PokerStars Sponsors High Stakes Poker Season 6, Logos Allowed?

High Stakes Poker will have a sponsor for the first time in season 6, according to Dennis Phillips: PokerStars. Historically, PokerStars left US TV-show marketing mostly to Full Tilt Poker, but with Million Dollar Challenge, and now High Stakes Poker, it's clear that PokerStars has changed their strategy.

There's a hint that there may be another major change for High Stakes Poker in season 6. Andreas Hoivold, who's expected to play the season, wrote in his blog (in Norwegian): "I should mention that there have been a few inquiries regarding sponsorship. But here I can not write anything until everything is in the bag." Players have never been allowed to wear logos on High Stakes Poker in the past. There have been a few hints (e.g.) that High Stakes Poker was having a hard time putting together a field for the upcoming season, however, and sponsorship would make it easier for players to afford it.

Given that PokerStars pulled their sponsored players from Full Tilt-sponsored Poker After Dark, some people worried that we'd only see PokerStars-sponsored players on High Stakes Poker. Fortunately, several Full Tilt-sponsored players showed up on the High Stakes Poker season 6 player list... a good thing because Full Tilt sponsors many of the best players in the world, and that's where all the "nosebleed-stakes" online games take place. PokerStars, on the other hand, sponsors only one prominent high stakes player: Barry Greenstein. They're more likely to sponsor players that are known for tournament success.

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