The long-running intertwinement between cryptocurrency and poker took another step forward last week following a pair of announcements from StormX.
The site, which bills itself as “the easiest way to earn cryptocurrency” is no stranger to the world of poker, having run its first invitational tournament in conjunction with PokerGO back in March. That $5,000 event attracted 111 entries, including poker commentator and women’s poker Hall-of-Famer Maria Ho, who signed on as an ambassador for the site last week.
Ho finished ninth in that event for $16,650 while 2004 WSOP Main Event runner-up and “Masterchef” finalist David Williams finished sixth for $33,300. Crypto investor Olivier Blakely was the event winner, pocketing $183,150.
Ho’s down with crypto
Ho, who will be playing the next $5,000 StormX Invitational, scheduled for October 27, joins a star-studded field that includes Williams, Daniel Negreanu, Tom Dwan, Xuan Liu, and Doug Polk.
“StormX is a great bridge for those looking for an extra way to diversify and fuel their portfolios and those who may have only dabbled in crypto before,” Ho said in a press release announcing her signing
I’m super excited to announce that I have partnered with @stormxio as an ambassador! After meeting @SimonYuSEA and getting to know what motivates and drives him, I am proud to be working with someone like him! pic.twitter.com/Ag48GbqTzG
— Maria Ho (@MariaHo) August 25, 2022
Ho seems to be equally excited about working with StormX CEO Simon Yu in particular, who she calls a confirmed poker head.
“After meeting Simon at last year’s StormX Celebrity Poker Invitational, I was incredibly impressed by both his passion for making crypto accessible to everyone and his life story,” said Ho. “It’s nice to be able to enter into a partnership with someone that I respect so highly, and share their vision.”
Yu also shared his excitement about bringing Ho on board with the company.
“We are excited to have Maria representing StormX as an ambassador. We love her overall energy and passion for crypto. She’s one of the best poker players in the business and we hope that with her help, we will be able to reach new crypto enthusiasts.
What is StormX?
StormX is a mobile app and browser extension that eases the process of earning cryptocurrency. They offer Crypto Cashback in the form of Litecoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin, DAI, and StormX’s native token (STMX).
After downloading the StormX app, users can earn crypto through a variety of methods, including shopping online, completing tasks, or through membership rewards.
While crypto has been suffering from some of the same fluctuations that have impacted traditional stock markets over recent months, Ho remains optimistic about its upside potential.
“My outlook on the crypto market is positive overall,” she said. “I believe in blockchain technology and like any new asset it’s bound to have some growing pains, but in the end, the cryptocurrencies that really provide utility and value for real-world applications will end up rising to the top and be here to stay.”
