Doug Polk and Phil Hellmuth launch poker social network in partnership with StockX founder

Doug Polk and Phil Hellmuth launch poker social network alongside StockX founder

A few days ago we reported that Doug Polk stepped down from the management of the The Lodge Card Club poker room. The three-time WSOP bracelet winner attributed this decision to increased commitments in other projects.

One such project has turned out to be a new social network created specifically for poker players and fans, named Alligator Blood. According to a press release on the website, it is designed to unite the poker community in one place. The social network aims to solve the issue of community members currently being active on various platforms: X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Discord, Reddit, and dozens of forums. Alligator Blood intends to become the "Facebook of poker".

The venture is backed by Phil Hellmuth, Alan Keating, Michael Mizrachi, Jared Bleznick, Jeff Gross, Xuan Liu, and several other prominent poker players. All of them have joined the governing committee of Alligator Blood. Leading the project is Josh Luber — founder of the sneaker marketplace StockX and Fanatics Collectibles, which sells sports trading cards. StockX is valued at over $3 billion, while Fanatics Collectibles was valued at $10.4 billion in autumn 2021.

Luber stated that the idea for Alligator Blood came to him after meeting Doug Polk in person and playing at The Lodge. Jared Bleznick mentioned that he has been collaborating with Luber since 2021, and expressed absolute confidence that Luber can develop poker in the same way he did the trading card industry.

Alligator Blood promises to integrate not only personal user accounts, but also poker clubs, podcasts, online poker operators, and training tools. The social network has not launched yet, but there is an option to sign up for the waitlist to secure early access. For US-based users, there is a referral giveaway with $100,000 up for grabs.
"I have invested in more than 50 startups, including three of Josh [Luber's] previous projects. Serving on the governing committee for Alligator Blood is the perfect synthesis of a monetization opportunity and passion. This is poker, baby, and I'm Phil Hellmuth! Together with Josh, we will change the future of poker," Hellmuth stated in the press release.