iNinja Poker to Return Under New Ownership
A Midwest poker tour that had a brief, controversial run is being brought back under new ownership with the same name and branding.
Poker players in the Midwest may remember iNinja Poker. Under the ownership and direction of Issac "Rungood" Tucker, iNinja introduced a poker tour with unique ninja-themed branding and tournaments at a low price point — generally around $250 — with multiple starting days.
Starting in Minnesota and branching out to nearby Iowa and even holding an iNinja World Championship with 1,140 entries during the summer of 2016 in Las Vegas, iNinja appeared to be carving out a small niche in the industry.
However, financial difficulties emerged and led to a spat between ownership and a group of sponsored players. Tucker announced he'd secured help from a local businessman and the tour would continue operations.
Nothing further developed until an announcement in summer of 2017.
"After strong consideration, iNinja poker is officially done," Tucker wrote on Twitter.
Not So Fast
One year later, it appears the tour has been resurrected with Tucker having presumably sold the brand to a group led by one his former sponsored pros.
WSOP bracelet winner Chris "Fox" Wallace heads an ownership group called Next Level Poker Tours, LLC, and they've acquired the iNinja brand and appear poised to bring it back, according to a presser released late last week. Minnesota reg Brian Soja is also named in the presser as an owner, while one Jordan Handrich is listed as a co-owner on the company website.
"The excitement generated by iNinja was incredible," Wallace said in the release. "I have never seen a tour grow so quickly and I have never seen people have so much fun in a poker tournament. When Issac approached us about taking over the tour it was clear that he wanted it to go to a group of people who could bring it back in a big way and we are going to work hard to make that happen.
"We look forward to awarding millions more to poker players around the world and bringing some of the fun back to poker rooms at a lower price point than many of our competitors.”
The presser promises "a new line-up of card rooms and two completely new and unique tournament formats." No events have been officially announced yet.
Given the tour's controversial past, it's no surprise that Wallace specifically mentioned integrity and transparency in the release. The iNinja website outlines company values and promises:
- Never handling player funds
- Never taking money from prize pools
- Keeping rake reasonable and compensating staff and dealers fairly and promptly
- Honoring guarantees
- Non-participation of tour ownership in events
- Operating under TDA rules
Plenty of competition dots the Midwest poker landscape. WSOP Circuit, Mid-States Poker Tour and Heartland Poker Tour all maintain big presences in the area. Closer to iNinja's old price point, Mike Schneider's Poker is Fun Tour has gotten the ball rolling with an innovative series of events.
The new iNinja ownership group undoubtedly has plenty of work ahead to recapture the tour's small market share and grow it from there.
