Daniel Negreanu has always had clout with the WSOP and has helped shape the series for a long time. But that clout has suddenly gone up a notch with the news that GGPoker has bought the WSOP in a $500 million deal.
The majority of poker players seem cautiously optimistic about what this means for the future of the WSOP. But no one really knows what changes are incoming.
Negreanu was understandably cautious about spilling too many details – the GGPoker deal isn’t set to go through until the end of the year – but, in an extensive interview with PokerOrg set for release on Monday, he did point to one very specific improvement that he thinks will make the 2025 WSOP a better experience for players.
“You’re right in that I’ve always had a really good relationship with the WSOP,” Negreanu said. “I think Jack Effel is an underrated gem in the poker world. Not a lot of people think of him in this industry, but he runs the biggest series you're ever going to find."
Jack Effel holding court at the 2024 WSOP“What I've always appreciated about Jack is that he listens," Negreanu added. "If we all say we'd rather it this way, he's like, ‘Alright boys, we'll do it your way.' He’s not partial; he’s not strict like some others we’re not going to get to.
"The fact that he listens and always has means I've always had their ear, but obviously now it elevates it even more. And one of the things that poker players can look forward to with GG taking over and being a poker-centric company [is that] Caesar's is no longer really involved in those big decisions from a marketing perspective, so we can get a lot more done.
“Those of you who came to the Bahamas last year got to look at the WSOP+ app. With this app, you basically have money in there, you go ‘boop boop boop’ on your phone, you get your seat card on your phone, you go right to your seat, no lines, no waiting, no anything. So obviously, seeing something like that at the World Series of Poker with the massive lines and things like that is going to be a real improvement to the player experience overall."
The WSOP+ app was unveiled at Paradise last year and will get a wider rollout in the future“In general, I know that there are lots of ideas that we don't want to just throw out yet that we're looking to improve," Negreanu said.
“But it's still going to be the World Series of Poker; nothing's going to change from that perspective. I imagine the schedules are going to be pretty similar. I'm not sure what sort of tweaking we do there, but Jack's going to be involved with that and the people at Caesar's will because, listen, the events are going to be at Caesar's properties for the next 20 years, so all of these relationships are going to continue. It’s just that the final answer comes from a different person.”
Look out for The Interview's full release on PokerOrg on Monday.
