Besides working the World Series of Poker for 15 years, Jack McClelland has organized tournaments all over the world and earned respect as a player in his own right. Now working as the director of poker operations at the Bellagio and an ambassador to , McClelland took some time out from Vegas to share what his career has taught him about dealing with pros and winning tournaments.
How did you get started playing poker?
"Well, actually my grandmother taught me how to play, and thats how I learned my mathematics. She kept me broke til I was about 10. And, I played in high school and in college and moved to Las Vegas in the 70s. I started out dealing in small poker rooms and then got into tournaments. Then in 1984, I started out in tournaments for the World Series, and Ive been doing tournaments ever since."
When you ran your first tournament, how did it go?
"It went ok. I was a player, so it helped a lot. If you play the game, you really understand the dynamics of how the players feel - if they lose a big hand and theyre upset. And youve dealt, so when players get abusive toward dealers you get how they feel. I really understand from all points - from playing, from dealing, from working on the floor. When you first start out everyones going to try to test you. The players test you, the employees test you, the casino tests you. Ive been doing it for so long now I dont get tested too much anymore."
Tell about tournaments youve run - youve been around for awhile...
"Well, the first one that I actually worked at was the World Series in 1984. I was a shift manager. I helped out with the tournament and realized I liked the tournament better than the live games. And then my first tournament after that, I worked at whats called the Stratosphere now and the Golden Nugget and then back to the Series again. And then throughout the years, Ive been a little bit of every place. I ran tournaments at Caesars Palace. I did the first poker tournament in Atlantic City at the Taj Mahal. I was the tournament director for the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles for nine years. And Ive been a little bit of all over the world, on the Isle of Man.; St. Petersburg, Russia; Vienna, Austria. Im leaving tomorrow for Aruba for a tournament there."
When you did that first 84 Series and you said the players were testing you - in what kind of ways?
"Well, the louder they holler and scream, theyll get their way. And, if you dont know the rules as well as you should, theyll use a technicality to try to win a pot. And we had a lot of characters back then, like Johnny Moss, Stu Ungar, who were sort of bigger than life. You had to use a firm hand. You have to spank them then give em a little sugar. Youre part psychologist, part kindergarten teacher, part priest, listening to all their stories. It helps you survive all those years."
As much as things have changed, do you miss the good old days?
"Not really. The World Series will always hold a special place in my heart, too, because I was there for 15 years, and I kind of grew up with the legends and saw them go from nowhere to the top. There was more of a family atmosphere, but it was really hard to make a living as a player because there werent many live spots in most of the tournaments. And, now, this year at the World Series, there were 5,600 players - probably 300 professionals and maybe another 300 serious amateurs and 5,000 guys named Joe. I put myself in the experienced amateur group, and if youre in that group, you feel like, Wow, Ive really got a chance this year. And, thats whats really made poker boom. Its not watching the same 10 pros play every week; its watching the unknown guy come out and win."
The guys who sit at home and watch sports found a sport where they can actually compete with the same people theyre watching.
"You can never go play golf with Tiger Woods because even if youre a scratch golfer, hes still gonna beat you every day. You cant go play basketball with Shaq, but you can sit down and play poker with Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. And, you know what, you get the right hand at the right time... And, now, if you win two or three tournaments, youre like a rock star - people are asking for your autograph."
Whats your take on all these people shrouded from head to toe Unabomber-style with wraparound shades and six layers of clothes?
"I put a lot less stock in tells than most people. The difference between the pros and the amateurs in the long run is steaming. You get upset and get on tilt - you lose your concentration and you lose your chips. Literally, in a session of poker, you make hundreds or thousands of decisions, and the guy who ends up with the money is the one who makes the most good decisions and doesnt let his emotions override his brain. Thats the difference between winning and losing in the long run."
What tips do you have that are overlooked in helping average guys win tournaments?
"The No. 1 thing in winning tournaments is being aggressive. If youre aggressive, youre going to win a tournament once in a while because gathering chips is the most important thing. Surviving is good, and getting into the money is fine. But, its better to win once and get 7.5 million than to be in the money for $5,000 a hundred times and end up with half a million. If youre aggressive and you make a mistake - if youve got 100,000 in chips and somebodys got 20,000 and you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, youve still got 80,000. And if you get lucky with your queen-nine or something, now youve got 120,000 and hes out. Being aggressive, you will occasionally win a tournament."
You see all the pros pretty regularly, whats the pro scene feel like in Vegas?
"Its a pretty good camaraderie. Theres a lot of kidding and joking and needling. One-upmanship is the main thing. Theyre all trying to hustle each other. Whether its in poker, the golf course, flipping coins - theyre all trying to get into your head psychologically."
Whats the worst problem youve had to sort out at a tournament?
"There have been so many I cant even think of one. I had a player get really upset at a dealer. The dealer wasnt making fun of the player, but he was one of those dealers who just had a dopey little grin. And, this player got really upset, and he was going after the dealer. He and the dealer were going over the table after each other, so I got between them and pushed them apart. Ive jumped between people a few times, I try to be older and wiser now and call for a security guard. Im not as young as I used to be."
What do you think of the World Series wild growth? Should they raise the buy-in?
"I would never, ever try to give Harrahs any advice because theyre all top professionals and know exactly what theyre doing. Does that sound slightly sarcastic? Thats just our competitor, so Im not giving any information away to them for free. Thats like the Yankees and the Red Sox - if you love one, you hate the other."
Do you ever feel like, I want my tournament back? You worked the WSOP for a long time.
"No, no. You gotta move on in life. What actually happened was my late wife was terminal about six years ago, and I retired. My retirement had nothing to do with the World Series, but it just happened to be the same year that Becky Binion took over the Horseshoe from Jack. So, I was retired for a couple years while I was taking care of her. After she passed away, I played for a little while, and I was kinda bored more than anything. So, people said, Youve got to get back doing tournaments again. Now Im back up to the top spot at the Bellagio."
A lot of players have a real devil-may-care attitude toward money. How does holding your salaried job at the Bellagio affect your attitude toward it?
"Well, when youre young, you always think its going to come back. Ive seen a lot of players win that first million and go out and do something stupid with it. The first year Stu Ungar won the World Series, he went out the next day and lost all of it playing golf, and hed never played golf before. Theyll go out and bet horses or ball games or shoot craps - just do something ridiculous. Theyre only 26 - its gotta come back, right? But, a lot of times, it never comes back, and they just disappear."
What do you see in the future of poker?
"Right now, the skys the limit. As long as TV stays interested, itll keep growing. I think its definitely character-driven. The casinos are interested in it because it brings people in. We used to be the poor stepchild; the slots were king and then the table games and everything else. Poker was down at the bottom. With the exposure, its not that way anymore. Up until five years ago, every six months they were closing up a poker room in Las Vegas. Now, it seems that every month theyre opening one up."
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