Deputy Editor
Online poker solver GTO Wizard has expanded its marketing efforts, sponsoring a live poker series for the first time.
In a post on X, the popular poker study tool revealed its sponsorship of the Zodiac Series of Poker, a festival taking place in Taipei, Taiwan.
“We’re proud to sponsor the Zodiac Series of Poker, a festival celebrating Asia’s vibrant poker scene,” the post says. “From first shuffle to final hand, we’re here to support the players chasing glory under the bright ZSOP lights.”
The ZSOP is a newer tournament series, having run its first event this March. Its theme plays off of the Chinese Zodiac signs. During each festival, one tournament corresponds to the each of the 12 signs. For example, the goat is a high roller bounty, the snake is the main event, etc. Winners of these events earn a trophy matching the sign.
Stakes are relatively modest. For example, the March series had an NT$22,000 buy-in for its main event, equivalent to about $730. Still, the field was big enough to award a first-place prize north of $120,000.
Latest Marketing Move From GTO Wizard
The sponsorship of the ZSOP is just the latest example of GTO Wizard ramping up and expanding its marketing efforts.
GTO Wizard has already taken the most traditional marketing route by sponsoring popular and well-known players. Just weeks ago, it announced a deal with budding Japanese star Shiina Okamoto, a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner who has been laying waste to ladies events.
WSOP Main Event winner Espen Jorstad also creates content for GTO Wizard on a regular basis. He and Dan “Jungleman” Cates are named as Team Pros on their X accounts.
Sponsoring a live poker tournament is an interesting move, because use of GTO Wizard itself is frowned upon, if not outright banned, at many live poker stops. The WSOP added a special set of rules banning electronic assistance following a high-profile controversy at the end of the 2024 WSOP Main Event.
Fears around in-game use of tools like GTO Wizard have intensified even further this year after popular Argentine pro Nacho Barbero screenshotted himself playing poker while having the tool open on his computer.
In the ensuing months, GTO Wizard has only become more powerful, adding multi-way solver capability.
Emerging markets like Asia provide a prime expansion opportunity for all poker-based businesses, and GTO Wizard is no exception. From that standpoint, the pairing of GTO Wizard with a live poker event makes sense, even if it’s at odds with the fundamental use of the product.
