Inside look at WSOP’s virtual bracelet ceremonies

Jack Effel wasn’t able to hand Tony Dunst his second World Series of Poker bracelet this year, but he tried to reach out and touch him.

The vice president of the WSOP spoke with Dunst over a Skype call and asked the poker pro to hold up his wrist to the screen. Effel then “placed” the trophy bracelet on Dunst in a virtual ceremony.

Normally, WSOP bracelet winners would receive their bracelets onstage at the Rio Convention Center. Effel would give a short speech, then winners would hold their bracelets up and receive applause.

Just as the WSOP moved online this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, so has the bracelet ceremony. Effel held a second day of “virtual” ceremonies Aug. 3, speaking with nine recent winners in short videos that will later be posted on the WSOP’s website and social media.

Effel said hosting the bracelet ceremonies, live or not, is the most satisfying part of his job.

“To be able to see it in their eyes, to be able to sense it in the tone of their voice and to kind of feel their emotion, it really makes me happy about getting up every day and working together on what we do,” Effel said.

After the ceremony, Dunst, also the color commentator for the World Poker Tour, told Effel that he appreciated the WSOP’s effort.

“I think considering the circumstances of 2020, we’re all in the poker community, World Series included, making the best of the situation,” he said.

This year’s unique bracelet process starts well before Effel is talking to players on Skype. First, WSOP director Gregory Chochon works with Jostens, a longtime producer of Super Bowl rings and other memorabilia, on the design of the bracelets. This year’s bracelets have “ONLINE” engraved on them.

Then, they are shipped to Chochon’s home for inspection, something he said he does not take lightly, because of their prestige and value. The bracelets are generally worth about $2,000, Chochon said.

“The WSOP bracelet is like an Olympic medal to me,” Chochon said via email. “I am always nervous to be the caretaker, but I am also very proud.”

Chochon then takes the bracelets to the PokerGO studio, located on the Strip next to the Aria, for the ceremonies.

Just before noon Aug. 3, a small production team and Effel prepared for the day’s ceremonies.

Mori Eskandani, a pioneering poker TV producer who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2018, operates the PokerGO studio. He talks with his director, Jason Wald, about the plan for the day.

Wald said the goal is to make the ceremony as special as it can be given the circumstances.

“This is their moment,” he said. “… Make it about the player being a champion.”

Up first is Kevin Gerhart, winner of Event 20, the $500 Pot-limit Omaha six-handed tournament, for his second bracelet. He appears on Skype with his first bracelet and another poker trophy in the background.

Players’ surroundings and positioning for the Skype calls is a topic throughout the day. “Back away from the camera a little bit.” “Get in the center of the frame.” “It’s a little backlit, a lot of backlit.”

The ceremony begins with an introduction from Effel. Using a phrase that would be repeated several times, he tells Gerhart, “It may have been virtual chips and virtual cards, but the bracelet is very real.”

Gerhart replies, “I look forward to next summer when I get to grind the entire summer hopefully live, because I love live tournaments.”

“Yes, we do, too,” Wald says in the control room.

After Effel tells Gerhart goodbye, the control room breaks out in applause, something that would be repeated throughout the day.

Effel and the crew work quickly, each ceremony taking about five minutes once they are connected with the player.

Fifth on the list is Ian Steinman, who also topped the leaderboard as the best overall player during the U.S. leg of the WSOP Online. A longtime tournament grinder, he smiles when Effel tells him that he is finally a WSOP bracelet winner.

“I’ve hoped to hear you say that to me for a long time,” Steinman says. “I was expecting it to be in person, but this is just as good to me.”

After the ceremonies, WSOP operations manager Johnny Hernandez packages the bracelets and has them shipped to the players via FedEx, with a signature required.

The WSOP has asked winners to send videos of them opening their packages. In one, Nathan Gamble sits on his couch and lets his dogs tear up the packaging paper while he displays the bracelet.

Effel and the production team have largely finished honoring the winners of the U.S. leg of the WSOP Online. A few players declined the ceremony, and a couple of others have not responded to calls.

The WSOP plans to continue the ceremonies and honor the winners of the international leg of the WSOP Online, which started July 19 and runs through Sept. 6 on GGPoker. Between the two series, there are 85 events in all.

On Aug. 3, the final ceremony was for Nahrain Tamero. In a later interview, she said she hadn’t been that interested in doing the ceremony, but her husband, also a poker player, prompted her to go through with it.

“Honestly, I want to stay quiet through all this. I’m a very quiet person mainly,” Tamero said. “My husband was like, ‘It’s not official until Jack Effel gives you your bracelet.’”

Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.