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Posted by on Mar 18, 2015 in General Poker, World Series of Poker | 3 comments

The 2015 WSOP: Media Coverage

 

nolan-dalla

 

This is the second of three posts today about the upcoming 2015 World Series of Poker, which takes place at the Rio Las Vegas — May 27 through July 14.

 

By now, most poker players and followers of the game have heard that PokerNews.com will no longer serve as the primary content provider for tournament coverage at the World Series of Poker.  That arduous task will now fall to the WSOP and its staff, of which I’ve been privileged to be a part since Caesars Interactive Entertainment (then Harrah’s Entertainment) assumed full ownership and control of the world’s richest sporting competition, back in 2004.

I look upon this development with equal measures of regret, curiosity, and anticipation.  Allow me to explain why such a range of emotions.

Dating myself back to poker’s prehistoric times, I remember the days (and usually long nights) when WSOP reporting consisted of a one-man operation.  Guess who that one person was?  The grind was certainly grueling, but in the end — well worth it.  When pressed to do next to the impossible, that’s when you really dig the deepest and discover new talents and energies you didn’t think you possessed.  It was also far easier to do all the work when the WSOP lasted just 3 or 4 weeks, instead of the 6-week marathon (plus November Nine) it’s become.

When the poker boom happened, the public’s appetite for tournament news increased substantially.  Friends and family members didn’t just want to know who won and where their favorite players finished.  For the first time, they also wanted live updates in a similar manner that other competitive sports are covered.  Several websites stepped into the fill this void and satisfy these cravings — among them PokerListings.com, CardPlayer.com, and PokerNews.com, which has been the “go-to” website for the most comprehensive coverage during the last several years.

I mentioned regret as one of my initial reactions to the upcoming 2015 WSOP coverage.  It’s only natural to feel some regret when you’ve become accustomed to such outstanding work over such a long period.  How lucky we are that we can go back to just about any WSOP event over the past decade and read what amounts to a play-by-play commentary of what happened.  The slate of writers at PokerNews.com are hard-working, clever, knowledgeable, and mix in just the right amount of entertainment with straight news coverage.  Frankly, I marvel at what they’ve done.

Call me biased but many poker players take this type of extensive reporting for granted.  It’s become expected (at no cost).  Fact is, this kind of reporting is expensive to provide, not just in terms of salaries, but housing for up to six weeks, and so forth.  Poker reporting is also a grossly underappreciated skill.  It’s not like posting an ad on Craig’s List and seeking gifted writers.  This is a specialty job.  The reporter must know many of the players by name, understand a multitude of different (and rarely-played) poker games, and also be thoroughly dependable, including working some pretty crazy night hours.  While the rest of the world is partying on Friday and Saturday nights, tournament reporters are usually standing on their feet for hours at a time, or huddling off in dark corners sitting in uncomfortable chairs, while typing away.  I’ve always said, if you think playing 12 hours straight is tough, try writing about it over that same span with tables breaking and players making seat changes, all while chips fluctuate wildly and the leaderboard is old news a half-hour after it’s posted.  Then, imagine five long shifts like that in a row.

Hence, I regret not being able to rely on that convenience factor of having someone else do all the hard work, then catching up on what I missed by logging in and reading the last couple of pages of the tournament updates.  That task will fall to the WSOP staff this year, which is now hiring perhaps as many as 35 reporters to do the work once performed by PokerNews.com.

I also mentioned curiosity as one of my immediate reactions.  In a sense, change can sometimes be a good thing.  It means trying out new things, exploring new ideas, and covering the game and its players that might be different than the way things were done before.  I expect we will continue to provide much of what’s expected.  But we’ll also look for ways to bring the WSOP to every laptop or smart device.  We’ve been down this road before.  Three years ago, the WSOP proved it was capable of stepping up by providing live stream coverage of most final tables, with commentary by David Tuchman, who has become an essential part of this coverage.  Now, the live stream mirrors just about anything else done in poker.  Want to watch all ten hours of every hand, including seeing the hole cards and hearing expert strategic advice at times?  It’s all there at WSOP.com and will continue to be this summer.  Now, the challenge will be to bring the live reporting up to the same standard.

The other descriptive word I used was anticipation.  Yes, I still anticipate each and every WSOP, and this 46th annual extravaganza is no exception.  The WSOP is currently putting together an awesome staff, including some of the same outstanding professionals who have done this type of work in the past.  But some new faces will also join the reporting crew, offering new perspectives.  Heading up the operation will be Rob Kirschen, who has demonstrated a wide variety of skills (dedication foremost among them).  He will manage the reporting team and will be responsible for handling what’s expected to be a nearly around-the-clock operation.

As for my role, it remains to serve at the pleasure of the WSOP executive staff, which includes Ty Stewart, Seth Palansky, and Jack Effel.  My role has changed significantly over the years, putting in less time writing and actual reporting, and more time doing behind-the-scenes stuff.  Duties include speechwriting, news coverage, feature writing, some video content, and doing my best to represent the WSOP.  I’m also the highest-paid “information booth” in the world since I sit smack dab in the middle of the Amazon Room during most days and nights and field questions from players and the public ranging from website updates to Total Rewards Cards to the nearest bathroom location.  I also get yelled at by someone at least once every couple of days, taking on the coveted position of a human firewall.

The best overview as to what we can all expect this year comes from a recent article written by Michael Gentile at PokerFuse.com.  Check out:  What to Expect from the World Series of Poker In-House Media Coverage.  Included is a short interview with Seth Palansky, who gives us a pretty good overview of the challenges and expectations of coverage.

See you in 70 days, when the 2015 WSOP is set to begin!

Note:  Those seeking jobs with the WSOP this summer are encouraged to contact Rob Kirshen directly at rkirschen@caesars.com

3 Comments

  1. I’m expensive. But I’m fantastic when I’m in front or behind the still or video cameras. I work.alone, with 2 paid assistants. Smart ones. Writers.

    Let me know.

    If I don’t hear from you directly… Forget it.

    Lol.

  2. Hi Nolan. I assume this year’s coverage will be in house again? If so, any tweaks/improvements/changes?

    • Nolan Replies:

      Yes, you are correct.

      When we get closer, I will be a better liberty to comment. Right now, still in the planning stages.

      — Nolan

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