Above the Felt

A New-Age Poker Marketing & Talent Agency focused on connecting poker players, businesses & fans across industries. Founded by @TomWheaton_ in March 2021.

[ESPN @espn]

THE WORLD SERIES OF POKER IS BACK‼️

Peyton and Eli welcome its return to ESPN and the ESPN App 🍿

[Above the Felt @abovethefelt]

@e_tay @BetMGM 💪 🥳 ♠️ 🦁

[E-TAY @e_tay]

This is honestly one of the most exciting announcements of my career. In this industry, you better believe I understand how lucky I am for an opportunity like this. 🙏@betmgm is a company that I fully stand behind, they see & accept me for exactly authentically who I am. 💃🏻I am making a commitment to represent their brand to the best of my ability. My gratitude extends to every single person who has helped & unconditionally supported me along the way. I see and love you all! ❤️ @BetMGMPoker

[BetMGM News @BetMGMNews]

BetMGM Adds Esther “E-Tay” Taylor to @BetMGMPoker Pro Ambassador Roster https://t.co/3beVXycTPd

[Jeremy Ausmus @jeremyausmus]

Looks like I made the right decision between 10k LHE and 1.5k plo…..bagged chiplead!

[ACR Poker @ACR_POKER]

Chris Moneymaker just dropped his newest vlog. @CMONEYMAKER

Get a front row seat as he navigates the World Series of Poker!

Daily vlog on his youtube channel
(Link in comments)👇
#wsop2026

[Darren Elias @DarrenElias]

Pumped to be heading to Vegas today for first stretch of @WSOP. $25k HU NL tmrw

[Chris Moneymaker @CMONEYMAKER]

This weekend I will be @betoxfordFL playing a poker tourney Friday night. Cash games all day Saturday and this tourney Sunday. I will be hanging out and answering questions all weekend.

[Tom Wheaton @TomWheaton_]

I thought a lot about the new @WSOP patch/logo brand approval rules this weekend.

As someone who works with players & companies on both sides of this through @abovethefelt I can honestly see both perspectives.

WSOP has the right to protect its production, partners & brand environment. Especially with @espn back in the mix.

At the same time, player sponsorships matter. If poker wants continued investment into creators & champion ambassadors then brands need meaningful ways to receive value too.

We also shouldn't be surprised that the status of business relationships & alignment of strategic partnerships play a role in these decisions. That happens across sports, media & entertainment all the time.

What’s more interesting to me right now though is the potential long-term upside of the approach to the Main Event this year.

With ESPN involved again, I know our friends at @OmahaProd will lean into content storytelling & character building...so there may be more opportunity for outside industry brands to see something different & invest budget $ in our space in new ways.

This sponsorship biz dev area has been my biggest poker marketing challenge (on the agency & consulting sides) & tbh I haven't been able to overcome it that well last few years. It hasn't been for lack of effort, it's just really hard to get major or mid-level category brands outside our space to invest marketing dollars in poker.

I'm optimistic about the next few years though because more execs are starting to get that poker is not the same as casino gambling. The objection then changes to budget allowance & value return of their spend. It's not a sales process it's an education process.

It’ll also be interesting to see whether this stance by WSOP creates more collaboration opportunities long term between tours or brands that historically have viewed each other more competitively.

In some unforeseen way could this lead to a healthier competitive environment among some of the more prominent companies in poker over time? Reach is reach.

My guess is that it could...but we'll need a few strong examples of how collaboration is better than competition for sponsorship revenue for major operators & our top players/personalities.

I don’t know if this year's new brand patch approach is good or bad for poker long term. It'll probably change over the next couple years anyway.

But I do think transparency & collaboration between operators, players & brands will 💯 matter more than ever as our game keeps evolving.

We're all going to have to adapt in some ways to fuel our industry growth potential. I think that by the end of this year it will be more clear how we can work together to do just that.

I'm lucky to have great relationships with most major operators in our industry. And it's clear to me that WSOP can be the biggest driving force of mainstream poker awareness & credibility with their new broadcast & production relationships.

It might be a polarizing opinion, but until other major poker operators or brands land these types of mass market/media broadcast deals then I think we all need to do our part to swallow some pride & play a collaborative long game to truly grow poker from a fan & sponsor perspective.

That's all of us. Players, entrepreneurs, c-suite gaming execs, contractors, creators, mid-level managers & anyone involved in our community or industry with influence.

At the corporate/consulting level, I think we need to to start asking less about how we can compete to steal market share etc, & ask more how can we collaborate to grow the poker market overall.

Based on research that most live & online poker players usually compete in multiple operator offerings regularly I think that there is room for everyone to win together.

OK, that was longer than planned. Thanks for reading & would be happy to hear your perspectives as well.

[E-TAY @e_tay]

Excitement for the @wsop 2026 is REAL. I’m going to give it my best, try to put myself in good spots for something great to happen! My goal is make as few mistakes as possible, in every aspect. But at the end of the day, whatever happens, I will try my best to stay humble and grateful. I fully understand how lucky we are to play a game for a living, and I hope to give you some good sweats! ❤️ I will be doing more personal live/video updates on https://t.co/7t2FQci3OL ♠️ @BetMGMPoker

[Pocket Queens @PocketQueensPkr]

The field is leaking. Are you catching it? 💸
TONIGHT, @DarrenElias breaks down how to zoom out & make the exploitative adjustments that actually improve your winrate 📈
🧠 Spot tendencies
🎯 Attack weaknesses
💰 Print more
📅 5/13 | 🕞 6PM PST | 📍 Zoom (link in Discord)

[Poker Org @pokerorg]

The OG @DarrenElias has arrived at Borgata Spring Poker Open Championship and he already putting people in the blender 🤔

[Jeremy Ausmus @jeremyausmus]

Great start to event 1 of the USPO! Final table today. I’ve always really wanted win this giant eagle 🙏🏼

[E-TAY @e_tay]

6th in the @wsop Ladies Champs, I have the MOST fun in these. 💃🏻 I love competing, meeting new people from all over, learning a piece of their story. We’re so lucky to be able to do this and play cards. Thank you for the support always! ❤️

[Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow]

@CMONEYMAKER Sup Moneymaker

Thanks for your service

[Chris Moneymaker @CMONEYMAKER]

Hey @PatMcAfeeShow

[Chris Moneymaker @CMONEYMAKER]

Been several years since I decided to do a casino appearance like this. Super excited to come check out the room. Also bringing my daughter and her boyfriend for their first ever poker tourney. Come hand out and play some

[Above the Felt @abovethefelt]

Chris Moneymaker 🤝 Oxford Downs

We’re excited to partner with Oxford Downs for their 10-Year Anniversary Event this Memorial Day weekend (May 22–24).

Tournaments, cash games, Q&A and a chance to play alongside the legend @CMONEYMAKER!

Full details ↓
https://t.co/UeoFeHcjwS

[Darren Elias @DarrenElias]

Had a great time talking with a few American online grinders about the game.
@BetMGMPoker