Is this one of the biggest mainstream endorsement deals for a professional poker player?

He may not be a mega star worldwide but PokerStars Pro and WSOP bracelet winner Andre Akkari is genuinely famous in his homeland of Brazil, so much so he is friends with many of the Brazilian football squad and he carried the Olympic Torch this year.

Now he has announced a sponsorship deal with Puma:

I am really happy to announce my new sponsor, welcome to the incredible poker world @puma ! Estou super feliz de anunciar meu novo patrocinador, bem vindo ao incrível mundo do poker @puma A photo posted by Andre Akkari (@aakkari) on Sep 11, 2016 at 11:59am PDT

A landmark endorsement for poker?

Andre Akkari

This is one of the first big examples of a traditional mainstream sponsor endorsing a professional poker player. Last year Team Liquid sponsored ElkY for eSports, which was another milestone moment for poker sponsorship.

However, the fact that Puma is a globally recognised sporting brand is a huge deal for Akkari and poker. Normally it is the poker rooms endorsing sports stars, like PokerStars have done with Ronaldo and Neymar.

He is still listed as a Team PokerStars Pro so this, like the ElkY eSports sponsorship, appears to be the start of a trend of poker pros having multiple endorsement deals, much like traditional sports stars.



Is this a big deal for poker? Let us know in the comments:

Barry Carter Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2. Twitter

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