Does Pepsi Mean the End of the Road for Poker

Filed in archive Poker on March 19, 2006

Has poker finally jumped the shark? The New York Post certainly seems to think so.

Pepsi have started to run TV ads in rotation featuring poker pros such as Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth and Scott Nguyen all losing to a can of Diet Pepsi. Their ad agency claim that Pepsi are following current pop culture trends and Jumping on the poker bandwagon seems to be the latest.

But like many latest trends, experts claim that once it hits the top of its buzz, a downward spiral tends to follow.

TV ratings for pokers shows are already in decline - ESPN 'poker', celebrity poker and WSOP poker have all seen this season's audiences reduced

"When too many people jump on the bandwagon, it reduces the value of the programming and diminishes the game's buzz," said Marc Ganis, president of SportsCorp Ltd. "Poker does have some life left in it, but at some point it is going to have to be recast in a new light so it doesn't become old news."

The article also points to last week's call in the House of Representatives to ban online gambling.

Personally, I think its a bit harsh. There was overkill on TV in the US for poker - just way too many shows and that has suffered accordingly. But i do think poker as a game is as strong as ever.

Article: PEPSI'S POKER AD DOOMS FAD