| Poker Royalty signed by Gavin Griffin If there ever was a win-win partnership in the world of poker then this is it.
The latest buzz is that the celebrated poker agency, Poker Royalty, has been signed by the undisputed poker emperor, Gavin Griffin, to manage and market his celebrity status. The announcement was made by Poker Royalty in Las Vegas last week and since then has been lighting up the poker blogs like wild fire. Griffin is the third player to sign up with Poker Royalty this year, the other two being Patrik Antonius and Bill Elder.
Gavin Griffin is the first and only player to win a triple crown by registering victories at all three major poker tours. He began with a bracelet in the $3,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em event in World Series of Poker 2004, becoming the youngest player till then to do so. Later he added wins in the 3rd season of the European Poker Tour in 2007 and the World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Classic in January 2008.
Griffin’s tournament prize money tally till date is more than $4 million. He is eighth in the overall money list, which is a fantastic achievement since he began playing only in 2004. The European Poker Tour, which started in 2004 about the same time that Griffin turned pro, has him in the leading spot with $2.4 million.
Despite his stupendous achievements of the past four years, the fact remains that Griffin is only 26 and therefore has much more to achieve in the long life ahead of him. While he is busy making money at the poker tables he needs someone to leverage his celebrity status into making more money outside the poker tables. And Poker Royalty has the resources, the know-how and the networking to do just that.
The agency was founded in 2003 in Las Vegas by poker agent Brian Balsbaugh with the objective of promoting poker celebrities and has on its list the who’s who of poker. The illustrious clientele comprising Patrik Antonius, Bill Edler, Greg Raymer, Gus Hansen, Phil Hellmuth, Gavin Smith, Antonio Esfandiari, Johnny Chan, Cyndy Violette, Scotty Nguyen and others have between them $80 million in prize money. For this celebrity group Poker Royalty has negotiated over 200 deals so far. So it was natural that Griffin teamed up with Poker Royalty soon after winning the third of his triple crown.
Now Poker Royalty will be responsible for management and marketing representation of Griffin’s interests across the globe and on all platforms. These include media, sponsorship, licensing, commercial endorsements, speaking appearances, licensing and consulting agreements. Poker Royalty, which works on a percentage of the earnings of its clients, has a fantastic star in Griffin.
Griffin is young, successful, ambitious and always in the news. During the Monte Carlo EPT he played with his hair colored pink in order to draw awareness to breast cancer. This cause is close to his heart because his girl friend was diagnosed with breast cancer at an early age of 20. So now we should be seeing more of Griffin on TV shows and commercials as well in poker tournaments. |
