Inside WPT Global: President Alex Scott on Fair Play, Innovation, and Poker’s Future – Part I
Recently, WPT Global has been making tremendous progress in the poker industry, and so we thought it would be a good time to catch up with the new President of WPT Global - Alex Scott. Not only are we excited to see into which direction they will be heading in the near future, but mainly how it will look for poker players from around the world.
Alex Scott recently moved into the role of President of WPT Global. With his experience both on and off the poker tables, and his background at Microgaming and FullTilt, we're positive this is a great match. But what will he bring to the table?
Our very own Social Media Manager & Content Creator, Melvin Schroen conducted the interview.
Melvin: Hi Alex! WPT Global has been making huge progress lately. What does WPT Global stand for in your opinion?
Alex Scott: ‘’We stand for the little guy. David, not Goliath. I mean that in a couple of different ways.
First, we believe that everybody deserves a fair shot to win. As a player, you shouldn’t face an unbeatable game when you sit down, whether because the rake is unbeatable, or because you’re sat at a table with predatory opponents who have been waiting for their next mark to arrive. We’re seeing cash game pools on competing sites that have around five or six pros per recreational player. That is totally unsustainable for online poker as a whole.
Our ecology management system makes it possible for you to win, by reserving most of the seats in a cash game for recreational players and limiting the number of highly skilled professionals at each table to just two. This is better for everyone - if you’re a recreational player, you’ll be playing mainly against other recreational players.
If you’re a professional, you’ll be playing mainly against recreational players as well. Both groups can achieve significantly higher win rates in BB/100 terms than they would at any other online poker site because of this method of balancing the games.
Secondly, we take the integrity of the games incredibly seriously. Having a fair shot to win also means that you’re not up against people with an unfair advantage. This is where our modern platform makes a huge difference - our technology is built with big data and artificial intelligence at its core, which is what’s required to succeed in proactive detection of today’s Game Integrity issues. Unlike other online poker operators, we’ve not had to make a difficult transition from legacy to modern technology, we’ve been built on a state-of-the-art foundation from the very beginning.’’
Melvin: Going from General Manager to President of WPT Global feels like a significant role change. What can the average WPT Global player expect from you going forward?
Alex Scott: ‘’The title change reflects my new mission, which is to focus less on the day-to-day running of the business and instead, represent our brand publicly and engage with the poker community.
You can expect me to be much more public-facing and approachable, and to be more engaged in the issues that are important to our community. Anyone who wants to know more about what we’re doing, or ask any question at all, can contact me via Twitter, and I’ll be finding new ways to get input and feedback from our most valuable players so that I can work on what’s most important to the community.’’
Melvin: You work in the poker industry, but do you play yourself as well? What do you enjoy about the game?
Alex Scott: ‘’I do! I used to play every single day, both live and online, and was pretty successful for a while (I played mostly online cash up to 2000NL). These days I am a casual player and my favourite way to play is a home game with friends. I especially like to play mixed games or Dealer’s Choice, and I enjoy making up games on the spot, throwing in wild cards and features like Double Board and bomb pots. I can adapt well to new variations like this because I understand the fundamentals.
I love so many things about poker. Variance aside, I love how well poker rewards you for hard work. It really is a game where if you put in the effort, study, and improve, anyone can be successful. I also love how you can get to know people from all walks of life and backgrounds while competing against them in such a fun game.’’
Melvin: WPT Global's popularity has been growing rapidly in the poker community, and it feels a good time to capitalise on this. What advancements or innovations can we expect in the future?
Alex Scott: ‘’As a relative newcomer to the online poker space, we came to market with a product that aimed to do the basics well, with a few unique features (like our ecology management system and action-packed games) to differentiate us.
Naturally, we have a roadmap full of ideas and you’ll see many of those this year - both things that are popular among online players already, and some completely new ideas that you won’t have seen before. The common theme you can expect is that we will be focusing most of our efforts on features that appeal to recreational players, and making online poker fun and safe.’’
Melvin: What makes WPT Global unique and different to other poker brands?
Alex Scott: ‘’We have a few unique selling points that I’d love to share with you!
- Fairness: We believe everybody should have a fair chance to win in the games, recreational and pro alike. That means that, like the host of a private game or club, we curate the games. Our AI-driven Ecology Management System measures the skill of every player and reserves seats for recreational players at every table while limiting the number of highly-skilled pros to 2 seats. Unlike systems that have been attempted before, there is no segregation, and managing the tables in this way ensures everybody has a better experience.
- Integrity: Our modern software, provided by A5 Labs, has been built on state-of-the-art foundations, driven by AI and machine learning. A5 Labs’ founders are passionate poker players who understand the nuances of the game and the importance of game integrity. As a result, we have the most impressive game integrity tech I’ve seen in my nearly 20 years in this industry.
- Value: We’re giving more back in promotions and giveaways, per player, than any other poker site. In 2024 we’re stacking promotion on top of giveaways on top of promotions, all year long. For tournament players alone, we have tournaments with guarantees that go up every time they hit. Major tournament series every 1-2 months. In March - we’re giving all tournament fees back to players in three freerolls (and wait until you see what we have planned for April!). On top of that, we have giveaways to win a WPT Voyage cruise package, a weekly tournament leaderboard, and the 2024 Player of the Year promotion with $250,000 given away!
- Live Events: Our friends at the World Poker Tour are running the world’s very best live poker events right now, and WPT Global is the only real money online poker site where you can qualify - often for free. Everyone has a chance, whether you’re a high-stakes MTT player, a low-stakes PLO cash grinder or anything in between.
- Customer Experience: With our approach to customer service and your experience as a player, we’re bringing the ‘good old days’ of online poker back. Every player at WPT Global is important to us and can expect to be treated like a VIP.’’
