Jesse Hollander Looks at Poker From The Other Side of the Felt

By Matt Clark

The Season XVI WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship attracted players from across the Sunshine State for a prize pool that is more than $4 million. Jesse Hollander is just a face among the masses inside the cavernous the Hard Rock Event Center, but he’s much more than that four hours north on I-95. The bestbet Jacksonville Director of Poker is passionate about the game and giddy to play this weekend.

Worth the Wait

The 48-year-old Hollander braved two satellites to earn his seat. A first attempt didn’t connect, but an early wake-up call at 9 a.m. was worth it. Hollander commented on his satellite adventures by saying, “It’s good to get in at a little bit of a discount.”

“I can’t play in Jacksonville and I needed to get out of town,” Hollander said. “Usually, when I get out of town, I go to play poker. For me, I fly to LA, I fly to Vegas, I fly to Miami. There happens to be a WPT event going on so that’s good timing.

“I can’t remember the last time I played in a WPT main event. It’s been a while.”

A Poker Life Full of Adventure

Hollander is a poker lifer with involvement in the game dating back to 1991. He started as an all-around dealer in Colorado and hung around the Southwest before turning his eyes toward operations. Hollander opened the Canterbury Park poker room in Minnesota in 2000 and followed that up with the Wynn opening its doors to poker in 2005.

In the time in between jobs, Hollander grinded out a living while bouncing around the homes of friends.

“I’ve played a lot of poker,” Hollander said. “There’s a lot of segments since I’ve been in the industry where I didn’t have a job and I just traveled around. It’s easy when you’re younger… to stay with your friends and play poker.”

The thirst to play is quenched this week for Hollander and he has the intent of enjoying every drop.

“I love it, actually,” Hollander said of his enjoyment while competing. “I like to play poker and don’t get to play near as much as I would like to. For me, it’s great to come down here, especially when it’s just a great event.”

Part of the Family

The World Poker Tour is familiar to Hollander. Bestbet Jacksonville is the host of the annual bestbet Bounty Scramble, a well-attended and enjoyed event by players.

Hollander has seen tours come and go and is passionate in his views for why the WPT achieved staying power since he started at bestbet in 2010.

“The WPT sets itself apart by being the tour everyone wants to follow,” Hollander told WPT.com. “It’s a real tour. It’s not an event that comes to town. We talk about in the industry about the WPT family and how there’s also a family of players. People like to travel and follow the WPT and the WPTDeepStacks. The locations are great, the tournaments are great, so there’s sort of a camaraderie amongst players and it’s just a great tour.”

Stay Off the Clock

The role of a poker room director gives Hollander a sixth sense when he plays. The nuances of color-ups, dealer pushes, and players acting in turn used to give Hollander a fit. Not anymore.

Hollander focuses on play only when he grinds and he’s noticed a difference in his own game from the shift.

“I used to be much more of a, not necessarily the table captain, but more of a critic as far as rules floor people, dealers, player etiquette,” Hollander said. “Now, I think I’m seasoned enough where things don’t really bother me anymore. It’s more difficult to play if you worry about the small things. So, as a player, I still watch everything and keep my eyes open. Little things, little mistakes, whatever. It happens. It’s a healthier way to play.”

A situation came up during a satellite that made Hollander laugh in a spot where he might not have in the past.

During an all-in, a dealer put out a sixth card after the river leading Hollander to call it “the ocean.” The pot wound up in the right player’s hands and Hollander sat back as it happened.

Will to Win

The WPT Champions Cup is passed by every player as they walk to their table. The trophy is in the purview of Hollander, who would love to drive home with almost $700,000 more to his name. The first step is making Day 2 which Hollander is less than two hours from accomplishing.

“I want to win,” Hollander said. “I want to make the final table. I want to win. The ultimate goal is to win. The daily goal is to bag chips. So, try to make some daily goals, make it through today, bag some chips, hopefully, a decent stack. We’ll come into tomorrow and have another daily goal. I’d love to make a WPT final table.”

Click here for more coverage from the Season XVI WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship.

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