Pokerstars is attracting attention to its recent sportsbook initiative, and at the same time is cross-marketing to its poker interests in what appears to be a savvy move associated with the company’s Super High Roller event at the current World Championship of Online Poker.
With a buy-in of $51,000 the event was always going to attract a small and mainly professional entry field, aside limited satellite entries, but Pokerstars’ real motive has emerged this week with its announcement that it is to offer betting lines on some of the high profile entrants, engaging both sportsbetting and poker fans simultaneously, and heightening interest in the outcome.
The company is offering bets on just 20 players, all well-known and respected names in online and live tournament poker, with odds ranging from 13 to 1 for Jason Mercier, Daniel Moorman and Daniel Negreanu to 16 to 1 on Jason Somerville, Sorel Mizzi, Ben Sulsky and Dan Smith.
The 15 to 1 odds on players like Viktor Blom, Tobias Reinkmeier, Igor Kurganov, Phillip Gruissem, Dan Colman, Ole Schemion, Ike Haxton, Justin Bonomo, Bertrand Grospellier, Phil Galfond, Mike McDonald appeared to be the biggest group on the list when we went to press Friday morning.
Sports betting experts have suggested that the difference between the odds is not that big, and there is limited reward for the punter in betting on 20 possibilties with the odds paying 16 to 1 or worse, giving the house a high edge of at least 25 percent.
One expert commented: “Given the house edge, the high variance of poker and the strong track records of all the players involved, I really can’t imagine there being any long-term profitable betting opportunities here.”
The full list of players on whom Pokerstars has opened betting lines is available on the website.