Attention, Players and Tournament Directors!

Things certainly have changed in the world of poker, in large part due to the advent of poker on television.

Back in June, I remember walking into Commerce Casino five days before the California State Championship was held. There were single-table satellites going on, so I jumped into one. While chatting with the people at the table, I discovered that four of them were not only in their first-ever satellite, but also were playing for the first time in a brick-and-mortar casino! Attendance at tournaments has skyrocketed in the last few months, and I don't see it stopping. The Orleans Open had more than 1,100 players in its first event in July, and that was the same day that there were more than 200 players at the Hustler Casino event that Jim Miller and I were running.

On Wednesday nights, players in casinos are now asking floorpeople to change the TV channel from the baseball game to the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel; on Tuesdays, ESPN is on every TV in the casino with coverage of this year's World Series of Poker – coverage that has been expanded to two hours of prime time due to the strong ratings. What a statement: ESPN made more room for us in prime time!

So, the question now becomes: Are we poker players and/or tournament players ready to make some changes ourselves, and, just as important, are we tournament directors ready to do the same?

For players, I think the answer is easy, although it may not be so easy to implement: Show players respect regardless of their play! Too often, players berate novices ("How can you call with that?" "You'll be broke in no time," and so on). Remarks like these and others must become a thing of the past. I know how many times this has been written before, but it has never been more imperative than it is today. We want these new players to stay, and we all must become ambassadors of the game.

How, then, does this translate to the tournament directors?

Well, while walking around the tournament floor during the 21 days of the Grand Slam at Hustler Casino, it was apparent to me just how many new faces there were. Even more obvious was the confused looks and the questioning glances toward the podium when I made what are standard tournament announcements: "Change the deck on the dealer push," "Don't show your holecards," "High card for the button," and so on. I might as well have been speaking a foreign language.

So, I've added a statement to my everyday tournament announcements, and it's one that I believe should be adopted by all tournament directors today: "Tournament players, we know that many of you are here today because you've been watching the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, and more recently, the World Series of Poker on ESPN. For those of you who are new to the tournament world, we welcome you and thank you for joining our poker family. Should you have any questions about what's going on around you, or about poker in general, please don't hesitate to ask me or any one of my tournament staff."

This short speech often brought five to 10 people up to the podium with questions, and with thanks. Making new players feel comfortable is the job of everyone – players, dealers, floorpeople, and tournament staff alike.

I remember one player who, after having been at three tables that broke, unluckily got moved into the big blind every time. He was irate that he wasn't allowed to sit out until the button passed him. I took the time away from the table to calm him down and explain the difference between tournaments and live play, and that the randomness of the draw is as likely to benefit a player as it is to hurt him.

From the standpoint of tournament structures, I also believe changes need to be made to accommodate the new players.

If a new player enters a tournament that has doubling limits and short rounds, his experience will be short-lived, and his desire to participate in future tournaments might be affected.

From casinos and some tournament directors comes the argument that casinos find it necessary to speed things up by doubling limits in order to get players into live-action games. The better argument, however, is that if the tournament experience is pleasurable for the new players, the casinos will benefit in a much greater way than just busting them out of a tournament as quickly as possible; the pleasant experience will likely result in these players desiring to stay to play in live games, which is an advantage for the casinos. Longer structures in tournaments have shown that the cream can rise to the top – just look at the list of winners at the 2003 WSOP for proof. Longer structures provide a better experience for the new tournament player, more maneuverability for the pros, and better return attendance for the casino.

Further proof that poker is going mainstream is my own involvement with some people from the financial world, with whom I've partnered to manage pro poker players. The Professional Sponsorship Group (www.professionsponsorship.com) is actively marketing players to "Corporate America," and we are getting responses from major companies across a wide spectrum of industries. This can only bode well for poker as it continues to grow.

And to assist this growth, adopt these values: Be nice to your fellow players, as you just might be the reason they stay in the game. Talk to tournament directors, and lobby them for better structures, and if you're new to the poker world, don't hesitate to e-mail me with any questions you might have. Lastly, stop by and say hello if you see me in the casino.