World Series of Poker -- Tournament Director Jack Effel Talks About Ongoing Summer Series

Jack Effel is the Vice President of International Poker Operations for Caesars Interactive Entertainment and has been the Tournament Director for the World Series of Poker since 2007.

In 2013 he was added to the Tournament Directors Association Board of Directors. Effel is widely credited as being one of the key parts of the growth and development of one of poker’s most prestigious events, bringing the WSOP into the modern era.

Card Player will be checking in with Effel throughout the summer to bring you his thoughts on the poker world’s greatest tournament festival.

Beth Davis: Players on Twitter have been calling for you to lift the ban given earlier this summer to bracelet winner David Diaz. Do you think some of the players have a misconception of your job responsibilities at the WSOP?

Jack Effel: There may be some misconceptions about the scope my job entails, but we all are in the customer service business. If we can answer questions via Twitter or help direct folks to the appropriate department or person who has responsibility for a specific area, we are happy to do it. Unfortunately though, if the matter involves trespassing or security-related issues, it is not something I can step into on behalf of the player. There may be a point in time down the road when the player is seeking reinstatement and I can certainly give my and my staff’s evaluation of that individual’s character that we have witnessed during their time playing our events, but otherwise it is a matter I have no control over. That said, I do want to remind players that Caesars Entertainment is a big company, with 52 casino properties around the globe, if you do anything severe enough to get trespassed or banned from our properties, we do extend these bans to all our properties. Players should keep that in mind. We have a duty to ensure everyone has a safe, comfortable and enjoyable time when they visit us, and if an individual interferes with that, regardless of the circumstances, their ban will include all WSOP-related events. No individual, despite their stature can overcome a ban if the conduct is determined to be ban-worthy. These are all private property and the owners have a right to have or not have whomever they like in their venues.

BD: We’ve had a lot of previous bracelet winners win again over the last couple weeks. Do you think it’s better for the growth of poker for previous bracelet winners to keep winning bracelets or for less known players to win them?

JE: I think it’s a true testament to the skill of the sport when you see guys that win multiple bracelets. You take a guy like Phil Hellmuth, who just continues to win everything he plays and he’s phenomenal in so many ways. I think it’s great for the sport. Every sport needs heroes, they need the Mike Tysons and the George Formans and the guys who have 200 knockouts. They need the champions and the role models. People need inspiration. I’m proud to say I’m part of this. The beautiful thing about poker is anyone can play and anyone can win, but you have to do a lot of the right things in order to get there. Guys like Hellmuth and Ivey play by the book so well and know how to change up their play so well that they put themselves in position to win these tournaments time after time. When they get a little bit of luck going for them, with their skill, it’s a deadly combination.

BD: The senior’s event continues to grow and is now one of the biggest tournaments of the year. Would the WSOP ever consider having two senior events to capitalize on the massive field?

JE: Anything is possible, but the senior’s event is so special, it’s like it’s own main event. Just about every single player that’s in there is playing in the only tournament they’re going to play in this year. So it’s kind of like their championship. It’s a very unique and special event. It’s grown exponentially. Every time I walk in the senior’s event room I feel how respectful everyone is. They shake hands when they get eliminated, they congratulate each other and have a good time at the table. They are the role models for how a poker player should act. Some players may define how you should play, but they define how you should act at the table.

For complete coverage of the summer poker festival, check out our WSOP landing page.

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