Unibet Signs Trio of Prominent Poker Pros

The 2017 Unibet Open London kicked off on the 23rd and runs until the 26th, with its Main Event already underway at the Grosvenor Victoria Casino. A few days earlier, the operator took the opportunity to sign three notable poker pros to help promote the brand, namely Ian Simpson, Dara O’Kearney and David Lappin.
Unibet Poker has a reputation for running a fun, recreational-friendly site, and its three new brand ambassadors certainly fit the bill, as all are talented pros who maintain an active and popular presence on social media.
UK player Ian Simpson (photo) has amassed $965,357 in winning since his first cash back in 2009, with his biggest score coming in 2013 after outlasting a field of 505 players at the €2,250 PaddyPower Irish Open for €265,000 ($339,604).
Ireland’s Dara O’Kearney has also achieved some impressive results over the years, and has earned $888,375 from the live arena, and a further $2,278,906 playing online under the screen name Doke. Meanwhile, David Lappin, also from Ireland, has won $400,501 playing live tournaments, and a further $914,630 online using the screen name LAPPIN.
As well as their results at the poker tables, all three regularly keep fans updated via their social media, and write blogs, with their future responsibilities at Unibet likely to include appearances on the site’s Twitch channel.
Unibet’s latest signings are seen as part of its ongoing strategy of appealing to social media users, casual players, as well as online gamers. On the 22nd, Unibet even hosted an eSports tournament called the “eSports Battle Royale IV” in which Viktor “Isildur1” Blom and eight professional gamers competed for a £5,000 ($6,200) poker prize. In the end, however, Blom was eliminated in 7th place, while the tournament was won by Alan “Hotted89” Widmann from World of Warcraft fame, with Craig “onscreen” Shannon (Counter-Strike) coming 2nd for £3,000, and Sebastian “Forsen” Fors (Hearthstone) in 3rd for £2,000.