Jeffrey Pollack

Infobox Person
name = Jeffrey Pollack


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caption = Commissioner Pollack speaking at a press conference at the 2006 World Series of Poker
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residence = flagicon|USA United States
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education = University of Massachusetts at Amherst
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occupation = VP of Sports and Entertainment Marketing at Harrah's Casino / Commissioner of the WSOP
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Jeffrey Pollack is the Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing at Harrah's Casino and Commissioner of the World Series of Poker. Prior to joining Harrah's Casino, he held prominent roles with NASCAR and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Pollack's brother is Gary Bettman, the Commissioner of the National Hockey League.

Pollack earned an undergraduate degree in Journalism from Northwestern University. He then earned two master's degrees. The first from The Graduate School of Political Management and a master's degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His first job was a political consultant.Caldwell, John. [http://www.pokernews.com/news/2006/6/business-poker-jeffrey-pollack-wsop-one.htm The Business of Poker: Interview With Jeffrey Pollack of the WSOP, Part One] Jun 13 2006 pokernews.com Accessed 7/27/07]

Pollack has twice been named to The Sporting News 100 and Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal of "40 Under 40." [ [http://www.pokerpages.com/pokerinfo/tournamentgallery/wsop/jeffreypollack.htm Jeffrey Pollack The Commissioner of the World Series of Poker 2007] Poker pages.com]

The Sports Business Daily

In 1994, while still in his twenties, Pollack founded The Sports Business Daily. It was the first daily trade publication for the sports industry. With Pollack as its president and publisher, The Sports Business Daily garnered a strong reputation among to decision-makers in the industry. [http://www.pokerpages.com/pokerinfo/tournamentgallery/wsop/jeffreypollack.htm Jeffrey Pollack The Commissioner of the World Series of Poker 2007] Poker pages.com Accessed 7/27/07]

NBA

Pollack's career with the NBA began when he was hired as a communications consultant for the NBA during its collective bargaining arrangement. Pollack consulted with NBA commissioner David Stern and helped design the relaunch strategy after the NBA lockout in 1998–1999. As a result of these activities, Pollack was hired as the head of marketing for the NBA. [http://www.cardozaplayer.com/article_details.php?contentType=3&typeSub=3 ENVY: Jeffrey Pollack: The Making of a Full House ] 7/27/07 Player Magazine]

NASCAR

Pollack was Managing Director of Broadcasting and New Media for NASCAR Digital Entertainment. While with NASCAR, he encouraged NASCAR to use advanced media and technologies. It was under his guidance that NASCAR grew into a major sporting event. While with NASCAR, Pollack won two Emmy Awards: Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Television Programming and a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Innovative Technical Achievement. He helped develop NASCAR's television partnerships with FOX, FX, NBC and TNT. [ [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Jeffrey+Pollack+Joins+Harrah's+as+Vice+President+of+Sports+and...-a0134022156 Jeffrey Pollack Joins Harrah's as Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing] TheFreeLibrary.com]

World Series of Poker

In 2005, Harrah's Casino hired Pollack as its Vice President of Marketing. When he was hired, some people speculated that Pollack "was passing through poker on his way from NASCAR to Bud Selig's seat in Major League Baseball". [West, Justin. [http://www.pokerpages.com/articles/archives/west13.htm World Series of Poker Europe: Foreshadowing] Pokerpages Accessed 7/27/07] His first responsibility with Harrah's was the 2005 World Series of Poker. Poker players' first impression of him centered on the 2005 Tournament of Champions (ToC). The ToC was hyped as a $2.5 million dollar freeroll that people had to qualify for. In 2005, the ToC was sponsored by Pepsi, who was about to start an advertising campaign involving Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Phil Hellmuth. Pepsi insisted that its three spokesmen take part in the ToC and the WSOP consented. The other players objected that three corporate exemptions were granted at the last moment. Pollack was heavily criticized, but addressed the criticism head on.

On January 13, 2006 he was promoted to Commissioner of the WSOP. One of his first actions as the commissioner was to work towards avoiding the criticism of the ToC. Pollack started meeting with a group of professional poker players in a monthly council. Caldwell, John. [http://www.pokernews.com/news/2006/6/business-poker-jeffrey-pollack-wsop-two.htm The Business of Poker: Interview With Jeffrey Pollack of the WSOP, Part One] Jun 13 2006 pokernews.com Accessed 7/27/07] Daniel Negreanu was impressed with his first meeting with Pollack, noting that professional poker is "a unique situation, as with the NBA players are being paid, while the poker players actually put up their own money."Negreanu, Daniel. [http://www.fullcontactpoker.com/poker-journal.php?subaction=showfull&id=1131688135&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3& Poker Superstars III and Dinner with Jeffrey Pollack] 10 Nov, 2005. Fullcontactpoker.com. Accessed 7/27/07.]

Marketing

Pollack is known for his aggressive marketing. Since becoming the Commissioner of the WSOP, he has negotiated partnerships with ESPN, Sirius radio, Glu Mobile, Bluff Media, AOL, and Betfair. He also arranged sponsorships with Miller Brewing Company, Planters and Hershey’s. Once Pollack was asked if professional poker players would start wearing uniforms covered with ads, similar to NASCAR. He responded, "That is not out of the realm of possibility. As long as they stick to the guidelines, players will be allowed to seek endorsement deals and advertise as they wish."West, Justin. [http://www.pokerpages.com/articles/archives/west13.htm World Series of Poker Europe: Foreshadowing] Pokerpages]

Pollack believes that the strength in the WSOP lies in its tradition and legacy. He wants to do more to honor the WSOP's past champions, "I want to bring our past, our history, and our DNA along for the ride." He wants to "grow the popularity of the World Series of Poker," said Pollack. "It is already the No. 1 brand in poker, but we're going to make it even stronger through world-class media partnerships, strategic marketing alliances and superior customer service." [ [http://www.backchannelmedia.com/newsletter/articles/1845 Jeffrey Pollack Joins Harrah's As Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing] 7/15/05. Back Channel Media. Accessed 7/27/07]

When asked how the WSOP can compete against the World Poker Tour or Professional Poker Tour, Pollack simply brushes them away. “Players measure themselves by how many bracelets they have," he points out, "not by how much money they’ve won. And we’re the only place you can get that bracelet. If poker players are interested in being part of the history and heritage, we’re their only choice.”

WSOP changes

Pollack believes that the success of the WSOP is not determined based upon the number of participants every year. Rather upon their success the players experiences.

For example, in 2007 the WSOP flattened its award structure. In other words, the cash awards were distributed more evenly so that people who went out earlier earned more money, while those who made it to the final table won less. [ [http://www.cardozaplayer.com/article_details.php?contentType=3&typeSub=3 ENVY: Jeffrey Pollack: The Making of a Full House ] 7/27/07 Player Magazine]

In an effort to reduce complaints about marked cards, the WSOP entered into a partnership with United States Playing Card Company (USPC). USPC introduced a new "Poker Peek" cards as the official card of the WSOP. New decks were introduced every day at every table. [http://www.pokernews.com/news/2007/3/wsop-officials-hold-teleconference.htm WSOP Officials Hold Teleconference About 2007 Event] Pokernews.com Accessed 7/27/07] In 2006, Copag provided playing cards that became creased as the events wore on; this resulted in cards that were essentially marked.West, Justin. [http://www.pokerpages.com/articles/archives/west14.htm Harrah's Hosts World Series of Poker Conference] Pokerpages Accessed 7/27/07]

The training of WSOP dealers was also heavily criticized in past tournaments, in an effort to forestall this criticism the WSOP began intensive training for dealers as early as March 2007 for over 300 dealers. The training included staff and supervisory training. Part of the reason for this additional training was to prevent a repeat of the "extra chips" that materialized during 2006's main event. During the 2006 main event, the tournament finished with more chips than normal chip upgrading would have led to. Another effort to reduce that risk was the introduction of special chips exclusively for the main event. These new chips, however, caused another controversy as they were designed in such a manner that players could not differentiate between the values. [http://poker.bodogbeat.com/the-trouble-with-chip-colors-at-the-2007-wsop-main-event-87150.html The Trouble With Chip Colors at the 2007 WSOP Main Event] ]

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