Rumor Has it – Gus Hansen and Viktor Blom No Longer Sponsored by Full Tilt?

Although there hasn’t been official confirmation of any sort as of yet, the rumors have been growing stronger within online poker community that two of the most recognized faces of Full Tilt (Poker), Gus Hansen and Viktor ‘Isildur1’ Blom are no longer sponsored by the room.

Gus Hansen has been MIA for quite some time now, while Viktor has been playing more and more on PokerStars, which is quite uncharacteristic for ‘Isildur1’ who has been known to spend vast majority of his time grinding on Full Tilt.

Not a Big Surprise?

If true, this information doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as there have been numerous indicators that the things could play out this way. For example, a long announced promotion that should have featured Gus Hansen and Blom battling it out ended up with Hansen not even bothering to show up for the match.

Blom has been playing a lot but, as mentioned, he’s been seen on PokerStars tables much more than before and, apart from his playing efforts and the failed match against Gus, there hasn’t been much marketing value to be had from the Swedish pro.

Furthermore, Full Tilt has taken a very strong turn towards the casino games and it seems that the Amaya’s plans for the future are to base most of poker action on PokerStars while strengthening and developing casino offering on Full Tilt. One clear indication is also the fact they’ve removed the word ‘poker’ from the site’s name.

What Happens to Viktor and Gus?

People always like speculating, and this case is no different. In a 2 + 2 thread, many posters were speculating about what will happen to Gus and Viktor if their contracts are terminated. Will they be signed over to PokerStars or will they be offered a new deal by a different company?

Many would like to see both of them over at PokerStars, and, while this can happen for Blom, considering the latest happenings it is not likely that Hansen will be offered the same. For one, the Amaya has terminated several contracts of well known names just recently, which indicates they are not really looking to expand their team.

Looking from a purely bystander perspective, it also doesn’t seem that Gus really has that much interest in being signed pro at the moment. There is no denying that his personality makes for good TV and that he is well liked by the fans, but all that has a little value if he is not actually making appearances.

Some have also mentioned that it may not reflect too good on the room to sponsor a player who is officially down $20 million playing cash games, but this probably hasn’t played nor will play a huge role in making a decision about the contracts.

Marketing value of a player is the key factor and while both Gus and Viktor were the guys attracting masses to the tables and on the rail, this has changed a lot due to many factors, so all options are in the air for them.