I have a feeling that if/when the New FTP is launched by PokerStars (if the rumors are true) Phil Galfond will be one of their sponsored pros. And not just any old sponsored pro. I think Phil Galfond will be one of, if not the lead sponsored pro. The new face of the New Full Tilt Poker.

This is all just my speculation but over the past few months I've noticed trends that lead me to believe this is a likely scenario.

Many of the prominent Team Full Tilt members are not just sponsored pros. They're also owners of the site. Considering how terrible Full Tilt Poker has been to it's players, it might not be a good idea to have people who profited from the theft of player funds be a part of the new lineup.

Sorry guys, even though some of you weren't at the reigns it doesn't sit well with some of us knowing you owned as much as 10% of the company and let these things happen.

The New FTP will have substantial hurdles to overcome even if players are made whole. If the intention is to have FTP continue to run as a profitable online poker room, they will need to restore the reputation of FTP.

Phil is one of the most respected members of the poker community. Not just for his ability at the table but also for his contributions. Very few, if any would impeach his integrity. It just makes sense as it would be the quickest way to patch the tattered FTP brand.

There was a lot of speculation that a big sponsorship may be in the works for Phil when he announced his departure from BlueFirePoker but there have been other little things going on that reinforce my belief that Phil will be a big part of the new FTP.

Daniel Negreanu and Phil have been getting very chummy on twitter lately.

@PhilGalfond ok looks like we need to chill on the massive bromance now #getaroom
— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) January 8, 2012

And it didn't escape the attention of 2p2. Other PokerStars pros also seem to be mentioning Phil Galfond more in their tweets.

Phil's also been working on his online presence through his blog,his youtube channel and his twitter feed. His tweets especially have been getting more consistent and more frequent. He's even been getting in better physical shape. While he could be doing all this for other reasons, it has had the effect of polishing the Phil Galfond brand.

PokerStars really figured out how to utilize social media effectively to promote themselves and I wonder if Galfond has been getting some coaching.

on the shoulders of giants

More precisely, it feels like Negreanu has sort of taken Galfond under his wing. I'm not quite sure how to explain it but there seems to be some sort of subtext in their online interactions. I can't point to any specific example but my gut feelings have had a pretty good track record.

Many similarities exist between them.

• Both recognized for their poker skills (Negreanu for tournaments, Galfond for cash games)
• Both have been very active early on in poker communities (Negreanu usenet, Galfond 2p2)
• Both have taken the time to write articles about poker 
• Both are great ambassadors for the game
• Both are very well respected
• Both are very likable and great communicators