PokerStars is arguably the biggest name in online poker. Being the poker enthusiast that I am, I decided to investigate the PokerStars brand. The company has chosen against using a vast number of social media networks; instead, PokerStars is exceptionally active on a few: Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. With a fan base of well over 100K followers on each social media platform, PokerStars manages to pull in significant traffic to promote the brand. While backing professional poker players is what PokerStars does (as the company’s name states), there’s more focus placed on getting people to play online, either in cash games or tournaments.

While PokerStars does not use the snappy language favoured by companies like Nike, sentences are still succinct, contributing to a laidback company voice. On the company website, pokerstars.com, a quick review reveals clean copy and sentences that average about 15 words. For word choice, despite the abundance of jargon that could have been justifiably used, the company has chosen to limit poker-speak to make information more accessible to the wider public. With lines like “This is where champions are born,” the machismo given off is evident, a clear overlap with sports language. By posting a photo on Instagram with a “Messi stack” of poker chips, PokerStars manages to reference sports culture with a clever pun, funny regardless of whether active PokerStars users consider poker a sport. Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent presence as a PokerStars player also contributes to the merging of language used in sports and in the poker world. A recent ad on YouTube has Ronaldo shouting “Raise it!” with the hashtag #raiseit, a slogan not too far off from Nike’s.

The informal language PokerStars uses is seen across all platforms, but the decision to ditch formalities is seen most frequently on Twitter. While a lot of tweets may be promotional, they manage to be fun and cheeky. The company holds various interactive contests by tweeting out challenging questions, and winners receive online tournament tickets. The one place where poker-speak is turned into a positive is seen in their #EmojiSunday contest, where followers guess what poker term the emojis represent in order to win online satellite tournament tickets. One set of emojis has a Czech flag surrounded by the dark side of the moon to represent a ‘check in the dark’. Twitter is where a lot of PokerStars users interact, and also the place where the company’s colloquialisms and humour are best displayed.

As a poker enthusiast, I believe PokerStars has a brand voice that works. The company recognizes that poker has evolved into more than just a card game. Regardless of whether poker is a “real” sport, it is a game that has become a multibillion-dollar industry. The strong language used by PokerStars shows that poker games can get heated, and there’s enough action in tournaments to keep things exciting. Those who dislike the macho factor are still engaged because the company uses everyday language across all platforms. PokerStars has chosen a brand voice that best embodies the way pros and amateurs alike view poker.