Matt Savage signs as the new L.A. Poker Classic tournament director

World famous event manager and tournament director, Matt Savage, has been named as the new L.A. Poker Classic tournament director starting in January, 2009. Savage, who previously worked for the World Series of Poker and the Tournament Directors Association, will use all his knowledge and experience to take the World’s Largest Poker Room to a whole new level and prepare it for another edition of the World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic, which according to the official schedule will run from Thursday, January 22^nd through Monday, March 2^nd, 2009.

“Being Tournament Director at the Commerce Casino is great opportunity for me. I have always felt that the L.A. Poker Classic is one of the four major tournaments in poker and it is my goal to take it to the next level of prestige. The Commerce is the largest poker room in the world and the L.A. Poker Classic is one of the greatest events in tournament poker. I am honored to have the chance to improve on the high standard already set by Cheri and the Commerce staff.” Savage told during an interview.

Savage will replace the L.A. Poker Classic tournament director Cheri Dokken, who recently announced his retirement after eight years as Commerce Casino tournament director and seventeen years working with the casino. Tim Gustin, casino manager at Commerce Casino, said they were looking for a candidate whose profile includes experience organizing and dealing with important and large events as well as complete understanding of TV production and that Savage had all the qualities needed to take on the position. In 2001, Savage founded the Tournament Directors Association, an organization dedicated to regulate and even out poker tournament rules all over the planet. Since its creation, the TDA has become the standard for tournament rules and has been implemented in most major poker tournaments worldwide. Savage also became the first person inducted into the Poker Room Manager’s Hall of Fame in 2003.

Savage was called to run the World Series of Poker in 2002 and is considered the intellectual author behind the worldwide poker explosion. He has also worked as director on more than 350 poker games and shows on sports networks such as GSN, ESPN, and Fox Sports.