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What has been the highlight of 2007 for the company and why?
For us the highlight of 2007 most definitely has to be the massive success of the Irish Open. Becoming the largest poker tournament to have ever taken place outside of the US was an incredible experience. The team put in so much hard work and heart into this tournament, watching it grow over the past three years has been exhilarating and very rewarding.
What has been the worst moment of 2007 for the company and why?
Migrating our entire customer base over to the new Playtech platform was a tough challenge for us, both for the limited time we had to coordinate such a huge move and for the sheer amount of effort involved in error handling. Having said that, we do love a challenge.
What has been the biggest tournament of the year on PaddyPowerPoker?
One of the great aspects of being on the Playtech network is the substantial liquidity the network offers. This has allowed us not only to guarantee $1,000,000 tournaments but also to hold one of the biggest ever online poker festivals, the 2007 European Championship of Online Poker (ECOOP). In March of this year we will hold a $2,000,000 Guaranteed tournament which will top the list as our largest ever online guarantee.
Offline, in April 2007 we held the €2,000,000 Guaranteed Irish Open in the Burlington hotel. 708 players turned out to play with over one hundred on the reserve list. Phil Laak, Jennifer Tilly, Andy Black, Antonio Esfandiari, Mike Sexton, Dan Harrington and Carlos Mortenson all competed in the event along with a host of poker professionals, online qualifiers and live playing hopefuls. Eventually Marty Smyth from Belfast took home the trophy following an epic heads-up battle with Roland De Wolfe. It was a stunning final.
This year we have increased the prize pool to €3,000,000 Guaranteed and rumour has it that the legend of poker himself Doyle Brunson will fly to Dublin in March to compete.
How has Paddy Power Poker managed to establish itself and be successful in a crowded online poker market?
Paddy Power PLC was one of the first betting companies to bring its products to the internet. From inception our ethos of ‘fun, fair and friendly’ has been embodied in everything we do. We pride ourselves on taking that extra step every time to make promotions more edgy and fun and to place our players in pole position at all times with money back specials, freerolls and top-notch customer service. After all, ultimately it is the players who have made paddypowerpoker.com the success it is today.
Sponsoring the Irish Open has also been instrumental in establishing paddypowerpoker.com as a leader in the online poker space. Bridging the gap between online and offline poker has been an important step in getting a foothold in the poker market.
What special efforts do PaddyPowerPoker make to offer freerolls to their players?
Freerolls and freeplay are an extremely important aspect of an online poker offering. Poker is a game of skill and discipline and it is paramount that players are given the opportunity to comprehensively learn the game before moving into real money play. Not only do we arrange special freerolls and giveaways on a monthly basis, paddypowepoker.com offers a wide range of daily scheduled giveaways and freerolls that are open to all of our players. In the great tradition of ‘fun, fair and friendly’ we are committed to providing these kind of money back specials for our valued customers.
How many staff does the company employ and where?
Paddypowerpoker.com’s head office is situated in Dublin, Ireland. The poker team comprises primarily of operations, marketing, PR, events and customer services, employing a team of approximately 25 people.
What do you have planned for 2008? What sort of year is it going to be?
2007 has been a year of triumph and challenge for us. The business continues to grow steadily and securing our players continued loyalty by improving our product offering and promotional offerings will be our major focus. In March 2008 we will once again host the €3,000,000 Guaranteed paddypowerpoker.com Irish Open. As in the past, we will build on the successes of previous years and deliver the best boutique poker tournament in the world. From inception this business has been an exciting and challenging one. We expect no less than to rise to the occasion once more in 2008 and deliver excellence in poker, both online and off.
Nikki Newman, poker manager, Paddy Power
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