It’s been a day of revolving doors at GGPoker, as one super high-roller takes his leave and another steps into the role of Poker Integrity Ambassador for the online giant.
Fedor Holz (above, right), who has been a sponsored GGPoker pro since 2020, announced earlier today he will be taking on the role, with Jason Koon (left) revealing his immediate departure from GGPoker shortly after.
Holz and Koon were both members of the GGPoker Poker Integrity Council (PIC) when it launched in 2022, alongside Andrew Lichtenberger, Seth Davies and Nick Petrangelo. Of the five original PIC members, only Holz remains affiliated with the site, raising the question over whether he is now the Poker Integrity Ambassador by default.
Whatever the reasons behind the appointment, Holz has promised to involve himself more directly with the complex processes and issues around site security; what that means in practice for one of the world’s top players is something we’ll be keeping an eye on.
And given some of the unwanted attention the site has received over the past couple of months, there are sure to be plenty of others around the world making sure Holz does his best to represent player interests and uphold high standards.
A glimpse at some of the replies to Holz’s tweet indicates the strength of feeling in parts of the poker community, and how an ambassador in a role such as this can so often act as a lightning rod for frustrated players. Ambassadors in general have come in for a fair amount of flack recently, with industry figures including Patrick Leonard publicly calling them out last month for staying silent in the face of security issues across numerous sites.
Yet few figures in the game garner as much respect as Holz. It’s generally felt that the Austrian pro has a great reputation in poker, and it will be hoped that this can help GGPoker win back disaffected players while enhancing security on the site.
Jason Koon leaves with little fanfare
Soon after Holz put out the news of his new role, fellow super high-roller Jason Koon announced his departure.
Koon was one of the main faces on GGPoker’s ambassador team, but his details are already scrubbed from the GGteam page. Details of his split with the operator are currently unknown, and we’re not about to launch into any wild conjecture, but the matter-of-fact nature of his announcement doesn’t give off warm and friendly vibes.
Or perhaps he’s simply not the sentimental type. We’ve reached out to GGPoker for comment.
Jason Koon image courtesy of Triton/Joe Giron
