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New Commissioner Aims High For The 2006 WSOP

Casino Executive Jeffrey Pollack is at the helm of the poker world's premier event, as the new commissioner for The world Series of Poker. Pollack is all business as he takes on the job for the first time ---this despite that fact that he rarely plays poker and certainly never in public.

Pollack has the vision of pushing the 37-year-old World Series of Poker into a whole other level, pushing it to be bigger than ever before. In 2005 he was hired to be the vice president of sports and entertainment marketing for Harrah's, the world's largest gaming company and owner of the World Series of Poker. Pollack is driven to be the leader to usher the WSOP into the new millennia.

Pollack was formerly a marketing executive with the NBA and NASCAR and has brought with him the experience in dealing with professional gaming tournaments. Technology savvy, fresh marketing approach, cutting edge endorsement strategies and original product placement are his key ingredients to elevating the World Series of Poker into the mainstream to encompass a broader audience.

"When people think of Wimbledon, they think of the ultimate expression of tennis. When they think of the WSOP, I want them to have the same connotation," Pollack says. "Our job is to cement our No. 1 status even further and build the business in a way that it has never been built before.

"The playbook I'm using is the exact playbook used by the NBA, NASCAR, the NHL, and the NFL," he added.

In 1994, Pollack founded Sports Business Daily prior to his stint in NBA and NASCAR. He led the use of new technology and innovative media to make the sports more accessible to fans in the said sports. Pollack was the main man behind the add-in cameras for NASCAR coverage.

The 2006 World Series of Poker kicks off Monday, June 26 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino west of the Las Vegas Strip. The event will showcase 45 tournaments, with an estimated 30,000 participants and with a whopping $100 million plus in prize money. 208 poker tables will be spread over the 45,000 sq. ft. convention space.

Arguably the highlight of the series is the no-Limit Texas Hold'em Main Event, with a $10,000 buy-in. The event is set to kick off on July 28, with as much as 8,000 participants hoping to bag the first place win that could total up to $10 million.

"There is so much money at stake," says professional poker player Annie Duke. "So much prestige at stake, so many players and so much excitement in one location, the World Series of Poker is as good as it gets."

09/23/2006, Saturday
Todd Sanders

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