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Best of Aaron Todd
- Top 10 memories from my time at Casino City
- Top 10 prop bets to make on this year's WSOP
- RAWA hearing a disaster for Chaffetz, online gambling ban supporters
- Top 10 slots that need to happen
- Stern has $3,500 in unsold WSOP lammers to thank for November Nine appearance
- "Show me the money!" DFS sites' lack of transparency has negative impact on player experience
- Multi-entry tournaments a catch-22 for daily fantasy sports
- Top 10 lessons learned from a five-day bike and poker trip
- Top 10 quotes from Nolan Dalla's WSOP reports
- Top 10 Fourth of July resort-casino activities
- Top 10 binge-watching prop bets
- Top 10 ways to improve the WSOP Colossus
- Byrnes graduates from WSOP Circuit to Colossus
- Last amateur standing ends Colossal WSOP run in ninth
- Two longtime friends from Miami make the most of the WSOP Colossus
- Colossal displeasure with Colossus payout structure at WSOP
- Top 10 numbers from the WSOP's Colossus
- Colossus attracts new faces to WSOP
- Finding fun at the WSOP's Colossus
- Top-10 things to know if you plan to play The Colossus at the WSOP
- Top-10 skill-based competitions Atlantic City should take on next
- Top-10 things I learned as a charity poker tournament director
- Top-10 ways the Massachusetts charity poker laws are broken
- Top-10 events to look forward to in the 2015 WSOP
- Top-10 snow day prop bets
- Top-10 2015 Super Bowl prop bets
- Top-10 reasons a water park resort is like a casino
- Top-10 bets to make any football game interesting
- Top-10 things to stop saying at the poker table this year
- Top-10 office holiday party prop bets
- Top-10 holiday gifts for the gambler in your life
- Top-10 Thanksgiving themed betting games
- 2014 WSOP November Nine illustrated
- Top-10 quotes from the 2014 Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony
- Top-10 worst types of people to have at your poker table
- Top-10 2014 NFL bets gone bad
- Top-10 World Series prop bets
- Top-10 things to know about dramaha
- Top-10 home improvement prop bets
- A sad, but necessary farewell to Suffolk Downs
- Top-10 mouse in the house bets
- Top-10 WSOP final tables at the Rio
- Top-10 World Series of Poker prop bets
- Top-10 running prop bets
- Top-10 ways online poker rooms can improve their "ecology"
- Top-10 Twitter accounts Phil Ivey followed before mine
- Top-10 reasons Phil Ivey's baccarat play shouldn't be called cheating
- Top-10 gambling and beverage pairings
- Top-10 ways to spend your Full Tilt money
- Riess completes 10-year journey from basement to World Champion
- 'You Can't Win'; Revel denies promised refunds to advantage players
- Buying and selling pieces at the WSOP
- Matt Glantz: Poker's East Coast advocate
- Top-10 heads up poker matches actually worth watching
- Segregating poker players based on skill goes a step too far
- Top-10 unfortunate poker tournament results
- Top-10 moments in my poker "career"
- Top-10 2013 Super Bowl bets
- Top-10 poker player appearances on reality TV
- Top-10 betting stories in Cheers
- Top-10 gambling miracles
- Top-10 moments in NBC Heads Up Poker Championship history
- Top-10 things that are wrong with the poker scene in Star Trek: TNG's "The Measure of a Man"
- Top-10 gambling-related apps in the iTunes store
- Top-10 things you can bet on this Thanksgiving
- Top-10 comedians' take on gambling
- Top-10 Phil Hellmuth moments
- Top-10 gambling operator blunders
- Top-10 home poker essentials
- Bernard Lee joins the Casino City Home Game
- Top-10 ways to add some energy to your home poker game
- Top-10 moments in online poker history
- Top-10 questions about PokerStars' acquisition of Full Tilt Poker
- Esfandiari wins $18.3 million, Big One for One Drop title at WSOP
- Running diary of a day on the rail at the WSOP: "It's all luck"
- A sports bettor's top-10 nightmares
- Top-10 ridiculous gambling laws
- Top-10 tips for newcomers to the WSOP
- WSOP prep: Tax implications of staking/profit-sharing agreements
- Top-10 things poker players can learn from runners
- Top-10 ways to send a player from your home game to the WSOP
- Top-10 gambling scenes from non-gambling movies
- Top-10 gambling fantasies
- Top-10 things to look forward to at Revel
- Top-10 innovations that changed casino gambling
- Top-10 betting alternatives to an NCAA bracket
- Top-10 sports bets that should be on your bucket list
- Top-10 things I'd do if I ran an online casino
- Top-10 Super Bowl bets
- Top-10 side bets to make during a poker game
- Farewell to Barney Frank; missing my chance to vote for Internet gambling's champion
- Top-10 gaming industry developments I'm thankful for
- Top-10 scary things you might see in a casino
- Help me Harry Reid, you're my only hope
- Top-10 celebrities I'd like to invite to my home poker game
- Top-10 things that should be banned in casinos
- Top-10 ideas to improve poker programming
- Top-10 ideas that improved poker on TV
- Top-10 activities both spouses can enjoy in Las Vegas
- Top-10 popular culture slot machines
- Top-10 things to look for in ESPN's live WSOP coverage
- Hellmuth a class act in defeat
- Hellmuth having a good time in $50K Poker Player's Championship
- A cash game pro fits right in at the $50,000 Poker Player's Championship
- Youth being served at WSOP $50K event
- Top-10 tweets from the $50K at the WSOP
- Black Friday and the WSOP: An in-depth look at the poker economy
- Top-10 Nolan Dalla WSOP write-ups
- Top-10 games that should be played at the WSOP
- Top-10 responses to Black Friday
- Top-10 things to watch for in the online poker industry
- The day online poker died
- Top-10 things that would have happened if the UIGEA never passed
- Like Aikman, Hellmuth snubbed by Dancing with the Stars execs
- Top-10 craziest prop bets
- Top-10 gambling couples
- Duhamel proving he has what it takes to be the champ
- Foxwoods poker players get the experience of a lifetime against the November Nine
- Top-10 lessons from a marathon online poker session
- Top-10 2011 Super Bowl prop bets
- Top-10 reasons the new professional poker tour will succeed
- Your mom is a game of skill
- The Casino City Awards
- Top-10 lessons from my third (and final) 24-hour poker game
- Top-10 gift ideas for the gambler in your life
- A shocking confession: Maybe NLH is alright, after all
- It's not the Stanley Cup, but the WSOP bracelet will have to do
- A running diary of Aaron Todd's "Perfect Play"
- Top-10 lowest house edge casino bets
- Why PokerStars abandoned Washington, and why others will too
- Matt Affleck's latest bad beat: PokerStars cuts off Washington residents
- Top-10 things Aaron Todd was wrong about
- Top-10 overexposed poker pros
- PokerStars pays $2 million to players affected by Chinese collusion ring
- Top-10 things to do in Atlantic City
- Top-10 moments from the WSOP Main Event
- Palms poker room review
- WSOP brings together father and son
- Matt Matros wins bracelets, writes books, loves wife
- PokerStars "Big Game" debut is a winner
- Top-10 ways to make blackjack more fun and "profitable"
- My first Rush Poker tournament
- A one-outer away from an $11,000 payday
- Deeb (and his lucky shirt) win H.O.R.S.E. title
- The "E" in H.O.R.S.E. with Cyndy Violette
- The "S" in H.O.R.S.E. with David Williams
- H.O.R.S.E. tournament brings new games to poker fans
- A work in progress - Part three of our interview with WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack
- Toughest field in poker? Nah, they're just guys
- The "R" in H.O.R.S.E. with Linda Johnson
- Putting the 'World' in WSOP -- Part Two of our interview with Commisioner Jeffrey Pollack
- The "O" in H.O.R.S.E with T.J. Cloutier
- One on one with WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack: Part one
- The "H" in H.O.R.S.E with Bill Chen
- full_tilting responds to bot accusations
- NETELLER moves to return U.S. funds
- Understanding cultural differences
- The future giants of Internet gambling may end up being familiar names
- NETeller exit impacts U.S. Internet gambling market
- Pinnacle Sports stops accepting U.S. bets
- Success not in the cards for elimination blackjack
- Guide to playing cards
- Movie review: No Limit a compelling poker tournament documentary
- 60 cent main event: Lessons learned from Kyle MacDonald
- One 60-cent check: Reader suggestions on what to do
- Read'em and Reap: Gather information like an FBI agent
- Farewell PKR, I never knew thee
- WPT Boot Camps offer poker lessons with tough love
- PartyPoker mucks U.S. hand
- Negreanu finds no conflict between piety and poker
- Congress passes Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
- Williamson Patient in Poker, Love and Life
- Setting up the WSoP
- "Playing Poker" in the WSOP Media/Celebrity Event
- Kid Poker is All Grown Up
- Negreanu Pupil Becoming a Master
- PKR.com Adds New Dimension to Online Poker
- The WPT Experience: A View from the Stands
- This Magician is the Life of the Party
- Twenty Four Hours of Poker ... By the Numbers
- The Effects of My Poker All-Nighter
- How Do Normal People Get Roped Into Marathon Poker Sessions?
- The 24-Hour Poker Marathon: The Concept
- Just Call Me James McManus
- The End of a Dream, and the Birth of Another
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Gaming Guru
One on one with WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart
1 June 2015
By Aaron Todd
LAS VEGAS — Now that the final field size in the World Series of Poker's $565 Colossus has been determined, the $5 million guaranteed prize pool for the tournament seems almost quaint. Not only did the tournament meet the guarantee, it more than doubled it, with 22,374 entries creating a prize pool of $11,187,000. Ty Stewart, the executive director of the WSOP, sat down with me on Saturday to chat about the largest live tournament in poker history. Here are a few excerpts from our conversation. (Note: This conversation occurred prior to the announcement of the tournament payout structure.) Aaron Todd: What was the objective when you decided to hold this event?Ty Stewart: To get the biggest opening weekend in WSOP history, get an influx of new players. Seven or eight years ago, (tournament entries) were two-thirds new players and one-third returning players. In the last few years, it's completely inverted, with two-thirds returning players, one-third new players. We just wanted to reach the market.
There's definitely a part of the WSOP corporate culture that has a bit of a swagger. We just wanted to do something huge. I don't know how many people could have anticipated that you could smoothly run a tournament with 20,000 people. We've been building towards it for a long time, so we felt like we could do it.How did it feel when the preregistrations started to roll in and you got a sense of how big this was going to get?Obviously that was amazing to see. Historically, poker players don't want to part with their money early, we get that they don't want to preregister. So it's the most sincere form of flattery that they care enough about a WSOP offering that by the end, 10,000 had preregistered.You've encouraged people to preregister for events for years, and it really took off for this event.Poker players are smart, so they got how big the tournament could be. They also saw what happened last year with a few of the tournaments where we got really close to capacity, or at capacity, and so I think the message has been received, but they have to make their minds up on their own. But like I said, no one is smarter than a poker player so they figured it out. On Thursday night, people who had preregistered were waiting in excess of an hour to get their seat assignments. People were slightly annoyed, but they also seemed to think it was worth it, to some degree, to be part of this.Nothing is worse than having a poor service experience, and in this whole process, that's the only black eye that we got was the fact that maybe we weren't really ready for just how fundamentally different the players would act for this tournament. We were ready on Friday, we were ready on Saturday, but Thursday night or Thursday mid-afternoon, we could have been more staffed up. We learned our lesson; we tried to fix that quickly like we do everything else, but yes, it was some of the most advanced planners that ended up having the worst experience. It pays to procrastinate: The guys who walked up at 9:30 the morning of the tournament got their ticket immediately.What kind of feedback have you been receiving?Do you think we get any compliments? (laughs) This is my 10th year at the WSOP, I don't expect any praise. But truly, I think the reaction's been great. The (interests) between the WSOP and the players couldn't be more aligned. We all need new blood. It helps the live action games, it helps the backing community, it helps everything. I've had a few people tell me that this is the best thing we've ever done, and that's very humbling praise.
There's a special quality to the event. I don't know if it's an every year thing, so we'll step back and we'll look at it. I think for many people, this was their Main Event. Even in the heyday of 2005, 2006, most people actually weren't coming out of their own pockets more than a few hundred dollars, because they had the opportunity to satellite (online).
There is some real special sauce getting this city full of people that love poker in the first weekend (of the WSOP). This is the most electric atmosphere I've felt in the last few years at the start.
We want to evolve, because we want to be all things to all poker players, and we believe we can deliver upon that. We're going to continue to monitor the market where it is, and we love the fact that we've had $1 million events and that we've had $565 events. As long as they're both breaking records on each side, that's fantastic.A ton of people came into town for this event. What effect do you think this event is going to have on other events at the WSOP this summer?There's art and science (in creating the WSOP schedule), and some of the science would show us that action creates action. At the same time, I think on the marketing side, we know there's only so much attention for big events and for buzz. And I think there's no doubt that the Colossus took the majority of the buzz. We hope that people who came in liked their experience, there will be a lot of people that have money in their pocket, that they'll want to go out and play other events.
Related Links
Related News
Recent Articles
Best of Aaron Todd
- Top 10 memories from my time at Casino City
- Top 10 prop bets to make on this year's WSOP
- RAWA hearing a disaster for Chaffetz, online gambling ban supporters
- Top 10 slots that need to happen
- Stern has $3,500 in unsold WSOP lammers to thank for November Nine appearance
- "Show me the money!" DFS sites' lack of transparency has negative impact on player experience
- Multi-entry tournaments a catch-22 for daily fantasy sports
- Top 10 lessons learned from a five-day bike and poker trip
- Top 10 quotes from Nolan Dalla's WSOP reports
- Top 10 Fourth of July resort-casino activities
- Top 10 binge-watching prop bets
- Top 10 ways to improve the WSOP Colossus
- Byrnes graduates from WSOP Circuit to Colossus
- Last amateur standing ends Colossal WSOP run in ninth
- Two longtime friends from Miami make the most of the WSOP Colossus
- Colossal displeasure with Colossus payout structure at WSOP
- Top 10 numbers from the WSOP's Colossus
- Colossus attracts new faces to WSOP
- Finding fun at the WSOP's Colossus
- Top-10 things to know if you plan to play The Colossus at the WSOP
- Top-10 skill-based competitions Atlantic City should take on next
- Top-10 things I learned as a charity poker tournament director
- Top-10 ways the Massachusetts charity poker laws are broken
- Top-10 events to look forward to in the 2015 WSOP
- Top-10 snow day prop bets
- Top-10 2015 Super Bowl prop bets
- Top-10 reasons a water park resort is like a casino
- Top-10 bets to make any football game interesting
- Top-10 things to stop saying at the poker table this year
- Top-10 office holiday party prop bets
- Top-10 holiday gifts for the gambler in your life
- Top-10 Thanksgiving themed betting games
- 2014 WSOP November Nine illustrated
- Top-10 quotes from the 2014 Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony
- Top-10 worst types of people to have at your poker table
- Top-10 2014 NFL bets gone bad
- Top-10 World Series prop bets
- Top-10 things to know about dramaha
- Top-10 home improvement prop bets
- A sad, but necessary farewell to Suffolk Downs
- Top-10 mouse in the house bets
- Top-10 WSOP final tables at the Rio
- Top-10 World Series of Poker prop bets
- Top-10 running prop bets
- Top-10 ways online poker rooms can improve their "ecology"
- Top-10 Twitter accounts Phil Ivey followed before mine
- Top-10 reasons Phil Ivey's baccarat play shouldn't be called cheating
- Top-10 gambling and beverage pairings
- Top-10 ways to spend your Full Tilt money
- Riess completes 10-year journey from basement to World Champion
- 'You Can't Win'; Revel denies promised refunds to advantage players
- Buying and selling pieces at the WSOP
- Matt Glantz: Poker's East Coast advocate
- Top-10 heads up poker matches actually worth watching
- Segregating poker players based on skill goes a step too far
- Top-10 unfortunate poker tournament results
- Top-10 moments in my poker "career"
- Top-10 2013 Super Bowl bets
- Top-10 poker player appearances on reality TV
- Top-10 betting stories in Cheers
- Top-10 gambling miracles
- Top-10 moments in NBC Heads Up Poker Championship history
- Top-10 things that are wrong with the poker scene in Star Trek: TNG's "The Measure of a Man"
- Top-10 gambling-related apps in the iTunes store
- Top-10 things you can bet on this Thanksgiving
- Top-10 comedians' take on gambling
- Top-10 Phil Hellmuth moments
- Top-10 gambling operator blunders
- Top-10 home poker essentials
- Bernard Lee joins the Casino City Home Game
- Top-10 ways to add some energy to your home poker game
- Top-10 moments in online poker history
- Top-10 questions about PokerStars' acquisition of Full Tilt Poker
- Esfandiari wins $18.3 million, Big One for One Drop title at WSOP
- Running diary of a day on the rail at the WSOP: "It's all luck"
- A sports bettor's top-10 nightmares
- Top-10 ridiculous gambling laws
- Top-10 tips for newcomers to the WSOP
- WSOP prep: Tax implications of staking/profit-sharing agreements
- Top-10 things poker players can learn from runners
- Top-10 ways to send a player from your home game to the WSOP
- Top-10 gambling scenes from non-gambling movies
- Top-10 gambling fantasies
- Top-10 things to look forward to at Revel
- Top-10 innovations that changed casino gambling
- Top-10 betting alternatives to an NCAA bracket
- Top-10 sports bets that should be on your bucket list
- Top-10 things I'd do if I ran an online casino
- Top-10 Super Bowl bets
- Top-10 side bets to make during a poker game
- Farewell to Barney Frank; missing my chance to vote for Internet gambling's champion
- Top-10 gaming industry developments I'm thankful for
- Top-10 scary things you might see in a casino
- Help me Harry Reid, you're my only hope
- Top-10 celebrities I'd like to invite to my home poker game
- Top-10 things that should be banned in casinos
- Top-10 ideas to improve poker programming
- Top-10 ideas that improved poker on TV
- Top-10 activities both spouses can enjoy in Las Vegas
- Top-10 popular culture slot machines
- Top-10 things to look for in ESPN's live WSOP coverage
- Hellmuth a class act in defeat
- Hellmuth having a good time in $50K Poker Player's Championship
- A cash game pro fits right in at the $50,000 Poker Player's Championship
- Youth being served at WSOP $50K event
- Top-10 tweets from the $50K at the WSOP
- Black Friday and the WSOP: An in-depth look at the poker economy
- Top-10 Nolan Dalla WSOP write-ups
- Top-10 games that should be played at the WSOP
- Top-10 responses to Black Friday
- Top-10 things to watch for in the online poker industry
- The day online poker died
- Top-10 things that would have happened if the UIGEA never passed
- Like Aikman, Hellmuth snubbed by Dancing with the Stars execs
- Top-10 craziest prop bets
- Top-10 gambling couples
- Duhamel proving he has what it takes to be the champ
- Foxwoods poker players get the experience of a lifetime against the November Nine
- Top-10 lessons from a marathon online poker session
- Top-10 2011 Super Bowl prop bets
- Top-10 reasons the new professional poker tour will succeed
- Your mom is a game of skill
- The Casino City Awards
- Top-10 lessons from my third (and final) 24-hour poker game
- Top-10 gift ideas for the gambler in your life
- A shocking confession: Maybe NLH is alright, after all
- It's not the Stanley Cup, but the WSOP bracelet will have to do
- A running diary of Aaron Todd's "Perfect Play"
- Top-10 lowest house edge casino bets
- Why PokerStars abandoned Washington, and why others will too
- Matt Affleck's latest bad beat: PokerStars cuts off Washington residents
- Top-10 things Aaron Todd was wrong about
- Top-10 overexposed poker pros
- PokerStars pays $2 million to players affected by Chinese collusion ring
- Top-10 things to do in Atlantic City
- Top-10 moments from the WSOP Main Event
- Palms poker room review
- WSOP brings together father and son
- Matt Matros wins bracelets, writes books, loves wife
- PokerStars "Big Game" debut is a winner
- Top-10 ways to make blackjack more fun and "profitable"
- My first Rush Poker tournament
- A one-outer away from an $11,000 payday
- Deeb (and his lucky shirt) win H.O.R.S.E. title
- The "E" in H.O.R.S.E. with Cyndy Violette
- The "S" in H.O.R.S.E. with David Williams
- H.O.R.S.E. tournament brings new games to poker fans
- A work in progress - Part three of our interview with WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack
- Toughest field in poker? Nah, they're just guys
- The "R" in H.O.R.S.E. with Linda Johnson
- Putting the 'World' in WSOP -- Part Two of our interview with Commisioner Jeffrey Pollack
- The "O" in H.O.R.S.E with T.J. Cloutier
- One on one with WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack: Part one
- The "H" in H.O.R.S.E with Bill Chen
- full_tilting responds to bot accusations
- NETELLER moves to return U.S. funds
- Understanding cultural differences
- The future giants of Internet gambling may end up being familiar names
- NETeller exit impacts U.S. Internet gambling market
- Pinnacle Sports stops accepting U.S. bets
- Success not in the cards for elimination blackjack
- Guide to playing cards
- Movie review: No Limit a compelling poker tournament documentary
- 60 cent main event: Lessons learned from Kyle MacDonald
- One 60-cent check: Reader suggestions on what to do
- Read'em and Reap: Gather information like an FBI agent
- Farewell PKR, I never knew thee
- WPT Boot Camps offer poker lessons with tough love
- PartyPoker mucks U.S. hand
- Negreanu finds no conflict between piety and poker
- Congress passes Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
- Williamson Patient in Poker, Love and Life
- Setting up the WSoP
- "Playing Poker" in the WSOP Media/Celebrity Event
- Kid Poker is All Grown Up
- Negreanu Pupil Becoming a Master
- PKR.com Adds New Dimension to Online Poker
- The WPT Experience: A View from the Stands
- This Magician is the Life of the Party
- Twenty Four Hours of Poker ... By the Numbers
- The Effects of My Poker All-Nighter
- How Do Normal People Get Roped Into Marathon Poker Sessions?
- The 24-Hour Poker Marathon: The Concept
- Just Call Me James McManus
- The End of a Dream, and the Birth of Another
Home-game hotshot Aaron Todd was an editor/writer at Casino City for nearly eight years, and is currently the Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications and Marketing at St. Lawrence University, his alma mater. While he is happy to play Texas Hold'em, he'd rather mix it up and play Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, and Badugi.
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Home-game hotshot Aaron Todd was an editor/writer at Casino City for nearly eight years, and is currently the Assistant Director of Athletics for Communications and Marketing at St. Lawrence University, his alma mater. While he is happy to play Texas Hold'em, he'd rather mix it up and play Omaha Hi/Lo, Razz, Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, and Badugi.
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