Bluff Magazine Catches Poker Wave

Posted on January 14, 2005

Bluff Magazine, now in its third issue, has been caught up in the poker phenomenon that is sweeping the nation. The magazine has been increasing circulation by focusing on the new breed of poker enthusiast that has been spawned by the omnipresence of poker on television, in the papers and in the stores this holiday season. Bluff competes with other poker magazines like All In and Card Player.

"We have been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. The poker bug has bitten America, and we had the right blend of entertainment and information to become the nation's best selling poker periodical," said Editor Michael Caselli.

Bluff Magazine co-founders Eric Morris and Eddy Kleid have appeared in numerous television programs and publications, most recently on CNBC, talking about the poker craze. More than 80 million Americans play poker at home, in card rooms and online, where over $170 million is wagered each day. If this trend continues, more than $250 million will be wagered on poker on the Internet alone each day by January 2006.

"We have seen an exponential growth in poker," said Morris. "In our first issue we printed 90,000 copies. To meet demand, we increased our second print run to 150,000 copies, and our third issue will have 170,000 copies printed and distributed. Additionally, we've already confirmed that the print run for our fourth issue will exceed 200,000, further securing our position as the largest poker publication in the nation."

"Poker is huge in Hollywood," says Kleid. "We have had James Woods and Donald Trump grace our covers, and Issue 3 will have Kevin Nealon on the cover to coincide with his hosting of the new TV show Poker Royale. There are a few new poker movies in the pipe and every channel seems to have something poker related in its line up -- who knows how big this thing is going to get?"