Facebook & WSOP
The 2010 World Series of Poker brought out more players than anyone expected and as the tournament heads toward final play with the November Nine, major poker brands are seeking a method for bringing more poker enthusiasts into the fold.
Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, Inc., has reached an agreement with Playdom, Inc., a social games company to re-launch its exciting Facebook game with the World Series of Poker brand. Playdom currently has their poker sites game as Poker Palace.
“We are very excited to bring the thrill and excitement of the World Series of Poker to the social gaming space with Playdom,” said Craig Abrahams, WSOP vice president. “We will immediately start to work on enhancing the game, bringing unique WSOP promotions and sweepstakes into the offering and ensuring that the battle for WSOP virtual championship bracelets can become a Facebook-friendly endeavor.
Playdom is a Mountain View, Calif.,-based company that offers a number of Facebook games, including Sorority Life, Mobsters and Tiki Resort.
“There is only one brand in poker that stands out and that is the World Series of Poker,” said Sean Phinney, vice president of business development for Playdom. “We think big brands will win on social networks and we are excited to start working together to create a unique and fun social gaming experience.”
Through WSOP on Facebook, players will be able to choose from a number of different offerings, including single table tournaments with full-table and short-handed play, single table play money and virtual cash games. Players can only play with and be awarded play money. There will soon be a battle for virtual WSOP bracelets. To tie the social gaming to the real world of poker, players will be able to enter sweepstakes for trips to Las Vegas and seats to live WSOP events.
Currently, gamers can find the WSOP Facebook games at www.facebook.com/WSOP; MySpace and other social networks will be added shortly.
