Dan Bilzerian can’t seem to stay out of the headlines. While he may not have been directly involved in the latest talking point, the self-style bad boy has helped set a new poker record in India.
Bilzerian can’t take all the credit for what BlitzPoker has achieved. However, the site he’s linked to is making noise with the Indian Online Poker Championship (IOPC).
The series is currently in progress and comes to an end on Jan. 31. Between now and then, BlitzPoker will pay out a guaranteed $4 million which, at the time of publication, is a national record.
BlitzPoker Gaining Strength on Spartan Network
The IOPC is running on the Spartan Poker network. BlitzPoker joined the Spartan Network in August 2020. Therefore, the success of the tournament series isn’t all down to Bilzerian or BlitzPoker.
However, it’s clear that the social media star is having an impact on the poker site’s exploits in India. Indeed, to be involved with a record-breaking event less than six months after launching is notable.
This rapid rise to prominence could be down to the philosophy BlitzPoker has embraced. I3 Interactive, the company behind the site, partnered with Bilzerian to leverage his social media profile. Moreover, it believes there’s a synergy between the brand’s identity and Bilzerian’s online persona.
“At the core of BlitzBet is a philosophy of taking everything to the max. Not settling for good enough. Dan lives life seeking out 12s in a sea of 6s,” reads i3 Interactive’s description of BlitzBet, the sister site of BlitzPoker.
That’s certainly true when it comes to the IOPC. The event has raised the bar for online poker in India. What’s more, the main event will have a guaranteed prize pool worth more than $490,000.
That beats the record set by PokerBaazi’s “Game Changer” in 2019, which held the record for India’s largest MTT with a $283,000 guarantee. Now, however, the IOPC’s main event will take that title.
Bilzerian May Actually be Good for the Game
It should be noted that Bilzerian isn’t mentioned in the latest press release from BlitzPoker. This may be because he’s no longer affiliated with the site. It may also be because he’s also an ambassador for GGPoker.
BlitzPoker didn’t respond to our requests for clarification.
Either way, it seems his ethos is still being used by i3 Interactive. This begs the question, is Bilzerian good for the game?
As the saying goes, “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” If there’s one thing Bilzerian is good at, it’s generating publicity. In this regard, his initial influence on BlitzPoker may be positive.
However, there’s another side to the coin. The reaction to his partnership with GGPoker was explosive, to say the least. But, again, it caused a reaction, and that reaction generated some publicity.
BlitzPoker is looking to shake up the online poker market in India and, given the success of the IOPC, it’s currently succeeding with or without Mr. Bilzerian.
