Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament
Encyclopedia
The Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament is a series of no limit Texas hold 'em
poker tournament
s. The first season is available on NTSC
DVD
. It airs on Fox Sports Net
in the United States
, Rogers Sportsnet
in Canada
and ftn
in the United Kingdom
.
, with support from poker author Michael Konik
and poker professional Mark Gregorich. Mark Gregorich left the show at the end of the first season.
The first series grand finale aired in February 2005 on the same day as Super Bowl XXXIX
. Fox
carried the Super Bowl that year, so instead of the series' usual home on FSN, NBC
carried the finale instead. It was hosted by Matt Vasgersian
, with support from poker professional Erick Lindgren
. Backstage interviews were conducted by poker player Evelyn Ng
.
The first series was Executive Produced by David Doyle
and Directed by Brian Lockwood.
Howard "The Professor" Lederer
replaced Michael Konik at the beginning of the 3rd season, with Annie Duke
joining for several episodes as a "special guest". Mary Strong
conducted the backstage interviews.
Similarly, the finishing position in two preliminary rounds per series determined the starting chip positions of each player in both series finals.
The Grand Final winner received $1,000,000. The payouts for the other entrants from the $3,200,000 prize pool were unclear in the broadcast. However, Phil Ivey has said, on Full Tilt, that he walked away with about $400,000, and, therefore, broke even.
In the first two rounds of each series, players start with 100,000 in chips. Their finish in each of these rounds determines their starting chips for the final round of the series as follows:
Finish
Series 1 Round 1 finish + Series 1 Round 2 finish = Starting chips for Series 1 Final
Series 2 uses the same format. Finishes in each series final are then used to determine the Grand Finale starting chip count as follows:
Finish - Finals
Series 1 Final finish + Series 2 Final finish = Starting chips for grand finale.
Each player played six preliminary tournaments with players randomly drawn. At the end of this, the points were tallied and the 16 players with the most points progressed to the next round.
Players in the final 16 started with 25,000 chips for every point earned up to then. (20,000 in Season 3)
Each pool had two matches, with points being allocated as follows:
The points were cumulated from those 2 matches, and the players with the highest points then progressed to the quarter-finals.
and Mimi Tran were the only players penalized in season two, for one small blind. In season three, it was Phil Ivey
.
Winner=$400,000 USD
Runner Up=$140,000 USD
The total prize pool was $1.2 million. It is unclear who supplied the extra $240,000 for the pool, since 24 times 40,000 equals only $960,000. (NOTE: This problem was solved in Season 3 with the $50,000 buy-in.)
There is an online web version made in flash of the computer game
These were published by Funkitron and available at Play Poker Superstars, the official Funkitron Poker Superstars website.
The AI used in them was created by Brian Sheppard, the programmer who created the Maven
Scrabble playing AI for Scrabble
.
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
s. The first season is available on NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. It airs on Fox Sports Net
Fox Sports Net
The Fox Sports Regional Networks, or simply Fox Sports Net , are a collection of cable TV regional sports networks in the United States owned and operated by News Corporation.- Beginnings :...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and ftn
Ftn
Ftn was a television channel from Virgin Media Television transmitting free-to-air on Freeview and Virgin Media, and as a subscription channel on Sky Digital. The channel was broadcast between 18:00 and 06:00 daily...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Crew
The first series was hosted by Chris RoseChris Rose
Christopher Rose is an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:Rose attended University School in Hunting Valley during high school. Rose attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and graduated in 1993...
, with support from poker author Michael Konik
Michael Konik
Michael Konik is an American author, television personality, jazz singer, improvisational comedian, blackjack player and poker player. Konik has a degree in Drama from New York University.Konik currently resides in Hollywood, California.-Writing:...
and poker professional Mark Gregorich. Mark Gregorich left the show at the end of the first season.
The first series grand finale aired in February 2005 on the same day as Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX
Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played on February 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 2004 regular season...
. Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
carried the Super Bowl that year, so instead of the series' usual home on FSN, 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...
carried the finale instead. It was hosted by Matt Vasgersian
Matt Vasgersian
Matt Vasgersian is an American sportscaster and television host. Vasgersian is a host for the MLB Network and has served as an announcer for NBC Sports' coverage of the Olympics, and on Fox Sports' MLB coverage...
, with support from poker professional Erick Lindgren
Erick Lindgren
Erick A. Lindgren is an American professional poker player. He has won two World Poker Tour titles, one World Series of Poker bracelet, and more than seven million dollars in tournament earnings during his poker career.-Poker career:He won his first major tournament at the Bellagio in 2002 and...
. Backstage interviews were conducted by poker player Evelyn Ng
Evelyn Ng
Evelyn Ng is a Canadian professional poker player. She currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Early Life:...
.
The first series was Executive Produced by David Doyle
David Doyle
David Fitzgerald Doyle was an American actor.-Early life:Doyle was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of Mary Ruth and Lewis Raymond Doyle, an attorney. His maternal grandfather, John Fitzgerald, was a prominent railroad builder and banker in Nebraska...
and Directed by Brian Lockwood.
Howard "The Professor" Lederer
Howard Lederer
Howard Henry Lederer is an American professional poker player and brother of poker professional Annie Duke, and author and poet Katy Lederer. On September 20, 2011, the U.S...
replaced Michael Konik at the beginning of the 3rd season, with Annie Duke
Annie Duke
Annie Duke is a professional poker player and author who won a bracelet in the 2004 World Series of Poker $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Event and was the winner of the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, where she earned the Winner-Take-All prize of $2,000,000...
joining for several episodes as a "special guest". Mary Strong
Mary Strong
Mary Strong is an American sports journalist. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University, where she was a full scholarship athlete on the women’s Division I volleyball team, and later spent time on the AVP pro-beach volleyball circuit....
conducted the backstage interviews.
Competitors
- Season 1 featured 8 competitors each paying $400,000 to enter. (This $400,000 entry fee is the largest in history)
- Season 2 featured 24 competitors each paying $40,000 to enter, and $250,000 added to the prize pool.
- Season 3 featured 24 competitors each paying $50,000 to enter.
| Competitor | Seasons | WSOP 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... Bracelets |
WPT World Poker Tour The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that... Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doyle Brunson Doyle Brunson Doyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to... |
1, 2 | 10 | 1 |
| Todd Brunson Todd Brunson Todd Alan Brunson is an American professional poker player and the son of poker legend Doyle Brunson.Although Brunson's father Doyle is a poker player, Brunson did not learn the game when he was young. It was not until he was studying law at Texas Tech University that he learned on his own how to... |
2, 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Mike Caro Mike Caro Mike A. Caro is a professional poker player, pioneer poker theorist, author of poker books, and casino executive.-Author:... |
2 | 0 | 0 |
| Johnny Chan Johnny Chan (poker player) Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively.... |
1, 2, 3 | 10 | 0 |
| T.J. Cloutier | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Kassem "Freddy" Deeb | 2, 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Eli Elezra Eli Elezra Eliahu Ilan Elezra is an Israeli professional poker player and a businessman, now living in Las Vegas, Nevada.While he was in Israel, Elezra was a lieutenant in the Golani Brigade. He was bedridden by a leg injury; during this time he began playing poker... |
2, 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Antonio Esfandiari Antonio Esfandiari Antonio Esfandiari is a professional poker player, known for his elaborate chip tricks.-Early life:When he was 9 years old his family moved to San Jose, California... |
2, 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Chris Ferguson Chris Ferguson Christopher Philip Ferguson is an American professional poker player. He has won five World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. On September 20, 2011, the U.S... |
3 | 5 | 0 |
| Ted Forrest Ted Forrest Ted Forrest is an American professional poker player, currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada.- Tournament Wins:... |
2, 3 | 5 | 1 |
| Chau Giang Chau Giang Chau Tu Giang is an American professional poker player of Chinese descent, who is a three time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and a three time final tablist of the World Poker Tour with over $3 million in live tournament winnings alone.- Biography :Giang fled Vietnam in a small boat in the... |
2 | 3 | 0 |
| Barry Greenstein Barry Greenstein Barry Greenstein is a professional poker player. He has won a number of major events, including three at the World Series of Poker and two on the World Poker Tour. Greenstein donates his profit from tournament winnings to charities, primarily Children, Incorporated, earning him the nickname "the... |
1, 2, 3 | 3 | 2+1 |
| David Grey David Grey David F. Grey is an American professional poker player from Henderson, Nevada.Grey is best known as a cash-game player, but he also has several notable poker tournament wins to his name.... |
2 | 2 | 0 |
| Joe Hachem Joe Hachem Joseph Hachem is a Lebanese-Australian professional poker player known for winning the main event of the 2005 World Series of Poker. He was the first Australian to win the main event, which earned him $7.5 million, then a record for all-time biggest tournament prize.The next year, Hachem won his... |
3 | 1 | 1 |
| Bobby Hoff Bobby Hoff Bobby "The Wizard" Hoff is an American professional poker player, based in Long Beach, California. According to Hoff, his nickname "The Wizard" refers to his ability to make mountains of chips disappear.-Early years:... |
2 | 0 | 0 |
| Gus Hansen Gus Hansen Gustav "Gus" Hansen is a professional Danish poker player who lives in Monaco. In his poker career, Hansen has won three World Poker Tour open titles, the 2007 Aussie Millions main event and was the season one winner of the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament... |
1, 3 | 0 | 3+1 |
| Jennifer Harman Jennifer Harman Jennifer C. Harman-Traniello is an American professional poker player.-Early life:Harman was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She started playing poker in 1972 at the age of eight... |
3 | 2 | 0 |
| Phil Hellmuth Jr Phil Hellmuth Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality... |
3 | 11 | 0 |
| Phil Ivey Phil Ivey Phillip Dennis "Phil" Ivey Jr. is an American professional poker player who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables... |
1, 3 | 7 | 1 |
| Howard Lederer Howard Lederer Howard Henry Lederer is an American professional poker player and brother of poker professional Annie Duke, and author and poet Katy Lederer. On September 20, 2011, the U.S... |
1 | 2 | 2 |
| Kathy Liebert Kathy Liebert Kathleen H. Liebert is an American professional poker player.- Poker :Liebert started her professional poker career as a prop player in Colorado... |
2 | 1 | 0 |
| Erick Lindgren Erick Lindgren Erick A. Lindgren is an American professional poker player. He has won two World Poker Tour titles, one World Series of Poker bracelet, and more than seven million dollars in tournament earnings during his poker career.-Poker career:He won his first major tournament at the Bellagio in 2002 and... |
3 | 1 | 2 |
| Mike Matusow Mike Matusow Michael Matusow is an American professional poker player, residing in Henderson, Nevada. Matusow's nickname of "The Mouth" reflects his reputation for trash-talking at the poker table... |
3 | 3+1 | 0 |
| Chris Moneymaker Chris Moneymaker Christopher Bryan Moneymaker is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker . His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker site... |
2, 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Carlos Mortensen Carlos Mortensen Juan Carlos Mortensen is an Ecuadorian professional poker player of Danish descent and the only Hispanic Main Event winner of the World Series of Poker. Mortensen is known for his loose play, bluffing tactics, and interesting chip-stacking style.Mortensen moved from Spain to the United States in... |
2, 3 | 2 | 2 |
| John Myung John Myung (poker player) John Myung is an American accountant and poker player of Korean descent, based in Vienna, Virginia.-Before poker:Myung graduated from Cornell University. He was training to be a medical doctor in Manhattan but quit as he did not wish to commit six years of his life to studying... |
2 | 0 | 0 |
| Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big... |
3 | 4 | 2 |
| Scotty Nguyen Scotty Nguyen Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship... |
2 | 4 | 1 |
| Greg Raymer Greg Raymer Gregory Raymer nicknamed "Fossilman," is a professional poker player. He is best known for winning the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event.-Early life:... |
3 | 1 | 0 |
| David "Chip" Reese Chip Reese David Edward Reese , more commonly known as Chip Reese, was an American professional poker player and gambler from Centerville, Ohio... |
1 | 3 | 0 |
| Huck Seed Huck Seed Huckleberry Seed is an American professional poker player best known for winning the main event of the 1996 World Series of Poker.-Early Life:... |
2 | 4 | 0 |
| Mike Sexton Mike Sexton Michael Richard Sexton is an American professional poker player and commentator. He is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.-Early years:... |
2, 3 | 1+1 | 0 |
| Jeff Shulman Jeff Shulman Jeff Shulman is the editor of Card Player Magazine, and an American poker player with a record of success in tournament play, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is the son of Jan Shulman and Barry Shulman... |
3 | 0 | 0 |
| David Sklansky David Sklansky -Life and career:Sklansky was born and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, where he graduated from Teaneck High School in 1966. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, but left before graduation. He returned to Teaneck and passed multiple Society of Actuaries exams by the time he was 20, and worked... |
2 | 3 | 0+1 |
| Jennifer Tilly Jennifer Tilly Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:... |
3 | 0+1 | 0+1 |
| Dewey Tomko Dewey Tomko Duane "Dewey" Tomko is an American former kindergarten teacher turned professional poker player, based in Winter Haven, Florida.... |
2 | 3 | 0 |
| Mimi Tran Mimi Tran Thithi "Mimi" Tran is a Vietnamese-American professional poker player.- Biography :Tran was born in Nha Trang, Vietnam. After moving to the United States in 1982, Tran found work in the electronics industry in Silicon Valley. She began playing poker in 1989, after an auto accident left her... |
2, 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Cyndy Violette Cyndy Violette Cyndy Violette is an American professional poker player who won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2004.-Early life:... |
2, 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Tommy Wang | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Season 1
The tournament was split into two series, with each player's finishing position in the series final determining their starting chip count in the grand finale.Similarly, the finishing position in two preliminary rounds per series determined the starting chip positions of each player in both series finals.
The Grand Final winner received $1,000,000. The payouts for the other entrants from the $3,200,000 prize pool were unclear in the broadcast. However, Phil Ivey has said, on Full Tilt, that he walked away with about $400,000, and, therefore, broke even.
In the first two rounds of each series, players start with 100,000 in chips. Their finish in each of these rounds determines their starting chips for the final round of the series as follows:
Finish
- 250,000
- 150,000
- 112,000
- 88,000
- 72,000
- 56,000
- 40,000
- 32,000
Series 1 Round 1 finish + Series 1 Round 2 finish = Starting chips for Series 1 Final
Series 2 uses the same format. Finishes in each series final are then used to determine the Grand Finale starting chip count as follows:
Finish - Finals
- 500,000
- 300,000
- 224,000
- 176,000
- 144,000
- 112,000
- 80,000
- 64,000
Series 1 Final finish + Series 2 Final finish = Starting chips for grand finale.
Qualifying rounds
Six players competed in each tournament, with points being allocated as follows:- Winner: 10 points
- Runner-Up: 7 points
- 3rd place: 5 points
- 4th place: 3 points
- 5th place: 1 point
- 6th place: 0 points
Each player played six preliminary tournaments with players randomly drawn. At the end of this, the points were tallied and the 16 players with the most points progressed to the next round.
Final 16
The top 16 are then split into 4 pools of playersPlayers in the final 16 started with 25,000 chips for every point earned up to then. (20,000 in Season 3)
Each pool had two matches, with points being allocated as follows:
- Winner: 10 points
- Runner-Up: 7 points
- 3rd place: 4 points
- 4th place: 0 points
The points were cumulated from those 2 matches, and the players with the highest points then progressed to the quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals
The quarter-finals are 2 groups with 4 players in each. Each group will play one match where the top two finishers will advance to the semi-finals. The winner of the match will start the semi-finals with 1,000,000 in chips while the runner up will start with 700,000. Players start with 50,000 chips per point earned in the round of 16.Semi-finals and finals
Both the semi-finals and finals were played in best two out of three heads-up matches.Time limit rule
Players had 60 seconds to act on their hands. A player failing to act was penalized the worth of one small blind. An additional small blind penalty would be imposed for each additional ten seconds without action. The collected penalties were added to the next pot. Kathy LiebertKathy Liebert
Kathleen H. Liebert is an American professional poker player.- Poker :Liebert started her professional poker career as a prop player in Colorado...
and Mimi Tran were the only players penalized in season two, for one small blind. In season three, it was Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey
Phillip Dennis "Phil" Ivey Jr. is an American professional poker player who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables...
.
Payouts
The payouts were as follows:Winner=$400,000 USD
Runner Up=$140,000 USD
The total prize pool was $1.2 million. It is unclear who supplied the extra $240,000 for the pool, since 24 times 40,000 equals only $960,000. (NOTE: This problem was solved in Season 3 with the $50,000 buy-in.)
Season 3
Season 3 played exactly like Season 2, except for the following differences:- The entry fee was $50,000 instead of $40,000.
- Each player played five preliminary tournaments instead of six with players randomly drawn.
- The finals were played in best 3-out-of-5 rather than 2-out-of-3.
- The Top 16 Players were split into 4 groups and played 2 games with 20,000 chips for every point earned up to then. The winner of each game, with the winner of game one not participating in two, advance to the quarterfinals, starting there with 600,000 resp. 400,000 chips. Same format is used in the quarter finals, with the two advancing to the semi-finals starting with 1,500,000 resp. 1,000,000 chips.
- The time limit rule was modified. After 60 seconds, a player had five seconds to act before being assessed a one small blind penalty. An additional small blind penalty would be assessed for each additional 30 seconds without action. Phil Ivey was assessed a penalty in his first Super Sixteen match.
Payouts
| Round | Condition | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Elimination/Qualifying | Finish 1st in a match | $10,000 |
| Super 16 | Finish 1st in Match 1 or 2 | $15,000 |
| Quarter Finals | Finish 2nd in Match 1 or 2 | $15,000 |
| Quarter Finals | Finish 1st in Match 1 or 2 | $30,000 |
| Semi-Finals | Finish 2nd | $30,000 |
| Semi-Finals | Finish 1st | $50,000 |
| Final | Finish 2nd | $140,000 |
| Final | Finish 1st | $400,000 |
Computer versions
There have been two computer games made of the first two seasons of the show.- Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament
- Poker Superstars II
- Poker Superstars III
There is an online web version made in flash of the computer game
- Poker Superstars II Web Game
These were published by Funkitron and available at Play Poker Superstars, the official Funkitron Poker Superstars website.
The AI used in them was created by Brian Sheppard, the programmer who created the Maven
Maven (Scrabble)
Maven is the current best known artificial intelligence Scrabble player, created by Brian Sheppard. It has been used in official licensed Hasbro Scrabble games, and the downloadable Funkitron Scrabble.-Game Phases:...
Scrabble playing AI for Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
.