Neil Johnson

Background

About Neil Johnson

If you’ve ever wondered about submerging yourself inside a game, you can ask me as I’ve done it for quite a while now. I’ve lived and breathed poker for the last 20 years in all its myriad forms. I’ve been a dealer, floor person, tournament director, been a player who managed to make a living at it and been an operator who organized and managed some of the largest events in the world. I’m a member of the Board of Directors of the Tournament Director’s Association and won the 2013 European Poker Award for Industry Person of the Year. Poker has allowed me to travel the world in amazing ways and I enjoy the travel and new experiences tremendously. My time in poker has allowed me to grow my skills in people management, time management, creativity, brainstorming, idea development, customer relations, resource management, problem solving among many other areas. I have built and managed festivals which have handled over entries, over 100 individual events with a staff of over 300 inside just 10 days. I have a virtually encyclopedic knowledge of the game and will happily sit down with you for a game of Texas Hold’em as I will a game of Pass the Trash Crazy Pineapple Hi-Lo. The social side of poker and the interactions with the people who play it and love it have long been my favourite part of the game, as in all the things I’m passionate about. My creativity is driven by passion and I have had four passions in my life so far, books, acting, poker and gaming. I will happily debate which Stephen King book is best, which starting hand is best for Omaha 8 and which Destiny campaign is best. I have been lucky enough to have opportunities to give back to three of those passions in some professional way and a career you have passion for is what every one of us strives for. Books gave me a start, acting gave me a lifelong love and poker has given me the world as an office!