You didn’t really think “The Chip Race” poker podcast was dead, did you? On Sunday, the same day that the Global Poker Award-winner’s eight-year partnership with Unibet Poker came to an end, it announced that it is now part of the WPT Global family.
Hosted by Barry Carter and VegasSlotsOnline News contributors David Lappin and Dara O’Kearney, “The Chip Race” did seem to be in limbo if a new partner couldn’t be locked down. In an April piece for VSO News, Dara said that without a new sponsor, the end of the show was very possible.
the shenanigans will continue, for better or worse
But with WPT Global now on board, the shenanigans will continue, for better or worse. VSO News sat down with David Lappin to ask about how the new partnership came to be and what podcast listeners can expect going forward.
Congrats on the big move! Be honest though: did WPT Global just offer more biscuits?
Firstly, how did you know that I am paid in biscuits? Secondly, WPT Global was an easy choice. What really impressed us was how cognizant their team was of what “The Chip Race” is and what Dara and I could offer. It’s also a company with big ambitions and that’s exciting as an ambassador because you get to sell that vision to poker players, knowing that they will be valued if they play on the site or attend live events.
You made two very funny viral videos to initially tease and then announce the big move. What was the process like?
That was terrific fun. It was initially the product of a brainstorm between Dara, myself, and Barry. Then we got our partners involved and they added some more ideas and direction. With the first one, I just loved the idea that after only a week of the show being off the air, our lives had fallen apart and we missed each other. With the second, I really wanted to pull in some star power to help us make a big splash, but felt like making them say anything sincere or nice would be cringe and the Irish sense of humor is to be self-deprecating so it would be funny if people like Doug Polk, Tony Dunst, and Brad Owen took the piss out of us. We have a problem now, though, because I’m fairly certain Matt Savage meant what he said, so it’s going to be awkward next time we see him.
Will “The Lock-In” continue to feature low lighting, wine, and unmade beds, or are we going full studio now?
The USP of “The Lock-In” is that myself and Dara show and tell it like it really is. That means getting our raw, unfiltered takes on the poker Zeitgeist. It means seeing my modest trophy cabinet and Dara’s obscenely large one. It also means seeing the couch-bed that Dara sleeps in when he doesn’t want to wake his wife after a big winning session and the couch-bed that I sleep in when I get kicked out of the bedroom for snoring.
What will the transition be like going from Unibet to WPT Global? Like switching tables in a poker tournament, or going from NLH to PLO heads-up after three G&Ts?
I can only assume a G&T is some variation of SnG that I haven’t played yet. As for the transition, the two companies certainly have different brand identities and it’s our job to quickly ascertain what aspects of our personalities and our content we can emphasize. That might sound inauthentic, but it really isn’t. As podcasters, you do different kinds of interviews, so you get well-practiced at dialing up or down various traits to suit the guest. It’s similar for us now as brand ambassadors.
What advice would you give to aspiring poker players who want to land sponsorship deals…apart from “host an award-winning podcast and become beloved personalities?”
I’d tell them that hosting a three-time award-winning podcast is not enough. You also need to be an award-winning poker book author and an award-nominated journalist.
I was a terrible Twitcher because it was obvious I didn’t want to be there.”
Seriously though, the days of being patched up for just being amazing at the game are long gone. Maybe there are still a handful of those guys, but really, you have to be a content creator. You also have to love and focus on the craft of what you do in the content space. I was a terrible Twitcher because it was obvious I didn’t want to be there. “The Chip Race” works because Dara and I are passionate about hearing people’s stories.
And finally, what’s on the agenda for the next few months?
We are always about 3-4 episodes ahead of ourselves in terms of planning the show. Some of those segments are banked and some are booked. I don’t want to spoil the surprises, but what I can say is Doug Polk will be on the first “Chip Race” episode next week alongside Justin Young, Art Parmann, Sinéad Davenport, and Padraig O’Neill. After that, we have one of our long-time white whales – someone we’ve tried to book several times before and now that we got him, I know it’s going to be a great summer!
