The Chip Race, the a number of GPI award-winning poker podcast, has obtained new sponsorship from WPT International. The present lives on!
With its radio-style format, the podcast amasses hundreds of listens per episode. Segments embody in-depth discussions masking the newest happenings within the poker world and curated visitor appearances from poker personalities and business professionals. Since launching in 2015, The Chip Race has change into a staple pay attention for poker followers across the globe.
With their eight and a half yr sponsor Unibet Poker dealing with business headwinds and declining market share, it was introduced in mid-April that The Chip Race could be left with no sponsor come June 1, 2025.
Not solely was sponsorship of The Chip Race ending, however so was the sponsorship of its spin off present, the Lock-In, that carries a way more casual tone. As well as, the Unibet Poker ambassador roles that co-hosts Dara O’Kearney and David Lappin had for nearly a decade would even be coming to an finish.
As a result of time-intensive nature of making the present, its future was thrust into uncertainty. The co-hosts revealed at the moment that they might be actively looking for new partnership alternatives. Persevering with with no sponsor was a no-go.
However exhausting work pays off. In lower than two month since that announcement was made, O’Kearney and Lappin, together with their cherished podcast portfolio, will proceed on. A brand new sponsor on the helm.
WPT International has Entered the Chat
With none notable disruption for followers, the change over to WPT International sponsorship has been seamless. Already there are visitors lined up for The Chip Race and a brand new episode of The Lock-In is popping out Monday June 2.
Triton Poker Tremendous Excessive Curler Collection winner and WPT International ambassador, Xuan Liu, is headlining the present because the pair’s first visitor. The present airs simply sooner or later after the Unibet Poker sponsorship formally ended.
“We now have a giant worldwide viewers and we wish to carry them on this journey with us,” Lappin informed pokerfuse. “We would like them to enroll to the location, battle us on the tables and hang around with us at WPT reside stops. Within the brief time period, the factor I’m most wanting ahead to is the response to our first few reveals. We’ve booked some big visitors! I’m not going to disclose my hand fairly but however proper out of the gate we now have a Lock-In with Triton WPT International Slam winner Xuan Liu which is able to come out on Monday.”
The sponsorship take care of WPT International will even have O’Kearney and Lappin patched up as ambassadors for one yr. They plan to attend WPT reside stops so we are able to count on to see them on the reside tables very quickly. “We’ve been to the WPT World Championship yearly because it began and it was the very best occasion on the calendar. I can’t wait to attend extra WPT stops,” stated O’Kearney.
“For me, it was an easy choice,” Cameron Soane WPT International On-line Advertising Supervisor for Eire informed pokerfuse. “I’ve lately taken on the function of main our on-line advertising operations within the Irish market, so it was fairly the deal with to listen to that The Chip Race was coming accessible, and that there could be a possibility to work with each Dara and David. Nevertheless, The Chip Race is extra than simply an Irish dealing with poker podcast. During the last 10 years they’ve obtained a number of world awards, and collectively, they’ve finished an unimaginable job at retaining the manufacturers they’ve beforehand labored with acknowledged globally. We’re delighted that they’ve chosen to work with us, and we now have huge plans for our partnership within the second half of 2025. Anticipate some thrilling bulletins quickly!”
The duo are assured that they will contribute behind the scenes too at WPT International model, bringing their huge expertise on and off the felt to their new group. “We really feel like we are able to advise on our areas of experience, like match schedules, reside occasions and most significantly of all, the participant expertise,” per feedback make to pokerfuse by O’Kearney.
Followers of the podcast can count on a lot of the identical, however new parts will embody creation of brief type content material and skits.
“One distinction is that on prime of our standard slate, 20 Chip Race episodes, 15 Lock-Ins and 15 technique segments, we will even be making some brief type content material — that’s the best way the business has gone so we’ll be having enjoyable with clips, skits and snappy technique ideas,” Lappin added.
Followers of the duo’s candor can be relieved that the brand new sponsorship deal won’t shackle them to WPT-only content material.
With the ability to interview visitors which might be affiliated with different manufacturers will even be attainable, per feedback made by Lappin — a component to the present that at all times appeared non negotiable. “[WPT Global] fully understood the The Chip Race mission assertion; the way it’s USP is the range facet and the way retaining which means letting us interview a variety of visitors, typically individuals with different model affiliations.”
Give attention to the leisure participant expertise was additionally one thing that attracted Lappin and O’Kearney to affiliate themselves with WPT International. For these not within the know, WPT International is an actual cash on-line poker web site, serving the worldwide market. Nevertheless, it isn’t accessible within the UK, US, Ontario or different segregated EU markets.
“In phrases is particular USPs, David and I do know that the leisure participant is the lifeblood of the sport so we actually like how the software program limits the variety of ‘professional’ gamers at money recreation tables, disincentivising predatory play from the higher gamers while concurrently rewarding the game-starters,” O’Kearney stated. “We’ve additionally been impressed with how quickly the participant base has grown and the give attention to recreation safety.”
“In a nutshell, that’s what’s cool about this partnership, concurrently being a part of a giant firm whereas on the identical time understanding that we are able to contribute to a more recent a part of that firm that has room to develop,” added Lappin.
The WPT International sponsored the Lock-In with Xuan Liu airs June 2, 2025.
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