Kenny Hallaert Looks to Protect Recreational Players in New PokerStars Role
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A new episode of the Poker in the Ears podcast, hosted by PokerStars ambassadors James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton, has landed.
And the affable duo are joined by the spade brand's latest acquisition, Belgian poker pro Kenny Hallaert, as well as recapping the big hands and stories from ‘The Big Game on Tour’ which returns to TV screens on Friday, July 26 on FS1 before its wider release on the PokerStars YouTube Channels.
Who is Kenny Hallaert?
Hallaert became the third addition to the PokerStars roster in 2024 after European Poker Tour Champions Simon Wiciak and Barny Boatman were unveiled as ambassadors in February and March.
With two decades of poker experience, Hallaert is perhaps best known for his performance in the 2016 WSOP Main Event, where he finished sixth for $1,464,258.
Moreover, he is also a well-respected and experienced tournament official, having formed the poker rooms at the Namur and Spa Casinos in his home country and has assisted with the management of the EPT, Belgian Poker Series, Belgian Poker Challenge, and French Poker Series.
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A Unique Role Excites Hallaert
Hallaert expressed his enthusiasm about his new role with PokerStars, explaining, "I recently signed with PokerStars as an ambassador but mainly as a live events advisor. That will mean that I will be helping the PokerStars Live Events Team by organising their live events, giving feedback on schedules, [tournament] structures, payouts, rake, and trying to be innovative with new events.
"Also, working as a player liaison, trying to bridge the gap between the player and organiser. If the players have ideas, suggestions and complaints, they will always be able to come to me, and I will collect all the feedback and see how, in the future, we can make PokerStars events even better than they already are."
He confirmed his collaboration with PokerStars Global Tournament Director Toby Stone and highlighted some of the key issues he's eager to address: "I've always been a big advocate for keeping late registration open for a limited time and limiting the number of reentries that are possible.
"I always want to protect the recreational player, and by having unlimited reentries and late registration open for long [periods], we're not doing that as an industry as a whole...I think one reentry is fine because there are players who make a travel effort to go to the event."
Hallaert also aims to increase the number of side events at PokerStars tournaments, offering more opportunities for players of all levels to compete and enjoy the game.
Want to hear Hallaert's full conversation with Hartigan and Stapes? You can listen to the Poker in the Ears podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud and wherever else you consume your podcast content from.
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