Heads-Up with Lee Jones, New Head of Poker Communications at PokerStars
In our inbox the other day, we received an e-mail from PokerStarssaying that Lee Jones (pictured) had become the site’s new Head of Poker Communications. You’ll recall that Jones formerly oversaw PokerStars’ Home Games and has been in the industry since 2003. After we saw that e-mail, we thought we’d catch up with the poker icon to talk about his new role and gab about Open Face Chinese Poker.
Jones, who reports to PokerStars Director of Corporate Communications Eric Hollreiser, told us, “I see my new position as an opportunity to evangelize pokerand PokerStars to the larger poker community. I want to make sure PokerStars continues to be the major site for poker players.” Currently, Jones’ employer, which is based in the Isle of Man, is the largest poker room in the world.
What does Head of Poker Communications even mean? What will Jones be doing in his new role? He told us that his exact job functions are a work in progress: “We’re going to have to do some feeling out to see how it’s going to play out. For instance, I am doing interviews like this one where I want to tell people what’s new and exciting about poker. We’re able to turn our focus to the things we’re excited about, which are, for instance, the mobile and social platforms. The PokerStars Facebook product is in beta and the mobile product has been increasing its market share. My job will be to tell people about the cool stuff going on from my position as a poker guy.”
As you might be able to tell, Jones’ position is brand new. We asked the longstanding member of the poker industry why his job was needed in the first place. “There is an important component of the message that PokerStars has to send out that is about poker being fun and inclusive and exciting. Poker is popping up in ways we never would have expected, like on mobile and Facebook. But in short, we want to be sure we have a clear, credible, and authentic poker voice wherever we’re reaching out.”
Jones formerly oversaw Home Games, which at the time of his involvement were a brand new addition to the PokerStars lineup. For those of you who compete in Home Games religiously, don’t worry, the product will continue to thrive even without Jones. He told us, “Products, when they first start out, need a focus and need someone who can guide them through their infancy and adolescence. Now, we’ve distributed the management of Home Games internally.”
Our interview subject will likely be talking poker with a bevy of websites and media outlets worldwide. After all, the game continues to grow in certain markets. “People understand the idea of card games, and every country has card games of some form or another,” Jones said of the worldwide poker market. “I don’t know how it will evolve, but I’m excited to see us move into new markets. There are also other places where poker is being played, but it’s being played in different forms than we’re used to. That’s always exciting. There are some massive untapped markets out there.”
Okay, let’s talk about the phenomenon that is Open Face Chinese Poker, or OFC. The game has been thriving in popularity, so we asked Jones for his take on it: “I sweated the master of all masters, Shaun Deeb (pictured). It’s kind of an intriguing game. There’s clearly a large skill component to it, but it’s not obvious to me that many players really know what they’re doing. Then again, I’m sure I don’t know what I’m doing, so it’s hard to know.”
Now, for the question of all questions, the nugget of information everyone wants to know: when will PokerStars roll out OFC? “I’d never say that we won’t offer a particular game – I’ve certainly been surprised in the past. And we’re well aware of its current popularity, of course. But we’re not actively working on it, nor do I expect we will in the foreseeable future. I personally have concerns about it being a delicious target for bots.”
Finally, we asked Jones how big of an opportunity was missed with Gaelle Baumannand Elisabeth Hillefinishing 10th and 11th, respectively, in the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event. Jones gave us an answer we perhaps didn’t expect: “I don’t think anything would have been different unless one of them had made it to the final two or three. A few years ago, someone asked me who will win the WSOP Main Event. I said, ‘I don’t know, but I hope it’s a 46-year-old soccer mom.’ We have to make poker enjoyable to a wide range of people who are attracted to it for a variety of different reasons. I think that’s the challenge of the coming years.”
