'Unbelievable' - Jeff Platt on plans for a 2026 WSOP broadcast revolution

“Yes, the title is fancy,” Platt says. “But what does it mean? Basically, I'll be in the role that you've seen me in over the years. It's commentary, sideline reporting, hosting, interviewing, and everything that you can think of from an on-air standpoint.”

During PokerOrg’s deep-dive interview, Platt revealed he’ll also host a new WSOP pregame show opening each day of this summer’s livestreams.

And he also teased about "some unbelievable things" the WSOP is preparing to roll out over the summer, with the main focus being on the Main Event broadcast. 

Jeff Platt on sideline duties at the 2025 WSOP Paradise festival with Main Event final tablist Natasha Mercier.

Poker beginnings

Platt’s introduction to poker is one we’ve heard time and time again: the Moneymaker boom sucked him in.

“It was the Moneymaker story," he says. "My friends and I were playing poker in high school while watching the episodes on ESPN. I was rooting for Chris back then, [laughs] but now I'm not so sure."

The comedic rapport between Platt and Moneymaker during the roving Main Event interviews is always one of the more enjoyable moments during each summer’s WSOP.

When looking back on those days of watching the 2003 WSOP on ESPN, Platt can hardly believe the run good that life has dealt his way.

“My relationship with Chris is awesome. My friends from that very poker game think it's so bizarre that the guy we watched, the guy that got us into the game, was the same guy who developed a path for my poker career.

"I don't think we would have had this interview with PokerOrg without Chris Moneymaker. I hate to give the guy too much credit, but it's pretty cool to look back at those 2003 episodes and think about where I am now and what my relationship with him is like. It's a full-circle moment for sure.”

Jeff Platt can trace his career in poker all the way back to Chris Moneymaker winning the Main Event in 2003.

SPECIAL OFFERS

• 
• 
• 
• 

Climbing the corporate ladder

After graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in broadcast journalism, Platt pursued a career in the sports marketplace. His main focus was on basketball, including coverage of the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs.

“I worked for a couple of local radio and TV stations as a sports broadcaster," Platt says. "I'd always played poker on the side. But I would absolutely not call myself a professional player. But I would come out to Vegas in the summer and take my one big shot at the WSOP. “

A love for the game and fate would eventually intervene, leading to a job as a poker news reporter, which led to an audition and a job as a co-host of the 2018 show, Friday Night Poker.

The more poker-savvy Brent Hanks joined him on the show’s play-by-play commentary, where a friendship and chemistry between the two would soon become one of the more entertaining team-ups in televised and streamed poker.

“The more I worked with Brent, the more we started to click," Platt says, "and the more we started to really develop chemistry. It was not just chemistry in the booth, which, of course, is important, but also chemistry outside of it. We just got along really well to this day. He's one of my best friends. I can't believe that he's now CEO of PokerGO, which is amazing in its own right.”

Jeff Platt interviews Phil Hellmuth after a rough day on the felt

High expectations for this summer’s WSOP

Platt is obviously looking forward to the 2026 WSOP in Las Vegas. 

“I want to watch as an excited fan during this summer’s WSOP," Platt tells us. "I think that translates well to what most poker viewers will want to watch.

“I’ve got some ideas. And the WSOP has been really accommodating to listening to some of my suggestions moving forward.”

Platt expanded upon the post he shared on X of his commitment to ‘help strengthen the bridge that connects the WSOP and its community.’

“I genuinely think it’s important for the World Series of Poker to strengthen the relationship that they have with their players," he says. "That, at the very least, they want to open the doors to create some conversation and some big-picture discussions.

"I want to be a voice for the players, the viewers, and for the poker community," Platt continues. "I can be a liaison of sorts between the two sides. I’m not going to be able to accommodate everything. But there is a relationship that can be strengthened between players and the World Series.

“I said on social media, my DMs are open. I'm happy to talk to people about really anything WSOP. Whether it's in the summer, whether it's in Europe, whether it's at Paradise, whether it's the Circuit, or whether you're just a viewer and you're just a fan of WSOP events, that's the best way to summarize the new role that I have with the company."

When the WSOP's distribution plan is finalized, everybody's going to love it.

Jeff Platt 

Big plans. Big results?

We were curious how Platt believes the WSOP can expose the game to more mainstream viewers.

“It's a great question," Platt says. "The most significant opportunity is to expose poker to a wider, more casual audience, namely the World Series of Poker Main Event. Right?

“We saw it happen years ago with Chris Moneymaker. We saw it on ESPN throughout those years. That opportunity underscores the importance of distribution.

“There will be an opportunity in preliminary bracelet events leading up to the Main, where distribution is going to be on a grander scale, for sure. I have heard some unbelievable things as far as distribution is concerned from people such as Ty Stewart, CEO of the WSOP. The team is all over it.

“The deals that are close to being put into place will give the WSOP the perfect opportunity to show the greatest poker tournament in the world to a massive audience.

“I'm talking to the hardcore fans as well as casual poker fans who like to watch YouTube and Twitch. But I’m also expanding it to people who don't really know what poker is but see it on TV, the Internet, or a streaming app. And they don't just see it in America; they see it worldwide.

“As I said, the distribution is essential. It's hard to get everybody rallied around one thing, right? But I think when the distribution plan is finalized, everybody's going to love it.”

The Interview with Jeff Platt drops this weekend on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.