partypoker Appoints John Duthie President of partypoker LIVE
Partypoker appointed John Duthie president of partypoker LIVE.
Duthie, the founder and former chief executive officer of the European Poker Tour, has agreed to a five-year deal with partypoker.
“I have been impressed with the progress of partypoker and in particular the number of trusted, experienced and well respected individuals and organizations who have chosen to put their support behind the partypoker brand,” Duthie said in a release. “I believe there is a gap in the market for an operator whose primary focus is poker and who will listen to and work with the poker community, as this was something that was absolutely key to the growth and success of the EPT.”
Duthie himself has amassed over $3.2 million in live tournament winnings and won the Poker Million in 2000.
“I still love the game just as much as the first time I saw my first flop and I believe this passion will help partypoker LIVE become the largest and most fun poker tour in the world,” he said. “I plan to enjoy myself immensely working with and meeting old friends.”
Managing Director of partypoker Tom Waters said that the company is thrilled to take Duthie on.
"I believe there is a gap in the market for an operator whose primary focus is poker."
“Very few people in the world have made such a significant contribution to poker and his experience, relationships and understanding of players will be a huge asset to us,” Waters said. “Our guarantees are ambitious but our marketing strategy is to provide value to players instead of investing money outside of the poker community and we are confident that with John’s guidance we can optimize this strategy for the benefit of the live poker market.”
Partypoker LIVE, a new tour announced in January by partypoker, has confirmed its dates for partypoker Million Germany, which will host a Main Event with a €1 million guarantee and a €1,100 buy-in. The tournament will run June 1 through 5 at King’s Casino Rozvadov.
The partypoker LIVE events will offer a minimum of 5M GTD for a 5K buy-in, 1M GTD for a 1K buy-in and 500K GTD for a 200 buy-in with plans to visit as many countries as possible, feature an online day 1 for each event and host holiday-themed events.
These other confirmed events have also already been scheduled:
| Date | Event | Location | Guarantee | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 23-27 | partypoker Million Sochi | Sochi Casino & Resort | $1M GTE | $1,100 buy-in |
| April 6-10 | partypoker Grand Prix Austria | CCC Montesino | €500K GTE | €225 buy-in |
| April 18-23 | partypoker MILLIONS | Dusk Till Dawn | £6M GTE | £5,300 buy-in |
| April 25 – May 1 | partypoker Grand Prix Canada | Playground | CAD$500K GTE | $220 buy-in |
| April 27 – May 1 | partypoker Grand Prix Germany | King’s Casino | €500K GTE | €225 buy-in |
| May 5-10 | partypoker Million North America | Playground | CAD$5M GTE | $5,300 buy-in |
| June 1-5 | partypoker Million Germany | King’s Casino | €1M GTE | €1,100 buy-in |
