Mike Sexton, the host of the World Poker Tour for the past 15 years, announced he would leave the WPT to accept a position as the chairman of partypoker. Partypoker is one of the top online poker websites in the world.
In 2001, Mike Sexton helped found partypoker. The 69-year old was plucked from his role with the online card room to become the host of the World Poker Tour when it launched in 2003.
Despite his amazing run of success after leaving PartyPoker, all of a man’s decisions cannot be good ones. Mike Sexton says he lost $500 million selling his Party Poker stocks early.
Mike Sexton’s Poker Broadcasting Career
Mike Sexton brought a lifetime of poker experience to his WPT broadcasting. The 69-year old Sexton is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame. He also won a WPT title in his own right, along with winning a World Series of Poker bracelet and a Tournament of Champions title.
The veteran broadcaster posted well wishes on Twitter when he made the announcement, saying, “Thx to @WPT for GREAT 15 yrs! I wish them nothing but the best. This position w/@partypoker is an opportunity & challenge I couldn’t pass up.”
Mike Sexton: Goodwill Ambassador and Engine of Change
In his new roll with partypoker, Mike Sexton is going to serve in a business capacity and as a goodwill ambassador. The press release that announced his arrival to the online poker site included a long wish list of changes Mr. Sexton hopes to introduce in his role as Party’s chairman.
Sexton’s Improvements for partypoker
Some of the changes are technical. Mr. Sexton said he wanted to invest in software development and customer service. He also wants to focus on combatting the influence of third-party software in the Internet poker community.
Beyond changes to the tech side of the business, the new chairman wants to focus on the player experience and customer relations. He wants to expand and refine the loyalty programs. He’ll focus on expanding and improving the partypoker live tour, while increasing the advertising and marketing budget for the company.
Also, Mike Sexton wants to creating a more welcoming environment for amateur players. One of the ways he’ll do that is by adding more small events. Many of the improvements on the technical side are expected to be amateur-friendly changes, too.
Implications for World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is losing a towering figure in its growth and popularity, so it has sustained a significant blow. For nearly 15 years, Mike Sexton has been the face of the WPT. Through many alterations in the on-air lineup, Mike Sexton always remained. The World Poker Tour has seen a decline in the number of events over the past few years, so Sexton’s departure is going to be a rough time for the show.
Tony Dunst, who has been affiliated with the WPT since 2010, will replace Mike Sexton in the broadcast booth. Mr. Dunst has been Sexton’s fill-in over the years, so his voice will be familiar to longtime WTP viewers.
Mike Sexton on YouTube
Over the years, Mike Sexton has done a number of good interviews on YouTube. Anyone interested in hearing Mike Sexton talk about his role in founding PartyPoker should take a look at the good ole days of online poker. He tells the story about founding a company with no outside investors. It was the Wild West days of online poker and startups could be hugely successful out of nowhere, simply from ingenuity and good marketing.
Sexton’s said the PartyPoker was the first Internet poker company to advertise on television. Before PokerStars held satellite events to qualify poker players for the World Series of Poker, PartyPoker sent 100 players to the WSOP Main Event. Mike Sexton said the PartyPoker Million was his idea.
