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Jeffrey Pollack Resigns as World Series of Poker Commissioner

Just seventy-two hours after the 2009 world series of poker finished one of its most successful poker series ever, World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack announced that he is leaving his position. In an interview with Howard Slutz on November 14th, 2009, Pollack said that he is leaving his position to explore new business endeavors and that his future can be considered a "blank canvas" at the moment.

Pollack confirmed his exit from the WSOP via his account in Twitter. Pollack said that he is thankful to the poker fans for allowing him to be a part of the World Series of Poker these last few years. He added that he will always be a fan of the game and a friend to the poker circuit. Pollack, who took the reigns as World Series of Poker Commissioner in 2005 after stints with the NBA and NASCAR, has helped introduced a number of important changes to the well-known poker series during his tenure as commissioner.

Among the most prominent changes are the development of the WSOP into a massive fifty-seven, seven week long poker spectacle, the expansion of the World Series OF Poker franchise into Europe (WSOPE), the introduction of a four-month break until the final table of the tournament play down and a brand new twelve-year broadcasting deal with ESPN.

Pollack also faced several difficult challenges as WSOP Commission including the approval of the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) in 2006. The bill raised critical questions about the future player attendance in the WSOP, which receives thousands of online poker qualifiers every year. Instead, overall participation in the World Series of Poker grew each year that Pollack was WSOP Commissioner.

The 2009 World Series of Poker attracted a record 60,875 participants over fifty-seven tournaments. Pollack said that he came into this position with a certain set of goals and now there is a sense of accomplishment and triumph of how the WSOP has grown. WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky mentioned there were no plans to replace the WSOP Commissioner position.

Palansky said that they appreciate Pollack's contributions to the WSOP over the past four years and wish him all the luck in the future. Palansky added that the WSOP remains the poker market leader with this year's series exceeding all expectations and they are in a good position for the future.

 

November 22, 2009
Brian Nelson

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