Harrah’s announced today that Jeffrey Pollack is “leaving [his] post” as WSOP commissioner.

Prior to serving as WSOP commish, Pollack was Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Communications for the NBA and Managing Director of Broadcasting and New Media for NASCAR Digital Entertainment. He was hired by Harrah’s in 2005 as a VP of Marketing and was elevated to President and Commissioner of the WSOP in 2006.

Under Pollack’s guidance, WSOP attendance has grown 88%. He’s also overseen the launch of the WSOP Europe, Poker Hall of Fame induction ceremony, $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship, Ante Up for Africa charity event, and of course, the November Nine^TM.

Of course, Pollack was also a vlogging, blogging, twittering fiend who was always looking for new technological innovations to reach the poker audience.

Go below the fold for more detailed information on growth during Pollack’s tenure. Go to Pokerati here for other additional info.

We expect to do an exit vlog with Pollack later today. Check back this afternoon.

:: WSOP initiatives launched since 2006

Ante Up for Africa
Players Advisory Council
Delayed WSOP Main Event Final Table (November Nine)
$50k H.O.R.S.E. Championship
Poker Hall of Fame (induction process and ceremony)
WSOP gold bracelet ceremony
More ladies events (WSOP and WSOP Circuit) and the promotion of women in poker
More boot camps, work shops, and events to help poker players improve
WSOP Europe
WSOP charitable initiatives such as Nevada Cancer Institute sponsorship
Highlighting history and tradition of WSOP, working with legends of the game

:: WSOP Growth Figures
WSOP attendance:
2006 – Up 49 percent in 2006 from the year before (Pollack’s first year to serve as Commissioner)
2007 – Up 12 percent from previous year
2008 – Up 8 percent from previous year
2009 – Up 4 percent from previous year

OVERALL: 88% increase since 2006

:: Prize Money Awarded

With registration for this year’s Main Event, the World Series of Poker crossed the $1,000,000,000 threshold in total prize money awarded to players. During its 40-year history, the WSOP has paid out $1,041,266,592. More than $600,000,000 has been paid out just in the last four years alone with Pollack as commish. Here is the historical prize pool information for the World Series of Poker.

2009 — $174,013,315
2008 — $180,774,427
2007 — $159,796,918
2006 — $159,599,815
1970-2005 — $354,000,000

Tagged as: Harrah's, Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP

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