Within minutes of news breaking that Jeffrey Pollack would be stepping down as the Commissioner of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the poker community began to sound off on the matter, be it through Twitter, online poker forums, or personal blogs. The reactions ranged from relief to despair and people on both sides of the issue contemplated what this move said about the future of the WSOP.
Longtime tournament reporter B.J. Nemeth was one of the people saddened by Pollack’s departure. Nemeth, who missed out on the televised WSOP Main Event final table because he was reporting on the Foxwoods World Poker Finals, posted his thoughts on the resignation on his Twitter account (@BJNemeth): “If I had known this was @JeffreyPollack’s last WSOP, I would have done whatever necessary (quit my job, hitchhike) to photograph the Nov 9.”
Nemeth elaborated about Pollack’s time as Commissioner to Poker News Daily: “I think when we look back, it will be far more important than the fact that [this year] was the 40th anniversary. The 40th anniversary is just a milestone that’s going by, whereas Pollack’s departure is the end of an era.”
Nemeth also offered his insight on Pollack’s strong relationship with the poker media: “Jeffrey Pollack was definitely a friend to the media. In an age of exclusive media deals, he allowed bloggers and everyone else to show up and never restricted what they wrote about. Wicked Chops Poker, Tao of Poker, and everybody else were allowed to cover the WSOP as they see fit.”
Not only did Pollack allow these bloggers extensive freedom in how they reported on events, but he also often gave them a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his day-to-day activities as Comissioner. Nemeth put together a photo blog documenting a day in the life of Pollack for PokerRoad and Pollack also recorded several video blogs for Wicked Chops Poker.
While Nemeth and other media members like Tao of Poker blogger Paul McGuire (@TaoPauly) and PokerNews Editor Matthew Parvis (@MatthewParvis) wished Pollack well via Twitter, not everyone was sad to see the Commissioner go. Poker player Jon “pokertrip” Friedberg has less enthusiastic words for Pollack’s time at Harrah’s. A regular on the tournament circuit since the mid-2000s, Friedberg won his WSOP bracelet in 2006, the same year Pollack took over as Commissioner, and has attended every WSOP during his tenure.
Friedberg told Poker News Daily he was not surprised when he heard that Pollack and the WSOP were parting ways: “I expected it to happen in 2006, I expected it to happen in 2007, and I expected it to happen in 2008,” he explained. “I really felt like there were so many mistakes being made and so many opportunities he failed to capitalize on and each year I was just thinking that Harrah’s has to notice and let him go, but he was continuing to stay onboard each year.”
Friedberg’s opinion of Pollack’s performance is based both on his experiences as a poker player and as a businessman. Prior to pursuing poker full-time, Friedberg worked for Petco and served as CEO of Reatrix Systems, a company that produced interactive video display technology.
“As a player, I think he made a lot of really, really foolish mistakes as to how the tournaments were run,” Friedberg argued. He cited the use of the much-maligned Kem “Poker Peek” cards at the 2007 WSOP as well as continued frustration with tournament registrations and payouts as just a few of the mistakes during Pollack’s tenure.
“From a business perspective, I think he did a terrible job getting corporate sponsors. Even though the numbers have been okay the past couple of years as far as the size of the fields, I think underneath his administration, the brand equity behind the WSOP has really gone to shit. The turnouts are not as high as they could have been and the corporate sponsors he has gotten have been a total joke.” Friedberg conceded that it is somewhat difficult to find corporate sponsors for a gambling-related event, but cited the Kentucky Derby as an example of one that has consistently drawn marquee title sponsors.
Several posters on the TwoPlusTwo forums, including poker pro Todd Terry, echoed Friedberg’s sentiments. Terry cited the elimination of the popular rebuy events and the exclusionary nature of Pollack’s Player’s Advisory Council as some of the decisions made that he has taken issue with over the years.
Neither Nemeth nor Friedberg was able to say definitively what the future holds for the WSOP, but Friedberg offered his thoughts on Harrah’s decision not to appoint a replacement anytime soon: “It’s sad to say this, but I think that since they don’t have plans to hire a new Commissioner, it shows me that they really don’t give a shit about the WSOP because overall with Harrah’s, it’s not a big moneymaker for them. I think they’re going to try to let it run itself rather than capitalize on what it could become.” Nemeth also expressed concern over the future of the WSOP without Pollack.
Pollack fan or not, this latest change at Harrah’s has everyone concerned about what to expect in 2010.
