tournaments that have satellites running on BetMGM’s online poker sites. The next event on that docket is the Borgata Spring Poker Open, April 29 to May 14.
“BetMGM is proud to extend our partnership with a poker champion of the caliber of Darren Elias,” said Luke Staudenmaier in a press release. “Darren’s talent and passion for poker, along with his dedication to excellence, align perfectly with our brand values. We look forward to achieving new milestones together and continuing to provide top-tier online and live poker opportunities to our players.”
Elias has been with BetMGM since 2021.
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