Steve Lipscomb Changes the Face of Poker

Poker has emerged from the backrooms of pool halls where shady characters lurked in the dark to mainstream television where families sit together and cheer on their favorite character. "Poker is shedding its backroom rough and tough image as more people find out how intrinsically interesting it can be," says Steve Lipscomb, creator and producer of the World Poker Tour. "People from all walks of life have embraced poker as an exciting game of strategy, psychology, and showmanship."

Steve is particularly struck by the democratic feel of poker: "We live in a country founded on the notion of democracy, and there's no more democratic a sport than poker. You'll never find a more diverse group of people than those sitting at a poker table, in terms of age, gender, race, and religion. None of that stuff matters, because in all religions, races, and languages, an ace is an ace and a king is a king. And the remarkable thing is that a poker game brings an international audience together under a common theme." And what Steve finds most compelling is this: "You can't show up at the Masters or Wimbledon or any great sports event and play against the Michael Jordans or Tiger Woods of the world. In poker, that's what it's all about. You show up one day and find yourself playing with poker stars. And if you play well, when the day is done you may be sitting at a final table, being filmed as a star yourself. And to me, that's great stuff."

Steve seems like the boy next-door. He is affable, real, and genuinely warm, with no pretense in word or demeanor. He did not find it acceptable to conduct an interview from behind a big stuffy desk in his West Hollywood office. Instead, he sat on the couch sipping water infused with vitamin C, showing off an alarm clock with a picture of his 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Zoe, who sang "Wake Up, Daddy" when the alarm clock went off. His office abounds with a myriad of impressive film awards, which Steve modestly downplays. But one must not be misled by his gracious demeanor. Steve will readily admit that although he wants to be liked, he has had to fire more people in the recent past than ever before in his entire life: "Those who did not share my vision were just not a good match in my endeavor to bring poker into the mainstream." And, indeed, Steve has brought poker into the mainstream.

Prior to March 2003, there was virtually no public interest in the game of poker. Then, Steve began to film and air 13 major poker tournaments from around the country on the Travel Channel. People began watching poker on television and practicing poker online. Casinos nationwide experienced a resurgence of the excitement surrounding poker rooms. There is an emergent interest amongst people, young and old, who want to learn and play the game.

It has been widely reported that Frank Streshley, senior research analyst for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, has confirmed that there has been a revival in poker games. Casino revenue for poker in Las Vegas reached almost $6 million in 2003, which is 32.6 percent more than the previous year; Streshley attributed this resurgence to the growth of online poker and poker tournaments on television.

Steve Lipscomb is the sole person responsible for this explosive growth and steadfast interest in poker in the United States. His story is an inspiring one. He has been a winner since he was just a child. Whatever his endeavor, he excelled. Even in junior high school, he was the president of his class.

Steve received his B.A. in philosophy with honors from Dartmouth College, where he was president of his class. He went on to receive his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was a Greenberg Scholar. When he began practicing law, he joined Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher, a renowned law firm ranked as one of the leading law firms in the world. After a few years, he left to start his own attorney referral business. But Steve always had an unyielding passion for film. He was interested in the kind of film that touches people and makes them feel something.

Because Steve wanted more out of life, he did the unthinkable. He sold his referral business and took every single penny he had to fund and film his first, award-winning movie called Battle for the Minds. Norman Lear called it "an important film." Bill Moyer said it was "capable of shifting the public consciousness." The film was a powerful exposé of the takeover by Southern Baptist ultraconservatives and women who were struggling to have the right to be ordained ministers. This compelling documentary was influential for Steve, because he witnessed the power of the big screen. Immediately, he recognized that his life's calling would be in film.

Since his first film, Steve has worked with luminaries such as Norman Lear, Al Burton, and Alvin Toffler to create successful television shows and films. His credits include Turn Ben Stein On, Beyond Future Shock, and Battle for the Minds, to name a few.

In 1999, a good friend from junior high school, Mark Hickman, approached Steve. Mark was working on a project with the Discovery Channel to film the World Series of Poker, and wanted to bring Steve in. Eventually, Steve produced and directed On the Inside of the World Series of Poker for the Discovery Channel. The statistics were startling. There were twice as many people watching at the end of the show than there were at the beginning. In the world of television, that's huge. It means that when people were switching channels, they came to the poker show and stayed. That was to be a colossal and powerful piece of information for Steve.

Steve explained his growing interest in filming poker tournaments: "I went and shot other events such as Cruisin' to a Million, which was a cruise event from an online poker site called PartyPoker, where the first prize was a million dollars. I just kept thinking – look at all these people! They were not who you normally think of as poker players, and it was not the usual backroom, smoke-filled environment. It was pretty much a young, interesting, diverse crowd of people showing up in droves to play poker tournaments."

Slowly and with a vision born out of experience, the inspiration for the World Poker Tour began to take shape. With more than 50 million poker players in the United States, Steve believed that a televised poker tournament could be wildly successful if it were produced in a way that would be entertaining and unique. First, he composed a mission statement: "The mission statement of the WPT is to establish poker as a significant televised mainstream sport by broadcasting top poker tournaments around the world under the premier brand of the World Poker Tour."

With Mike Sexton and Linda Johnson in tow, Steve took his mission statement and a business plan to Lyle Berman, chief executive officer of Lakes Entertainment, in order to ask for backing. Steve stated, "Lyle was the perfect match and he had the resources. Plus, he is one of the best poker players in the world; he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Lyle also has been notably successful in gaming. He is one of the people pretty much responsible for taking gaming and expanding it out of Vegas. So, he is a visionary."

According to Steve, Lyle wanted to know what was different about Steve's plan, since people had been talking about doing poker shows for 10 years. Steve told Lyle: "The difference is that we have an entire business plan. We are creating a business called the World Poker Tour, which will be the PGA of poker. We are going out to existing events and creating this tour that kind of already exists, much the same way that the successful sports of today came about."

And so, the partnership between TV producer Steve Lipscomb and casino mogul Lyle Berman was born. Steve admits, "I have learned a tremendous amount from Lyle. His business acumen is startling. He gets it, and he is a phenomenal partner. On one hand, he does not micromanage; on the other hand, he keeps us focused so that we continue to deliver."

Prior to their union, Steve had pitched poker on television to one TV network after another. With the announcement of his and Lyle's commitment to film and air the first season of the WPT, three networks contacted Steve inquiring about the series. The Travel Channel offered the key component – real estate – a weekly two-hour block of prime time on the network, making it possible to build an audience. The World Poker Tour would be the first televised series of poker tournaments ever, and the first to reveal players' holecards to television audiences at the precise moment a player looked at his cards.

The task itself was ominous and daunting. During the first tournament, Steve utilized 16 cameras and filmed somewhere between 40 and 60 hours of footage. Steve smiles ruefully when he thinks about that first show: "It took eight months to edit the first show. We worked harder than I have ever seen anyone work. We had to create a new language and it had to work. I would not let go of my vision to create a show that functioned on many levels – from the pros liking it to making it exciting for all of our viewers." Countless hours of film had to be edited down to precisely 88 minutes of excitement. The first show was, in some ways, the most important. It was a test to see whether poker would be welcomed into people's homes. Everything had to be right, and Steve worked night and day. With the help of about 50 employees, plus play-by-play commentators Vince Van Patten and the likeable Mike Sexton, the finished product aired in March of 2003. The face of poker will never be the same.

The success of the World Poker Tour has been unfathomable. The Travel Channel's weekly audience ranges from 3 million to 5 million. After less than a year, the World Poker Tour is already the Travel Channel's most popular series ever. During the reruns, the Travel Channel's ratings increased 25 percent from the original ratings.

Steve believes the success of the WPT is measurable in ways besides viewer ratings: "Two years ago, a $10,000 buy-in tournament at Foxwoods Casino had fewer than 60 players; this year there were 313 entrants. Foxwoods put in more than 200 people through multitiered satellites, which they conducted all year long. It is the partnership between the WPT and member casinos that creates a powerful, triumphant team, where everyone wins."

The success of poker on TV caught the attention of NBC, which cut a deal with the WPT and the Travel Channel to broadcast the WPT Battle of Champions opposite the Super Bowl pre-game show, which aired on Feb. 1, 2004.

Steve spends between $350,000 and $400,000 per episode. He continues to use as many as 16 cameras, enabling viewers to see every poker hand dealt. This is quite purposeful. "There's never a moment when you're not in the middle of the action," Steve said. "I believe it's fascinating to watch someone in the middle of making a million-dollar decision when you can see what he should or shouldn't do."

It was for this reason that Steve made a rule that the players at a final table could not engage in dealmaking. Steve explained it this way: "It is immeasurably exciting to see someone playing for a million bucks. Viewers would feel ripped off to learn that deals were made behind closed doors and that the excitement of winning was feigned. For the integrity of turning poker into a mainstream sport, we cannot allow deals, just like other sports could not allow it."

Just like every other venture, the WPT has not been without its controversy. The WPT does not allow logowear, which has been a hot topic amongst the players. Steve explains that the NFL doesn't allow players to wear hats or other logowear, nor does the WPT. It's that simple. Sponsorship is another matter, and WPT management has undertaken representation of some of the players in an effort to secure sponsorship for them. Steve explains: "We are working hard to bring sponsorship to the game. A sponsor that is willing to try investing in poker by purchasing a banner behind the table would not return if that sponsorship opportunity were trumped by six baseball caps with logos on players."

In a time when the WPT is still losing money, Steve Lipscomb is surprised at the strong negative reactions of some players who have described the WPT as "exploiting" the players: "Nine months ago, literally no one cared about poker. In nine months, poker players went from being the black sheep of the family to family reunion celebrities. With that transformation has come a sense of entitlement, trying perhaps to make up for years when poker players weren't acknowledged as skillful. Many of these players are my friends. It is frustrating not to have enough time to spend with the players, but with 22 shows and 44 hours of programming, my time is not my own." Steve believes that instead of wearing a hat with logo on it and receiving a few grand, players will be able to land big sponsorship deals, just like other sports pros whose likenesses are put in video games or on a cereal box. Whereas other organizations have made and broken promises to some of the players, Steve is a players' advocate who intends to help in the search for meaningful sponsorship.

Steve commented on the future of the legendary World Series of Poker and whether it might be a WPT event in the future: "The World Series of Poker was invited to be a member of the WPT and they decided not to join. Following our success, ESPN came in and expanded coverage of the event. I believe they may have thought at the time that they should stick to the formula that had already worked for them. Now that Harrah's is contracting to buy the Horseshoe along with the Horseshoe name, it will have to figure out what to do with the World Series of Poker. I have already communicated with some of the people at Harrah's. I think the World Series has an important place in tournament poker, but I think there is a question as to what would happen if the venue was moved from Binion's to another property. The mystique surrounding the World Series includes the fact that it is held at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas." Steve had no prediction regarding the outcome of his talks with Harrah's.

In Steve's free time, which may be a contradiction in terms, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Miranda, and their two children, Zoe, who is 2 and a half years old, and little Henry, who is 9 months old. Although Miranda thinks Steve works too hard, she appreciates that he has an opportunity of a lifetime. One of Steve's favorite moments occurs on weekends when Steve and Zoe conduct little experiments, such as taking a bean and watching it grow. "Discovering how a plant grows is a wonderful gift to share. When I see my daughter's enthusiasm, I am reminded over and over again that I learn so much more from my kids than I could ever teach them," he said.

The success of the WPT is taking the country by storm. Thanks to Steve's vision and perseverance, poker is poised to become a major mainstream sport on television. With that posture, everyone involved in the poker world wins. The increasing prize pools add to the mounting excitement. Whereas the WPT prize pools in 2003 totaled $10 million, the total prize pools in 2004 is estimated to be a staggering $30 million.

When I asked Steve how it feels to be the most influential person in poker today, he said he was humbled and honored. He said, "I couldn't have done it without my Herculean team, led by Robyn Moder and Audrey Kania." (He spelled their names to make sure they received the proper accolade.) He had a vision that he would not let die no matter how many times he was turned down. "When I hear that people are sitting in front of their televisions rooting out loud for their favorite player, I feel a great sense of satisfaction, because that means my camera captured the excitement of the game. That was my vision from the beginning when literally every network turned me down – and I mean every network. There was an absolute disbelief that poker on TV could ever be interesting."

Being the gracious, loyal, and congenial man he is, Steve was unwilling to name the specific networks or individuals who turned him down. However, he did say that after the show was wildly successful, he got a congratulatory call from an executive at Showtime who was shocked at the success of the show.

The 2004 plans are now set. On Sunday, Jan. 25, the Travel Channel aired the premiere episode of World Poker Tour – Hollywood Home Game, pitting renowned stars, one against the other. Notables such as Drew Carey, Steve Harris, and Mimi Rogers will pay a $25,000 entry fee in an attempt to win the tournament and an entry into the WPT Championship. Three other celebrity home games will air throughout the upcoming season. Additionally, season two of the WPT will premiere on the Travel Channel on Wednesday, March 3, 2004, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (ET/PT).

Steve is genuinely humble, stating, "I believe the WPT has forever changed the world of poker. But my success is built on the shoulders of giants. Take the Benny Binions and the Jack Binions of the world who gave tournaments a rich and classic history in the poker world; take the renowned Doyle Brunson with his powerful book Super/System, or the many other great authors of poker books; take the legendary T.J. Cloutier with his unparalleled number of tournament wins; take Barry Shulman who publishes Card Player magazine 26 times a year. Without those beginnings, there would be no path from which I could step into the exciting world of producing poker tournaments on television."

About three and a half hours into the interview, Steve added: "At the end of it all, when I get to play poker, I am reminded of just how fun poker is, which leads me to believe we are going to be around for a long time offering passion and entertainment to our television audience." He is astounded at the opportunities afforded to everyone: "I find it so unbelievably exciting. During the last two years, I have been living the American dream. This great country allows us to take an idea, nurture it, and work very, very hard to realize it. And with a stroke of luck and magic, we have created a new world. It is like being on a nonstop rush, and it is fabulous."

Last year when Steve was interviewed, he said: "We have to get through our first season, and probably our first two seasons, for us to be jumping up and down and saying we're geniuses." After only the first season, I asked Steve to comment. "No doubt, we look like geniuses," he said. "What we have created gives us credibility. Now, the hope is to continue making a winning product, and hopefully make some money. We were at the right place at the right time, and we are riding high on the crest of a wave. Poker is here to stay because poker is to cards and games what jazz is to American music. Now, the great American card game has finally found a home."