EXCLUSIVE: Savage Goes All-In

Tournament director tells you what it takes to win and play poker with the big dogs

Oct. 25, 2005

By Angi Cividino
BodogNation Contributing Writer

He's worked as a chip runner, dealer, floorman and tournament assistant. In 2002, he became the tournament director of the World Series of Poker. All along, Matt Savage's enthusiasm and love of poker has drawn celebrities, professionals and amateurs from across the world to high-profile, high-stakes tournaments.

In the past, Savage and Bodog have teamed up to host several successful celebrity poker tournaments, including the "Bodog Salutes the Troops" charity event held in July that helped raise awareness and funds for the Fisher House Foundation, which supports military families. Following Bodog's "It's All Going to the Dogs" celebrity poker night to benefit Animal Avengers - a non-profit animal rescue organization founded by actress Shannon Elizabeth - BodogNation talked to Savage about some of the changes he'd like to see within the industry. Among other things, he thinks a woman could become the next WSOP champion. Here is how the phone conversation went:

BodogNation: As the tournament director of a charity poker event, what do you do?

Matt Savage: I set up the structure of the tournament, which tells us how long the tournament is going to last. And before the tournament begins I meet with the dealers, and give them the rules and the procedures on how I want the tournament to be run. I basically run a charity event as close to a real, professional tournament as possible and I think the players really appreciate that.

BN: The Shannon Elizabeth "Animal Avengers" Celebrity Poker Tournament, one of the more recent poker tournaments you've done for Calvin Ayre and Bodog.com, helped to raise over $50,000. Overall, what did you think of the tournament?

Savage: I thought it was a very successful event. There was some good star power and a lot of good players got to the final table. I think everyone had a good time.

BN: What's it like working the World Series of Poker?

Savage: For me it's a lot like being a player in the event. I mean, I get the same kind of butterflies. At any time you can make a decision that can turn out to be a million-dollar decision. I've got to be sharp and make sure the tournament runs perfectly. That's my goal every time.

BN: Last year the World Series of Poker set a record for number of registered players and total prize money. Have there been any early indications as to what this year's numbers might look like, or is it still to early to tell?

Savage: It's a little too early to tell, but I can see it increasing again because there are so many new, younger players that are coming into the game from the online poker rooms that are having some great success at an early level of their profession - they're talented players, too.

BN: What do you suppose the allure is for some of these newer, younger players?

Savage: The allure that I can see is that they can compete with everybody that's out there - right now - and anyone can get there by practicing, watching it on TV, and learning from the pros. Unlike other professional sports that you see on TV, with poker if you have the basic skills set you can have a good week and win a million-dollar tournament, playing against some of the best players in the world. There's no way you can achieve that level of success with a game like golf. So it's been great to see some of these younger, online players coming in and being successful at it.

BN: Online poker is extremely fast-paced. In terms of basic skills, how is it similar and how is it different from playing at a land-based poker room?

Savage: A lot of people have successfully made the cross from online to live poker.You can still talk a lot and leave tells online, but obviously the big difference is that with online poker you're not seeing the players at your table. And that's something to consider if you're good at intimidating the other players at your table.

BN: Do you have any predictions as to when or if poker's popularity might take a dip?

Savage: There's talk of another tour, there's talk of another professional league, there's talk of all these new and interesting projects. Every day I'm getting pitched new projects and new ideas, so the fact that everyone is trying to do something that's related to poker means that there's lots of interest out there and I see that continuing. It's so accessible and there are so many celebrities playing now that I think it's going to be around for a while for sure.

BN: Annie Duke has made quite a name for herself and she's been an inspiration to female poker players everywhere. But what's it going to take for more women to play and for a woman to become the World Series of Poker champion?

Savage: I would love to see a woman win a major tournament. Hopefully, this year it will happen. I mean, there have been a few women that have had success and there are plenty trying. So I think it will happen. Right now women make up about five to eight percent of the players at the professional level and if we can get a woman to win a major event, then we can get that number up to 20 percent. That's another 20 to 30 million people that will be playing in our game. I would love to see that happen.

BN: When was the last time you played poker?

Savage: Actually, I played in a game three days ago. I don't play very often but I do play.

BN: When it comes down to winning at poker, how much of it is skill versus luck?

Savage: I think it's about 80/20. The difference is anybody can get lucky and win on any night, but to get there over and over again takes a lot of skill. And guys like Phil Ivey and Howard Lederer show it every time. They're continually on television because they're winning events.

BN: Do you believe in luck?

Savage: Oh yeah, I believe in luck. [Laughs.] There's definitely luck in the game. A guy gets lucky one night and wins, making it more enticing for him to come back. If it was all skill we wouldn't be having big tournaments like the World Series of Poker.

BN: What are some of the common characteristics of some of the most successful poker players?

Savage: You need to be patient, yet you also have to be aggressive. A lot of times players that are too passive don't do well in the big tournaments because they sit back and wait for their hand. And the aggressive guys, while they might go out of the tournament earlier, seem to win more against passive players. There are a lot of guys out there that go into a tournament just to get in the money, whereas a guy like Phil Ivey or Daniel Negreanu go into it for the win. They're not interested in taking home second place.

BN: What are some of the more common mistakes made by poker players at the WSOP level?

Savage: For a lot of players it's not paying attention to what's going on around them. So many players go out there and they're not seeing the things that the top pro players do. For example, a guy will look at his cards and to everyone else at the table he may not appear to be interested in the hand at all. Now the other players that are in the pot know that he's not going to play that game and that's a huge advantage for these guys, to know what they're going to do before it even happens. The great players all pay attention to what everybody else is doing.

BN: Playing poker for a living is a little different than playing professional football, for example. When does a professional poker player know that his career is over and it's time to fold?

Savage: That's a good question. I can think of only a few pro players that I know of who have quit. My goal is to get more money into the game through things like sponsorships, and what that would do is eliminate some of the costs of putting on these events. If that can happen, then I don't think there's a reason for any of these guys to quit.

BN: What about for the average player trying to make it big?

Savage: I think that if you find that you're never making the money and it's taking away from the rest of your life, then that would be the time to go.

BN: You've been in the game for a number of years now. To date, what has been your fondest memory?

Savage: I'd have to say it was when Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker in 2003. Here's a guy who nobody expected to win - a young guy, an Internet guy - with the perfect name. It was just the perfect situation for everything. He's a nice person and because of that it was a nice time for poker.

BN: If you could be doing anything else, what would it be?

Savage: Well, I'd like to play a lot more golf but I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing now. I have a lot of pride in the job that I've done and the integrity that I've earned in this business and I'm proud of that. I'd like to take the lead on making some changes in the industry, however. I'd love to see the rules standardized across the world. Even with some live games I've worked hard to do that now. I'd like to see expansion in Europe, and Asia - I think that's the next frontier. I'd like to see all the tours and all the television events basically work together.

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