Pool Poker & Pain teams up with Poker Icons

Poker Icons, the poker agency that both works with player representations and as a international poker media agency, has been chosen by Blair Thein, the founder of the concept Pool, Poker & Pain.

(Press release, Los Angeles & Malta, March 20, 2010)    
Blair Thein has combined three of the most action-packed sports around: Pool, Poker and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and wrapped it up in a very exiting TV reality show.

This sports and entertainment historical show will host its final live at a Las Vegas casino.

Pool, Poker & Pain introduces multi-talented athletes with heart and willpower beyond compare, and the concept is bound to bring together the masses that follow each individual sport.

Thein has constructed Pool, Poker & Pain in a way that allows each sport to keep its own integrity and identity, but at the same time the contestant have to perform in all of them to be crowned the overall winner.

"This also opens up a window of opportunity for payback in case of any bad beats at the poker table", says Blair with a smile.

The contestant will be facing each other both at the pool table, on the poker felt and finally in the circle of truth (MMA style) a 32-foot fighting cage.

There will be several world class coaches to tutor the contestants in each sport, but the poker pro coach is still undecided…

“I negotiated with most of the known poker agencies, but landed on Poker Icons to be our representatives in the gaming industry. I was really impressed with what they could bring to the table, and since this is my life's work, I'm going with only the best” - Blair explains.

Poker Icons will be responsible for bringing on the poker brand and coaches, but also the high profiled agency Brand In Entertainment (BIE) is part of the team. They bring over 35 years of main stream advertising experience, along with an impressive roster of clients who appreciate the effectiveness of brand integration.

Rolfe Auerbach, BIE - CEO comments:
"Brand-in Entertainment believes that the opportunity to profoundly change the nature of three sports – Poker, Pool and Martial Arts – in one project – opens the door to a vast array of viewers and ultimately to new buyers for the clients who integrate their products and services into Pool, Poker and Pain. Once involved in this manner, these clients will become part of the series plotline – and cannot be TiVo'd out. Additional spot advertising they buy in the series will serve to enhance their efforts to reach their consumer.”

Blair Thein, Pool, Poker & Pain founder comments:
"Pool,Poker and Pain has finally broke through to the poker industry! After 6 years creating this unique and extremely exciting concept, I am thrilled that I found Poker Icons to represent us towards the gaming industry! I really feel very blessed and honored now that both BIE and Poker Icons is fighting for this show and that my vision and dream is very close to becoming a reality!”

Per Hagen, Poker Icons - CEO comments:
“We here at Poker Icons are very happy and proud being selected by Pool, Poker & Pain to represent them in the poker industry. I have absolute no doubt that this concept will create sporting and entertainment history!”

Pool, Poker & Pain got a lot of attention in the pool and fight media, and they have already secured sponsorship deals with major main stream products and Simonis, the leading pool cloth manufactor.

Poker Icons will now start to search for a poker brand to align themselves with this global groundbreaking concept and ongoing talks with different TV networks is also under way.