Will League of Legends Star’s $860,000 Annual Salary Make Online Poker Players Jump Ship?

Chinese eSports team Vici Gaming has signed former SK Telecom T1 mid laner Lee “Easyhoon” Ji-hoon and put him on a reported $860,000 per year salary prompting the question, ‘will online poker players one-day jump ship?’

Online poker has a problem on it’s hands. eSports. The life of an online poker player is sexy. There’s no doubt about it. But there is always someone else with longer legs, a curvier body, and more luscious lips. Online poker players will turn into philanderers. eSports will just become too provocative.

Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier became the first player in history sponsored either side of the divide. When he wears his online poker hat, it says ‘PokerStars’, and when he wears his video game hat it says ‘Team Liquid’. ElkY loves his video games. It’s how he made his name. But he came to poker because of the money. Sure he loves the game as well. But he didn’t have the capability to earn the kind of money he has done playing cards when he was firing missiles.

That is going to change.