Among those companies gearing up for the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is Bustout Poker, a high-quality apparel line whose team of pros includes Chris Hunichen, David Sesso, and Dan Witcher. Poker News Daily sat down with Bustout Poker’s Jeff Griffith to get the scoop on this up-and-comer.
Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. How are you planning to raise awareness of Bustout Poker in time for the 2010 WSOP?
Jeff Griffith: We came along at a bad time since there is no Gaming Life Expo this year at the WSOP. The first year they’re not doing an Expo is the year we come out. Instead, we’ve coordinated with Bluff Magazine, which has an exclusive deal with the Rio to give away their magazines. The first issue they’ll be giving out will be the July issue and we’ll have a full-page ad. The next one that will come out will be the August issue, which we’ll also have a full-page ad in.
We’ll have a full-page ad in the official WSOP program and be live on PokerRoad as well. On the air, we’ll be giving away a Team Bustout prize package worth over $500. Hopefully, that will get us a little bit of attention.
PND: Why should poker players wear Bustout clothing over other lines like it?
Jeff Griffith: There are a million poker shirts. There are tons of companies doing print tattoo designs, but most of them are copies and look like copies. They’re not done with high quality. We wanted to make sure our shirts are super premium high-end specialty wash shirts. We’re not a novelty poker shirt company. We don’t have slogans slapped across the front. We have really advanced art and have created poker themes. We want our artwork to speak for itself.
There isn’t a singular brand name that’s synonymous with poker. If you’re into NASCAR, when you go to buy a shirt, you want a NASCAR shirt that says to everyone else, “I am into NASCAR.” If you’re a golfer, you get a Titleist hat. They’re a premium golf brand. Every sport has that. I wanted to create a brand that poker players could relate to. We want to become the Nike or Under Armour of poker. If you give poker players something that’s high quality, they’ll prefer it.
PND: How did Bustout Poker come to be?
Jeff Griffith: Our concept is grassroots-based. I’m a poker addict and found a way to make money from poker because playing wasn’t going too well. I became friends with Dan Witcher through personal training and we hit it off. He introduced me to some of these other guys. We’re trying to bring our brand to the poker world and one day become a household name.
We’re trying to make the members of Team Bustout more famous and they’ll help us do the same thing. We just got Matt “All In At 420” Stout to be part of Team Bustout. We also have a relationship with Chad Brown. He loves the brand. We don’t have an endorsement deal with him, but he loves our product. He wears our shirts all over the world. We’re looking to do some ads with him in Bluff Magazine very soon.
PND: What new products will we be seeing from Bustout Poker in the future?
Jeff Griffith: We’ll have playing cards and are rolling out a nutrition supplement called Rounders Edge. We really want to build this brand way beyond t-shirts and apparel. We have hats and high-end fashion items coming out. We also have a vintage line with slogan shirts. I still think there’s a place for poker shirts that say, “I am Isildur1.” That shirt took off within poker circles.
PND: Counter the argument that poker apparel is too niche of a market to be successful.
Jeff Griffith: I think poker apparel is a niche product. What we’re hopeful about is the fact that it is a worldwide phenomenon that’s still growing. You’re not limited to one area and we’re looking into Australia and Scandinavian countries. As a profession, there is a lot of room for growth, but the internet is doing that at a rapid pace. Everyone is starting online and you’ll see more and more people making the jump. Overall, it’s a big enough niche that we can be successful at it.
