Jeff Platt is the man on the scene at the WSOP for what seems like a whirlwind round-the-clock shift. To get this exclusive interview with Jeff, it felt like jumping in front of a moving freight train. But it was well worth the risk.
Platt was very candid. He was quick to respond to both the negative and positive complaints/suggestions that fans and players have brought forth on social media.
It's clear the WSOP and Jeff are listening and, as Jeff says, "It will get better!"
Improving the live experience
Let's address the main issues players and fans face when watching events live in the broadcast arena. There are difficulties seeing chip stacks, cards, and the current player in action from the rail. How can this improve?
I've wanted to improve the live-viewing experience for years. I think, with the development of this new stage, it probably looked a little better than it actually was.
Some things are just hard to tell until you build the thing and put it up in the World Series. We're working on it.
Alex Foxen had some difficulty seeing the cards, the stacks and the action while watching wife Kristen in the $50K High Roller. People mainly shared their opinions about the feature table in the center of the stage.
I'll address the side tables first: tables B and C offer strong live viewing due to their elevation, proximity to action, and access to a monitor with a flop cam. At table A (center table), a lack of elevation makes it tough to see the action even from a close distance.
We originally had a flop cam. We decided to try what we now call the spy cam, but that didn't work because you couldn't see the cards well, so we switched back to the main flop cam. We want to make sure people on the rail can see the cards and the action, which I think Alex Foxen was talking about in your article.
What’s the best solution to improve the live experience at that center table where the railbirds gather?
It’s something we are consistently evaluating. I even walked around with Spunky yesterday to improve the viewing experience. We have a plan.
We're going to put a monitor up at table D, which is our fourth feature table. So when people stop by, they can see a little bit more of the action.
They're close enough to it; they can see bets; they just need to see the actual cards. It's a work in progress. I promise it will get better.
When you go to a concert, they have huge screens all over the venue to see the performers up close. Is that possible in the Paris ballroom?
I would personally love that. It does not work in production right now because of our new system, and not everything they are showing is actually aired on the actual stream.
More mixed games?
There have been complaints about the delay of the stream being a few hours behind the live action. What’s the update on that issue?
Nevada gaming requires a 30-minute delay for showing hole cards. All content is sent to Korea, where a production crew prepares the stream for broadcast.
They decided at the beginning of the series that the Korean production team would need 2 hours to finish a product for air.
WSOP unveiled a new look yesterday surrounding the center table and broadcast arena.It’s still early on, and it seems like you’re making progress and listening to your fan and player audiences. But most understand there will be some bumps along the way.
Of course, this is year one, week two, of our new World Series of Poker production. Everything is consistently being evaluated. It's all about the process for us. We're just trying to get a little better every day, and I think we’re doing that.
We've heard plenty from people on the positive and negative sides, but the delayed stream is something that we'll evaluate moving forward. I just wouldn't expect it to change soon.
There have been some posts about fans not seeing enough of the mixed game events. What’s your response to that?
Our schedule is always fluid. The other night was a great example. When we saw Alex Foxen, Daniel Negreanu, and Maurice Hawkins down to two tables in the $600 NLH/PLO event, we immediately started planning to shift our coverage.
We shifted tables and were able to show everyone hole-card coverage from that tournament because it was important to us and the viewers.
We understand the interest in more mixed games coverage and are actively working to achieve the right balance.
Mixed games are a crucial part of the WSOP, unquestionably, but we know that the vast majority of our viewers also prefer no-limit hold'em. So again, it’s all about balance for us.
Forget Jeeves, ask Jeff.Many people have questions for you night and day, 24/7.How do you respond to them so fast?
Because that's our player experience, our player engagement; that's part of my job. That's part of why I signed up.
I didn't just sign up to be just on-camera talent. I signed up to have a little bit more of a voice in the room. I also want to help develop this bridge that connects the WSOP and our players, our fans and our viewers, which is really important for me to be a part of.
You seem to be part of everything everywhere all at once. There have to be Platt clones, I swear. But are you having fun?
Honestly, I am having a great time. I'm so happy to be here, proud to be part of this team, and honored to represent the World Series of Poker.
I feel like we're entering a new era for the game, and I get to be a part of it. I show up every day just pumped, just ready to work. Let's go.
Follow Jeff on X and watch the daily steams at the WSOP YouTube channel as we count down the Main Event.
Additional images courtesy of the WSOP.
