August 19, 2008 (InfoPowa News) — The burgeoning international poker social networking scene has been joined by a new 'big player' community website branded Poker Battle.com, which this week announced its arrival with features like in-house multichannel video and audio, and a top market fashion line planned for September 2008.
The main event of the Partouche Poker Tour in Cannes, France will see the soft launch of the events-based website early September, with the main launch scheduled for the World Series of Poker Europe in London at the end of that month.
With a wide range of 'poker lifestyle' content, original reality-based shows featuring celebrities and poker players, game shows, online radio, podcasts, 'available online only' fashions, sitcoms, and movies, the community is driven by founder, expert French poker player and businessman Philippe Rouas, who is currently readying his 'Poker Battle World Headquarters and Broadcast Studios' in Las Vegas.
To promote the concept, Rouas has engaged with a number of well known online and land poker professionals such as Nenad Medic, Scotty Nguyen, Glen Chorny, Chris Ferguson, David Williams, Noah Schwartz, David "Chino" Rheem, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, Rob Mizrachi, Eric Mizrachi, Evelyn Ng, Tiffany Michelle, Nam Le, Steve Song, Patryk Hildebranski, Johnny Chan, Jean Robert Bellande, Wayne and Emeline Boich, John Phan and Alan Smurfit.
Branded the "Poker Battle Warriors" these players will ensure a high profile for the community site and its activities.
Rouas has other ambitious plans, among them a high stakes, five event Poker Battle Pro Tour, with work already in progress with the goal of a second quarter 2009 start in Las Vegas. Initial plans include the award of some hand-crafted platinum-and-precious-stones jewelry to the main event top player, together with a guaranteed winner's prize of $5 million.
At a somewhat lower, but still interesting level, is a new online poker community site branded Poukker.com, which invites poker fans to exchange stories and information through this online community/Twitter hybrid. Players can choose to have their posts delivered to the whole network, or only to specific friends.