Full-tilt Poker,
the online
gambling site, is
launching a
campaign to have
Texas Holdem poker
passed as an
Olympic event. The
internet poker
room is sponsoring
a new site called
“Poker in Athens”
as a means of
campaigning for
the admission of
the game into
future Olympics.
To qualify for the
Olympics, a sport
must be played in
75 countries
across four
continents. The
operators at Full
Tilt believe poker
complies with this
ruling, and their
campaign to get
the game entered,
does contain some
elements of
seriousness-at
least about the
game itself.
The site
hosts a petition
for people to sign
up in support of
the movement, and
features an
amusing open
letter drafted to
the sanctioning
committee, to plea
for Olympic
status. There is
also a forum for
members to chat
with each other on
the issue, as well
as many hoax
stories aimed at
mocking less
conventional
current Olympic
events.
An opening tag
line on the site
reads “More people
compete at
Texas Holdem
Poker than any
other sport.” This
is followed up
with another
truism: “So what
if the players
sport beer bellies
and smoke cigars?
Texas Holdem
Poker is mentally
tough. And the
game deserves a
place at the 2004
games”.
Anyone who signs
the petition gets
100 free chips to
play at Full Tilt,
and a further 25
for every friend
they sign up. With
phrases in the
petition
including: “I
believe that
Texas Holdem
poker transcends
race, age,
geography, climate
and cramps. I
believe that poker
is best played
while double
fisting a piece of
pizza and a cold
beer” and “Deal
poker into the
2004 games, or
I'll come to your
house. I know
where you live. “;
the particular
style of this
marketing campaign
may not swing the
Olympics
sanctioning
committee. The
site however is a
great advert for
poker as a game,
and of course the
sponsoring site
Full Tilt, and is
worth visiting
just for the
pictures of
unusual sportsmen
in even more
unusual positions.
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