After a two year absence, Danny McDonagh is headed back to PokerStars. The announcement was made yesterday on a brief interview in Pokerstars Blog. Considerably one of the most well-known figures in the Asian and Australian live circuit, McDonagh will return to PokerStars with a new title as Executive Tournament Director.
In the interview, McDonagh explained his new position,
“The new role will be as Executive Tournament Director for PokerStars. There are some obvious duties involved such as overseeing Tournament Rules and Regulations, reviewing schedules and structures. I will also be a point of reference for our players to have a voice about our events, whether chatting to me in person at events or connecting to me via social media. And another important aspect will be the ongoing review of PokerStars’ live poker offerings and being part of the team effecting exciting changes and innovations to our events.”
Although McDonagh will rejoin a brand where he has sown some firm roots, he won’t be returning to familiar ground. Instead, he will take on a new continent with EPT Barcelona in August as his first event followed by EPT Prague later in the year. He will no doubt contribute his extensive experience and expertise to help strengthen the brand further in Europe.
“For me I foresee and exciting future for the EPT. An EPT to be an event all players will aspire to attend with a wide variance of buy-ins. New formats are already being trialled with the BB ante and Shot Clock in Monaco and there is the push from the top for the Live Events team to introduce new innovative events.”
“EPT has built a great history as a major global tour. Toby Stone and his EPT team have built an enviable reputation for running great events and I very much look forward to be working with them. The challenge as I see it is to lift the bar to new heights and deliver even more for the players, making them not to be missed events for any poker player. I intend to give it my best to help Toby and his team achieve this objective.”
As someone who has dedicated his career to the growth of poker, McDonagh knows that ultimately it is about the overall enjoyment of players that matters most. It is what continues to bring players back to the events and also what will attract new ones.
“For those who don’t know me I am a very approachable person and always look forward to mixing with our customers whether they be recreational or professional players. That’s one good way I can get a good cross section of players opinions about our events. Also a fresh perspective towards the flagship events of PokerStars from the experience I have gained in Asia Pacific.”
At the end of March 2016, McDonagh parted ways with PokerStars and poker in general. He pursued other ventures until he was drawn back in at the start of 2017.
He is currently working for WPT as their Live Events Specialist for Asia-Pacific and will continue on his role while simultaneously working as the PokerStars Executive Tournament Director.
Article by Tricia David
Louis Hartwell
Graduated in Media Communication at the University of Lausanne, Louis Hartman is a co-founder of somuchpoker.com. He began his career in Cambodia as freelance journalist. In same time he was making his living by playing poker every night at that time. Intense learner, he read dozens of poker strategy books to improve his skills during many years. With a strong interest about poker "behind the scene" in Asia and his communication skills, Louis launched Somuchpoker in 2014.
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