GPWA Times Magazine - Issue 13 - June 2010

And Fleyshman isn’t just using the slo- gan asmarketing fodder; he’s putting his moneywherehismouth is. VictoryPoker just started a $100,000 promotion that will award the winner tournament buy- ins, cash, a car, clothes and a condo on theLasVegasStrip foroneyear. Thecon- test was launchedwith a slick online vid- eo, and25peoplewhouploadone-minute videosmakingacase for their inclusion in the contestwill be selectedas finalists. “I want to market the fun, the emotions and the aspirations involved in poker,” says Fleyshman. “I’m taking a ‘lifestyle’ marketing approach because these are our real lives.” Thecompetitionwillbe tapedand isbeing pitched to televisionnetworks.Fleyshman admitsthatthere’snoguaranteethat itwill be pickedup, but withVictoryPoker put- tingup themoneyand the talent, itshould be attractive to network executives. And just in casehe isunable to finda televised home for thecontest,Fleyshmanwillhave an in-house production team film every- thing so that it canbe released either as a DVDoron the Internet. VictoryPoker has alreadymade its pres- ence knownwith videos on the Internet. In addition to the five-minute, 39-sec- ondvideoproduced to introduce theVic- tory Poker Propromotion, a two-minute video showing Esfandiari being shot by a 22-caliber pistol while wearing a bul- letproof vest inBilzerian’s condominium in Las Vegas is on the VictoryPoker.net Web site. “Blitz is a maniac,” says Esfandiari. “He was shooting this bulletproof vest on the ground in his condowith a gun. And I’m like, ‘So if Iwore it, you could shootme?’ Hewas all over it. It was a pretty intense rush for me. I liked it; I don’t think I’d do it again, but anything for Victory, you know?” In addition to briefWeb video spots, Es- fandiari has managed to find other ways topromoteVictoryPoker.Hewill appear on the season premier of HBO’s “Entou- rage” this summerwithTorelli. “It’s not like I have a real role,” Esfandi- ari says. “I’m just sitting at a poker table. You’re going to seemy head for like four seconds. I have a line, but I don’t think it will make the cut. Nick Cassavetes, a fa- mousdirectorwho isalsoagoodbuddyof mine, is at the poker table while Jeremy Piven comes up and they get in this ar- gument and theywalk away, and I’m just hangingout next toNick, playingpoker.” WhileEsfandiarimay try tominimizehis role, he and Torelli did wear their Vic- tory Poker patches during the filming of a scene that millions of people will see either when the show premiers or down the road in repeated airings.When asked how hewas able to convince the produc- ers to let themwear the patches, Esfan- diari responded, “‘The Face’ has special powers, youknow?” Despite exciting promotions, rapid growth and a great deal of buzz its first few months, Victory Poker still has a long way to go to compete with the big boys in the Internet poker industry. But that doesn’t faze Fleyshman, who has already built one company from the ground up and is looking for another success story, all before his 30th birthday. “My goal is to become one of the top-10 onlinepoker sites,” saysFleyshman. “But I’m not expecting to become the next Full Tilt or PokerStars. It’s amazing how manyplayershavebeen registering every day from all over the world. I will keep signing newpros and keepdoingnew af- filiate and marketing deals because I’m positive that we are going to reach that goal. We’ve been growing much quicker than I expected and there’s still somuch more to come.” Atwo-minutevideoshowingEsfandiari beingshotbya22-caliberpistolwhile wearingabulletproofvest inBlitz Bilzerian’scondominium inLasVegas is on theVictoryPoker.netWebsite. Dan“Blitz”Bilzerian 46 The Face of Things to Come