Luis Suárez
If you needed further evidence that the world of online poker is being inhabited by accountants and people who probably could not tell a nut flush from a rail bird then here it is. 888poker are dropping Luis Suárez because of the biting incident during the World Cup match between Uruguay and Italy! Why?
Not being funny but who would not play online poker because Luis Suárez is a brand publicist? In fact a game that is designed to encourage the worst behaviour in human beings – lying, deceitfulness, bluster, boastfulness to name a few – is now supposedly a game of high morals. Get a grip.
888poker should have had courage to run with Luis Suárez. After all he was well known for having a dodgy temperament and had been done for being a biter and exhibit racist behaviour. So to all of a sudden to be turned off by a chomping off an opponent, says more about 888poker than it says about Luis Suárez.
Maybe Luis Suárez didn’t bring a lot of people to the poker site and 888poker so it as an opportunity to get out of a bad deal. Or, there was some internal politics which got played out in the hiring and dismissal of Luis Suárez who knows. But to turn down an marketing opportunity of using Luis Suárez has a fun item is strange and short sighted.
Imagine the things you can organise. If you get bitten by a ‘shark’ you get extra poker points. Offer a bounty on his head in a tournament, put a muzzle on him in a live tournament…the list is endless.
Whatever happens, Luis Suárez will be back playing football and when he is playing football the world will be watching. It maybe with Liverpool or some other team and the press will be all over him like a rash. In the meantime can you imagine a bored Luis Suárez will be a golden nugget to use in online poker tournament as he cannot be associated with anything to do with football. I think 888poker has missed a big trick.