The online poker industry has been around for well over a decade, with the largest boom occurring just after Chris Moneymaker’s epic tale that started with a $39 online poker satellite and ended with a 2003 WSOP Championship title. The competitive nature of the business has been brutal, with those on top being the most innovative in multifarious aspects of their brand. The marketing end is a crucial one, and Full Tilt has taken a huge leap in the right direction with a series of new television ads that portray a more realistic view of online poker in the UK.
For years, every televised ad for poker glorifies the experience of playing on a laptop or mobile device, often portraying big-name pros at the tables. The fact is, playing online poker is not going to transport the player into a fantastic realm akin to James Bond’s Casino Royale experience. Individuals aren’t going to become instant pros, generating a hefty bankroll to flaunt at the cash tables just because they started playing online poker. It’s more about the game, the cards, the chips and the psychology that goes into every decision made.
That’s exactly what the marketing crew at Full Tilt had in mind when they developed the latest ad campaign, releasing two new commercials to the UK online poker community entitled, ‘Full Tilt – The Bluff’ and ‘Full Tilt – The Call’. The commercials are intertwined, revolving around the exact players and poker hand, infused with an element of mystery.
In the first advert, ‘Full Tilt – The Bluff’, the scene depicts a live table of 4 (plus dealer), opening with the introductory dialogue, “This isn’t a poker story you’ll find in any movie.” Narration is provided as the thought process of the short-stacked player ($14.50) who looks on as the river produces a fourth Heart on the board. “If I’m going to turn this game around, it won’t be how I play these cards,” he thinks as he peers down as a 5 and 6 of Spades, “It will be how I play him.” The camera pans to the other end of the table, where the only other player left in contention has the highest stack ($83.50). “So I go all in”, his thoughts continue as a wry smile creases his lips, “because I don’t think he has the heart.” As the cards begin to flip, the live table fades to the bluffing player, looking down at the mobile poker app on his tablet.
The next commercial, ‘Full Tilt – The Call’, recaps the first sequence, but from the point of view of the higher stacked player. “Has he got the heart, or is he just hoping I don’t?” he ponders, peeking at a King and Queen of Clubs that both paired the board. He makes the call; “I’m not leaving without a show.” Again, the cards begin to flip as the impression fades to the calling player seated on his couch peering down with a smile at his mobile tablet.
The mystery is solved. The caller beats the bluffer, as is statistically probable in a realistic setting. We can surmise that the caller is the better player, based on the fact that his stack is nearly 6x higher than the bluffer. Thus Full Tilt has portrayed the most realistic televised online poker ad in the history of the business.
Truth in advertising is something we can all appreciate these days, and any experienced online poker player will tell you that scenarios such as this are exactly how the action unfolds at Full Tilt all day, every day. The fact that the stack sizes were depicted in the advert, holding $14 and $83 respectively, represents the recreational player as well. My applause to Full Tilt for refraining from the portrayal of big-name poker pros with 6-figure chip stacks in its latest effort to draw UK online poker fans to the virtual felt.