Ah, Poker Battle -- one of the great Las Vegas mysteries. OK, maybe not. But we've certainly fielded plenty of questions about it and since the change you mention has just taken place, now's as good a time as any to address it.
Poker Battle was the vision of one of many groups that popped up five years ago hoping to capitalize on the poker boom. In 2008, a story appeared on the Internet site pokernews.com announcing the "Poker Battle Warriors," which included David Williams, Chino Rheem, Michael Mizrachi, Nenad Medic, Evelyn Ng, Tiffany Michelle, and former WSOP Main Event champions Scotty Nguyen, Chris Ferguson, and Johnny Chan, among several other big names. Poker Battle was described as a "new online poker social networking site" that would include "video and audio content and a high-end fashion line." A "Poker Battle Pro Tour" was also announced. When you log on to pokerbattle.com (which is still live), there's a logo with the words "Retail, Gaming, Lifestyle," and a note that still says "Coming Soon." It's obviously not coming at all, but was there ever a plan? We don't think so; at least not one that was defined. And that's not just speculation.
In 2010 some potential business was brewing between Poker Battle and All In magazine. LVA was providing blackjack content to All In at the time and a meeting was held in the conference room at Huntington Press. Present at the meeting was Poker Battle founder, French businessman and poker player Philippe Rouas. Anthony Curtis didn't attend, but walked in and met Rouas. Later Anthony asked one of the All In reps that was there the same question asked in this QoD: "What, exactly, is Poker Battle." This is how Anthony remembers the answer:
"It's nothing. It's just a name. These guys think it's the most powerful name out there and all they want to do right now is advertise it. But there's nothing to advertise except the brand. They don't have a product."
Even though poker's Black Friday was still a couple years away, Poker Battle never launched or made any moves of substance. Its legacy seems destined to be that big sign next to its building that was so prominently visible from the Interstate.
One interesting aspect of the story is the building itself at 4425 Dean Martin Drive. It was previously the headquarters for What's On magazine, which gutted the building and redecorated with an urban-arts look that made it one of the hippest in town. During its Poker Battle incarnation, the building was barely used and nothing was changed except that sign, so the inside décor remains the same today. The new business hasn't opened, but the Poker Battle sign is gone, replaced with one that says "Galaxy Outdoor Kitchens."
