Eric Drache is a professional poker

Poker

Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...

 player, former cardroom manager and consultant for NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

. Drache is best known for his management contributions to the poker world, but he is also a notable seven-card stud

Seven-card stud

Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...

 player. He finished second in World Series of Poker

World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...

 stud events in 1973

1973 World Series of Poker

The 1973 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. This year marked the first year a single player won more than one preliminary World Series of Poker event.-Preliminary events:-Final table:...

, 1981

1981 World Series of Poker

-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 75 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. The final hand saw Green with 10 9 and Ungar with A Q, and the board was 7 8 4 4 Q. -Final table:-Other High Finishes:...

 and 2009

2009 World Series of Poker

The 2009 World Series of Poker was the 40th annual World Series of Poker . It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 27 to July 15. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event...

.

As of 2009, Drache's total live poker tournament winnings exceed $325,000.

Drache was responsible for inventing tournament satellites while running the World Series of Poker in the 1970s as a way to get more entries per tournament. Drache also managed and hosted notable cardrooms at the Golden Nugget

Golden Nugget

Golden Nugget has several uses including:Casinos:*Golden Nugget Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey**"Golden Nugget" was also the original name of the ACH Casino Resort from 1980 to 1987*Golden Nugget Laughlin in Laughlin, Nevada...

 and The Mirage

The Mirage

The Mirage is a 3,044 room hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States.The Mirage is connected by a free tram to Treasure Island. The marquee in front of the Mirage is the largest free standing marquee in the world.-History:The Mirage was built by...

. Drache's innovations as poker manager include: ante structures

Betting (poker)

In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...

, dealer training and the invention of the "must-move" table. Eric Drache trained both Donna Harris and Doug Dalton, cardroom managers at The Mirage and Bellagio

Bellagio (hotel and casino)

Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino.Inspired by the...

respectively.

In the mid-90s, he was prosecuted on federal tax fraud charges and lost his Nevada gaming license as a result, which is required to work in casinos.