Poker on television
Encyclopedia
Poker television programs had been extremely popular, especially in North America
and Europe
, following the poker boom
. However, viewership has been declining dramatically in recent years. This has especially become the case since the invention of the "pocket cam
" in 1997 (and its first use in the United States in 2002), which allows viewers at home to see each player's hole cards.
started airing the final table of the World Series of Poker
(WSOP) Main Event as an annual one hour show around this time and later by ESPN
. For many years, the coverage was less than robust because viewers at home could not see what cards the players had or follow their progress visually through graphics. Instead, the coverage essentially involved the commentators guessing what cards the players had in a documentary style production.
In 1997 the hole cam, which allows audiences to see the hidden cards that players held in their hands, was introduced in Europe. The hole cam was patented by WSOP bracelet winner Henry Orenstein
and first used in the Late Night Poker
television series. It was used again in the inaugural Poker Million
tournament in 2000 which boasted the attraction of the first £1,000,000 poker game on live television. By 2001, however, Late Night Poker had been cancelled in the UK and televised poker could no longer be found in Europe. In the US, the 1999, 2000 and 2001 World Series of Poker events were only broadcast in one hour documentaries on the Discovery Networks.
In 1999, documentary filmmaker Steven Lipscomb produced and directed a documentary on the WSOP for the Discovery Channel
. It was the first U.S. poker production funded entirely by a television network rather than the casino. When the 1999 WSOP aired, it doubled its audience over the hour time slot. Seeing the audience reaction, Lipscomb believed there was an untapped market and began pitching poker series ideas to cable and network television. Because poker had been on the air for over twenty years, with little viewer interest, broadcasters were unwilling to commit resources to put a series on the air.
In October 2001, Lipscomb wrote a business plan. Along with poker player Mike Sexton
and poker business woman Linda Johnson
, Lipscomb approached casino mogul and avid poker player, Lyle Berman
, whose company Lakes Entertainment agreed to fund the World Poker Tour
-- the first organized and televised tour of poker tournaments in the world.
In June 2002, WPT filmed its first episode at Bellagio
in Las Vegas. Wanting to create a compelling, action-packed show, WPT took eight months to edit the first WPT episode. ESPN, who resumed their coverage of the World Series of Poker in 2002, featured pocket cam technology in their return broadcast—albeit, in a very limited capacity—prior to the WPT's first show.
During this time, the “WPT Format” was created featuring the WPT hole cam, interactive graphics and “live sports feel”. These new features put viewers into the minds and at the heart of the action. The first WPT episode aired on March 30, 2003 on the Travel Channel
and became an instant success (the highest rated show in network history).
A few months later, ESPN's broadcast of the 2003 World Series of Poker adopted many features characteristic of the emerging WPT series; with an improved graphic display detailing the exciting action of the Main Event's final table. This, coupled with the unlikely outcome in the 2003 WSOP Main Event—where Tennessee accountant Chris Moneymaker
won $2.5 million after winning his seat through a $39 PokerStars
satellite tournament—and the ensuing publicity only further sparked the already accelerated interest in the game initiated by the WPT.
These events are credited as being the main contributor's in poker's booming popularity—increasing the number of entrants into live poker tournaments (at all levels), the growth of online poker and the overall greater interest in the game—but above all others, the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event (and subsequent broadcast on ESPN) is most cited as poker's Tipping Point
; commonly referred to as the "Moneymaker Effect
".
Poker gained further exposure in Canada and much of the United States as a result of the 2004-05 NHL lockout
, which caused sports networks in both countries to air poker as replacement programming for their NHL coverage.
The much improved ratings of poker television programs from this point on lead to ESPN covering many more events of the World Series of Poker (in addition the Main Event as in the past) since 2003, as well as covering some other tournaments outside of the World Series, such as the United States Poker Championship. Since it first broadcast, WPT has also expanded its tour stops from 12 events at seven casino partner locations to 23 domestic and international tournaments and 14 casino partners in Season VI.
Since the introduction of the hole cam and WPT television format, poker has become almost ubiquitous in the US and Europe. While poker originally aired on sports channels such as ESPN and Sky Sports
has expanded to such "non traditional" networks as Bravo and GSN. All poker television programs make heavy use of the aforementioned pocket cam and television format, plus generally feature a "straightman" and a "comedian" type of commentators, with one often being a professional poker player.
With the ability to edit a tournament that lasts days into just a few hours, ESPN's World Series of Poker broadcasts generally focus on showing how various star players fared in each event. Key hands from throughout the many days of each year's WSOP Main Event are shown, and similar highly edited coverage of final tables is also provided. For the events in the WSOP before the Main Event, only the final table is covered in television coverage, similar to how the Main Event was televised before ESPN's airing of the 2003 World Series Main Event.
The World Poker Tour does not offer general coverage of the multi-day poker tournaments. Instead, the WPT covers only the action at the final table of each event. With aggressive play and increasing blinds and antes, the important action from a single table can easily be edited into a two hour episode. Although the tournament fate of fewer stars are chronicled this way, it allows the drama to build more naturally toward the final heads up showdown.
Although most poker shows on television focus on tournaments, High Stakes Poker shows a high-stakes cash game. In this game professional and amateur players play no limit Texas Hold 'em with their own money (the minimum to enter the game is $100,000). This game has allowed spectators to observe differences between cash games and tournaments, and to see how players adjust their play to the different format.
Poker's growth in Europe led to the creation of two FTA
channels: The Poker Channel
and Pokerzone
. Both began broadcasting during 2005.
Although once popular poker television programs have steadily been losing their audience. ESPN is on contrat to show World Series of Poker programming through 2017, though viewership has dropped dramatically since the early boom.
television programs currently airing on television in either the United States or Europe.
1 ESPN did not air the WSOP in 1996 or 1999–2001; The Discovery Channel did air one-hour specials of the 2000 & 2001 Main Events
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, following the poker boom
Poker boom
The poker boom was a period between 2003 and 2006, during which poker, primarily no limit Texas hold 'em, but also other variations, became considerably more popular around the world...
. However, viewership has been declining dramatically in recent years. This has especially become the case since the invention of the "pocket cam
Hole cam
In poker, a hole cam is a camera that displays a player's face-down cards to television viewers.The hole cam became popular in 1999 when the Late Night Poker program first began using it in televised tournaments shown on British Channel 4...
" in 1997 (and its first use in the United States in 2002), which allows viewers at home to see each player's hole cards.
History
Poker has been appearing on television somewhat regularly since the late-1970s. In the United States, CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
started airing the final table of the 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...
(WSOP) Main Event as an annual one hour show around this time and later by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. For many years, the coverage was less than robust because viewers at home could not see what cards the players had or follow their progress visually through graphics. Instead, the coverage essentially involved the commentators guessing what cards the players had in a documentary style production.
In 1997 the hole cam, which allows audiences to see the hidden cards that players held in their hands, was introduced in Europe. The hole cam was patented by WSOP bracelet winner Henry Orenstein
Henry Orenstein
Henry Orenstein is a poker player and entrepreneur who resides in Verona, New Jersey, United States....
and first used in the Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker
Late Night Poker is the pioneering television show that helped pave the way for the explosion of interest in poker in the 2000's. With it's ground breaking use of "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards, the show became a cult hit on Channel 4 UK when it first...
television series. It was used again in the inaugural Poker Million
Poker Million
The Poker Million has been a televised European poker tournament since its inception in November 2000. The final debuted to 30 million viewers and has since remained popular. It was created by UK gaming outfit Ladbrokes with the help of sports promotion firm Matchroom Sport...
tournament in 2000 which boasted the attraction of the first £1,000,000 poker game on live television. By 2001, however, Late Night Poker had been cancelled in the UK and televised poker could no longer be found in Europe. In the US, the 1999, 2000 and 2001 World Series of Poker events were only broadcast in one hour documentaries on the Discovery Networks.
In 1999, documentary filmmaker Steven Lipscomb produced and directed a documentary on the WSOP for the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
. It was the first U.S. poker production funded entirely by a television network rather than the casino. When the 1999 WSOP aired, it doubled its audience over the hour time slot. Seeing the audience reaction, Lipscomb believed there was an untapped market and began pitching poker series ideas to cable and network television. Because poker had been on the air for over twenty years, with little viewer interest, broadcasters were unwilling to commit resources to put a series on the air.
In October 2001, Lipscomb wrote a business plan. Along with poker player 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:...
and poker business woman Linda Johnson
Linda Johnson
Linda Johnson is an American professional poker player, journalist and consultant, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was elected into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2011.-Early life:Linda Johnson was born in 1953 in Long Island, New York...
, Lipscomb approached casino mogul and avid poker player, Lyle Berman
Lyle Berman
Lyle Arnold Berman is a professional poker player and business executive.-Business:Berman grew up in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota where he graduated in 1964 with a degree in business administration. He then went to work for his father's leather business, Berman Buckskin. ...
, whose company Lakes Entertainment agreed to fund the World Poker Tour
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...
-- the first organized and televised tour of poker tournaments in the world.
In June 2002, WPT filmed its first episode at Bellagio
Bellagio
Bellagio is a comune in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located on Lake Como. It has long been famous for its setting at the intersection of the three branches of the Y-shaped lake, which is also known as Lario....
in Las Vegas. Wanting to create a compelling, action-packed show, WPT took eight months to edit the first WPT episode. ESPN, who resumed their coverage of the World Series of Poker in 2002, featured pocket cam technology in their return broadcast—albeit, in a very limited capacity—prior to the WPT's first show.
During this time, the “WPT Format” was created featuring the WPT hole cam, interactive graphics and “live sports feel”. These new features put viewers into the minds and at the heart of the action. The first WPT episode aired on March 30, 2003 on the Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
and became an instant success (the highest rated show in network history).
A few months later, ESPN's broadcast of the 2003 World Series of Poker adopted many features characteristic of the emerging WPT series; with an improved graphic display detailing the exciting action of the Main Event's final table. This, coupled with the unlikely outcome in the 2003 WSOP Main Event—where Tennessee accountant 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...
won $2.5 million after winning his seat through a $39 PokerStars
PokerStars
PokerStars is the largest online poker cardroom in the world. PokerStars' satellite tournaments produced the 2003 World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker. 1983 champion Tom McEvoy, 2005 champion Joe Hachem, 2009 champion Joe Cada and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel and others also represent...
satellite tournament—and the ensuing publicity only further sparked the already accelerated interest in the game initiated by the WPT.
These events are credited as being the main contributor's in poker's booming popularity—increasing the number of entrants into live poker tournaments (at all levels), the growth of online poker and the overall greater interest in the game—but above all others, the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event (and subsequent broadcast on ESPN) is most cited as poker's Tipping Point
Tipping point
In sociology, a tipping point is the event of a previously rare phenomenon becoming rapidly and dramatically more common. The phrase was coined in its sociological use by Morton Grodzins, by analogy with the fact in physics that adding a small amount of weight to a balanced object can cause it to...
; commonly referred to as the "Moneymaker Effect
Moneymaker Effect
The Moneymaker Effect is the name of the sudden growth in interest in poker after the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event. -History:The term was created after Chris Moneymaker, a twenty-seven-year-old accountant, and amateur poker player, from Tennessee, United States, outlasted 838 other players...
".
Poker gained further exposure in Canada and much of the United States as a result of the 2004-05 NHL lockout
2004-05 NHL lockout
The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a lockout that resulted in the cancellation of what would have been the 88th season of play of the National Hockey League . It was the first time the Stanley Cup was not awarded since 1919, and the first time a major professional sports league in North America canceled a...
, which caused sports networks in both countries to air poker as replacement programming for their NHL coverage.
The much improved ratings of poker television programs from this point on lead to ESPN covering many more events of the World Series of Poker (in addition the Main Event as in the past) since 2003, as well as covering some other tournaments outside of the World Series, such as the United States Poker Championship. Since it first broadcast, WPT has also expanded its tour stops from 12 events at seven casino partner locations to 23 domestic and international tournaments and 14 casino partners in Season VI.
Since the introduction of the hole cam and WPT television format, poker has become almost ubiquitous in the US and Europe. While poker originally aired on sports channels such as ESPN and Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
has expanded to such "non traditional" networks as Bravo and GSN. All poker television programs make heavy use of the aforementioned pocket cam and television format, plus generally feature a "straightman" and a "comedian" type of commentators, with one often being a professional poker player.
With the ability to edit a tournament that lasts days into just a few hours, ESPN's World Series of Poker broadcasts generally focus on showing how various star players fared in each event. Key hands from throughout the many days of each year's WSOP Main Event are shown, and similar highly edited coverage of final tables is also provided. For the events in the WSOP before the Main Event, only the final table is covered in television coverage, similar to how the Main Event was televised before ESPN's airing of the 2003 World Series Main Event.
The World Poker Tour does not offer general coverage of the multi-day poker tournaments. Instead, the WPT covers only the action at the final table of each event. With aggressive play and increasing blinds and antes, the important action from a single table can easily be edited into a two hour episode. Although the tournament fate of fewer stars are chronicled this way, it allows the drama to build more naturally toward the final heads up showdown.
Although most poker shows on television focus on tournaments, High Stakes Poker shows a high-stakes cash game. In this game professional and amateur players play no limit Texas Hold 'em with their own money (the minimum to enter the game is $100,000). This game has allowed spectators to observe differences between cash games and tournaments, and to see how players adjust their play to the different format.
Poker's growth in Europe led to the creation of two FTA
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
channels: The Poker Channel
The Poker Channel
The Poker Channel is a dedicated gaming TV network and broadcasts to over 30 million TV homes in 30 countries.The Channel is typically carried in the basic packages of cable and satellite operators in Europe and classified as a sport or entertainment channel in electronic programme guides...
and Pokerzone
Pokerzone
Pokerzone was a channel dedicated to poker, broadcasting on Sky Digital channel 843 since 19 May 2005. Previously known as Game In TV it rebranded on 26 April 2005 and launched the following month....
. Both began broadcasting during 2005.
Although once popular poker television programs have steadily been losing their audience. ESPN is on contrat to show World Series of Poker programming through 2017, though viewership has dropped dramatically since the early boom.
Poker television programs
Here is a list of pokerPoker
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...
television programs currently airing on television in either the United States or Europe.
North America
| Program | Network | Years aired | Current commentators |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... ; ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
1978–1981, 1983; 1987 onwards1 |
Lon McEachern Lon McEachern Lon McEachern is an American sports broadcaster, who is most known for his hand-by-hand commentary on The World Series of Poker. McEachern, who graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in communications, is also the host of Fox network's On the Pole. He has... and Norman Chad Norman Chad Norman Chad is an American sportswriter and syndicated columnist who is seen on the sports channel ESPN. He also was an occasional guest host on the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption and has appeared as both host and movie critic on the ESPN Classic series Reel Classics.He writes a weekly... |
| United States Poker Championship | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
1997–2000; 2003-2006 |
Lon McEachern Lon McEachern Lon McEachern is an American sports broadcaster, who is most known for his hand-by-hand commentary on The World Series of Poker. McEachern, who graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in communications, is also the host of Fox network's On the Pole. He has... and Norman Chad Norman Chad Norman Chad is an American sportswriter and syndicated columnist who is seen on the sports channel ESPN. He also was an occasional guest host on the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption and has appeared as both host and movie critic on the ESPN Classic series Reel Classics.He writes a weekly... |
| World Poker Tour 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... |
The Travel Channel; GSN; 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 :... |
2003–2007; 2008-2009; 2009 onwards |
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:... and Vince Van Patten |
| Celebrity Poker Showdown Celebrity Poker Showdown Celebrity Poker Showdown was a celebrity game show on the cable network Bravo. It was a limited-run series in which celebrities played poker, and ran eight tournaments during its five-season run.... |
Bravo | 2003–2006 | Dave Foley Dave Foley David Scott "Dave" Foley is a Canadian comedian, writer, director, and producer best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, A Bug's Life, and Celebrity Poker Showdown... and Phil Hellmuth 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... |
| Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament The Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament is a series of no limit Texas hold 'em poker tournaments. 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.-Crew:... |
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 :... |
2004 onwards | Chris Rose Chris 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... and 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... |
| Ultimate Poker Challenge Ultimate Poker Challenge The Ultimate Poker Challenge was a series of weekly poker tournaments acting as super-satellites into the series semi-finals.The first and second seasons are available on NTSC DVD... |
syndication Television syndication In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very... |
2004 onwards | Chad Brown Chad Brown (poker player) Chad Lewis Brown is an American actor, poker player and color commentator, based in Los Angeles, California.-Early life & acting career:... and weekly guest |
| Poker Royale Poker Royale Poker Royale was a television series on the Game Show Network , which featured No Limit Texas hold 'em Poker. The first series began on December 7, 2004. The seventh and final series, Poker Royale: Battle of the Ages, began airing on November 4, 2005... |
GSN | 2004–2006 | John Ahlers John Ahlers John Ahlers is the television play-by-play announcer for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League on Prime Ticket/Fox Sports West, and KDOC... and Robert Williamson III Robert Williamson III Robert Williamson III is an American poker player from Dallas, Texas.Williamson grew up with three sisters and his best friend, Chris Caywood in Granbury, Texas and received B.B.A. degrees in finance and real estate from Angelo State University in San Angelo.He began playing aged 10 or 11, after... |
| High Stakes Poker High Stakes Poker High Stakes Poker is a cash game poker television program broadcast by the cable television network GSN in the United States. The poker variant played on the show is no limit Texas hold 'em. It premiered on January 16, 2006 and ended on December 17, 2007 and it returns back on March 1, 2009 and is... |
GSN | 2006 onwards | |
| Professional Poker Tour Professional Poker Tour The Professional Poker Tour was a series of televised poker tournaments, spinning off from the World Poker Tour television series. It billed itself as the first professional poker league, and was limited to players who have established themselves on the World Poker Tour, World Series of Poker,... |
The Travel Channel | 2006–2007 | Matt Corboy Matt Corboy Matt Corboy is an American actor.Corboy was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and grew up there, before leaving to attend Colorado State University, where he earned a degree in business.... and Mark Seif Mark Seif Mark Seif is an Egyptian American attorney and professional poker player.-Personal life:Seif was born in Cairo, Egypt before moving with his family at the age of two, to Southern California... |
| National Heads-Up Poker Championship National Heads-Up Poker Championship -2006:- 2007 :-2008:In additional to the poker professionals, several poker-playing celebrities from other fields were invited: Gabe Kaplan, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Alexander and Orel Hershiser. Also invited was Alisha Kunze of Greensburg, Indiana, who won her seat... |
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... |
2005 onwards | 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... and Gabe Kaplan Gabe Kaplan Gabriel W. "Gabe" Kaplan is an American comedian, actor, poker commentator, and professional poker player.He was born in Brooklyn, New York... |
| Poker Dome Challenge Poker Dome Challenge The MANSIONPoker.net Poker Dome Challenge was a 43-week series of speed poker tournaments offering a grand prize of $1,000,000 USD. The tournament aired in the United States on Fox Sports Network from May 2006 to March 2007. The tournament featured a number of technological gimmicks in an effort to... |
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 :... |
2006-2007 | Barry Tompkins Barry Tompkins Barry Tompkins is a well-known American sportscaster. He is better known for his work as a boxing commentator, but he has covered football and another number of sports as well.-San Francisco, New York City and NBC:... and 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:... |
| Poker After Dark Poker After Dark Poker After Dark was an hour-long poker television program on NBC. The show made its debut on January 1, 2007, and was cancelled as another victim of the "Black Friday" criminal case due to the show's sponsorship by Full Tilt Poker, one of that case's defendants. on September 23, 2011 For its first... |
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... |
2007-2011 | Oliver Nejad Ali Nejad Ali "Oliver" Nejad is an Iranian-American television poker commentator, who is best known as the off-screen announcer on NBC's Poker After Dark and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship... |
| Pro-Am Poker Equalizer Pro-Am Poker Equalizer The Pro-Am Poker Equalizer is a televised poker tournament in which professional poker players play Texas hold 'em against celebrities which began airing on ESPN in January 2007. In order to "equalize" the playing field, the celebrities start the tournament with 50% more chips than the... |
ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... |
2007 | Phil Gordon Phil Gordon Philip Stewart Gordon is an American professional poker player, commentator and author.-Personal life:Gordon was born in El Paso, Texas. He spent his formative years in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Gordon began attending Georgia Tech at the age of 15 while still attending high school... and Oliver Nejad Ali Nejad Ali "Oliver" Nejad is an Iranian-American television poker commentator, who is best known as the off-screen announcer on NBC's Poker After Dark and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship... |
| Heartland Poker Tour Heartland Poker Tour Heartland Poker Tour is an internationally-syndicated television program airing 52 weeks each year and a U.S.-based poker tour. Created by friends Greg Lang and Todd Anderson in 2005, HPT promotes the tagline "Real People, Unreal Money." Originally developed to be a regional TV show airing in... |
syndication Television syndication In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very... |
2005 onwards | Fred Bevill and Chris Hanson Chris Hanson Christopher David Hanson is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 1999... |
1 ESPN did not air the WSOP in 1996 or 1999–2001; The Discovery Channel did air one-hour specials of the 2000 & 2001 Main Events
Europe
| Program | Network | Years aired | Current commentators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late Night Poker Late Night Poker Late Night Poker is the pioneering television show that helped pave the way for the explosion of interest in poker in the 2000's. With it's ground breaking use of "under the table" cameras that enabled the viewer to see each player's cards, the show became a cult hit on Channel 4 UK when it first... |
Channel 4 Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel... (UK) 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 :... (US) |
1999–2002, 2006 onwards | Jesse May Jesse May Jesse May is an American poker commentator and player.Jesse May was raised in Madison, New Jersey, where he first became hooked on poker playing with friends. In 1988 he started attending The University of Chicago, but he found that classes were clashing with his poker games, and so dropped out... and Barny Boatman Barny Boatman Barny M. P. Boatman , is an English professional poker player and the oldest member of the poker-playing foursome known as The Hendon Mob... (final season) |
| Poker Million Poker Million The Poker Million has been a televised European poker tournament since its inception in November 2000. The final debuted to 30 million viewers and has since remained popular. It was created by UK gaming outfit Ladbrokes with the help of sports promotion firm Matchroom Sport... |
Sky Sports Sky Sports Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland... |
2000, 2003 onwards | Jesse May and John Duthie John Duthie John Duthie is a London-based English television director and creator of the European Poker Tour.-Film and television:... |
| World Heads-Up Poker Championship World Heads-Up Poker Championship The World Heads-Up Poker Championship is an annual elimination-format poker tournament of one-on-one no limit Texas hold'em matches. The tournament was co-created by Late Night Poker's Nic Szeremeta, PokerInEurope's Jon Shoreman, and gaming journalist Rich Geller.The event has run since 2001 and... |
Unknown | 2001 onwards | Unknown |
| Celebrity Poker Club Celebrity Poker Club Celebrity Poker Club was a British television series featuring celebrities playing poker. It aired on Challenge from 2003 to 2005 as a spin-off to Channel 4's popular Late Night Poker series... |
Challenge (UK) | 2003 onwards | Jesse May and Victoria Coren Victoria Coren Victoria Elizabeth Coren is a British writer, presenter and champion poker player. Coren writes weekly columns for The Observer and The Guardian newspapers and hosts the BBC Four television quiz show Only Connect.... |
| European Poker Tour European Poker Tour The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity... |
Channel 4 (UK) | 2004 onwards | Colin Murray Colin Murray Colin Murray is a Northern Irish sports and music radio and television presenter. He is the current host of the BBC Television show Match of the Day 2 on BBC Two, and the BBC Radio 5 Live shows 5 Live Sport and Fighting Talk, as well as a show on BBC Radio Ulster. He has previously hosted regular... and John Duthie |
| Victor Chandler Poker Cup Victor Chandler Poker Cup The Victor Chandler Poker Cup was a poker tournament held in 2004 and 2005 in England for broadcast on Sky Sports.... |
Sky Sports | 2004 onwards | Jesse May and Barny Boatman |
| The Gaming Club World Poker Championship The Gaming Club World Poker Championship The Gaming Club World Poker Championship was held at the Merrion Casino Club in Dublin, Ireland during 2004.The international field included 6 World Champions together with numerous other professionals and celebrities.The tournament was competed in... |
Sky Sports | 2004 | Unknown |
| British Poker Open | The Poker Channel The Poker Channel The Poker Channel is a dedicated gaming TV network and broadcasts to over 30 million TV homes in 30 countries.The Channel is typically carried in the basic packages of cable and satellite operators in Europe and classified as a sport or entertainment channel in electronic programme guides... |
2005 onwards | Unknown |
| World Speed Poker Open World Speed Poker Open The World Speed Poker Open was an international poker tournament held under speed poker rules.-Format:The tournament had a £2,000 entry fee.... |
The Poker Channel | 2005 onwards | Gary Jones Gary Jones (poker player) Gary Herbert "The Choirboy" Jones is a professional poker player from Stafford, Staffordshire, England. He is also a regular color commentator on The Poker Channel.... , Roy Brindley Roy Brindley Roy 'The Boy' Brindley is an English professional poker player, now living in Wicklow, Ireland.-Early years:... , Lucy Rokach Lucy Rokach Lucienne "Lucy" Rokach is an English professional poker player from Stoke-on-Trent. She was born in Cairo, Egypt and is now regarded as one of the top female players in Europe... |
| Late Night Poker Ace | Channel 4 (UK) | 2005 onwards | Jesse May and Simon Trumper Simon Trumper Simon Trumper is an English professional poker player from South Kensington, London, England. He is chiefly noted as the winner of Late Night Poker series 2 and runner-up of series 4... |
| PartyPoker Poker Den(season 1-3, season 4 renamed to PartyPoker Big Game) | Challenge (UK) | 2005 onwards | Grub Smith Grub Smith Michael 'Grub' Smith is an English television presenter and journalist for FHM and Poker Player magazines.-Early life:Born Michael Smith, he adopted the name Grub when at Downside School, effectively a promotion after being given the nickname Maggot by a master at his prep school.Grub Smith is a... and Tony Cascarino Tony Cascarino Anthony Guy 'Tony' Cascarino is an former association football player who played as a forward for various British and French clubs and internationally for the Republic of Ireland national team, with whom he competed in the 1988 European Football Championship and two World Cups in 1990 and... |
| William Hill Poker Grand Prix | Sky Sports | 2006 onwards | Jesse May, Andrew Black, Lucy Rokach |
| Poker Nations Cup Poker Nations Cup The Poker Nations Cup is an international poker tournament, televised on Channel 4 from March 2006 onwards.The series is commentated by Jesse May and Barny Boatman. Padraig Parkinson covered for Boatman in preliminary match 2.... |
Channel 4 (UK) | 2006 onwards | Jesse May, Barny Boatman and Padraig Parkinson Padraig Parkinson Padraig Parkinson is an Irish professional poker player. He is chiefly recognised as the grand final winner of Late Night Poker series 5 and as the third-place finisher of the 1999 World Series of Poker, where he lost to fellow countryman Noel Furlong.Originally, Padraig refused to play in Late... |
| PartyPoker.com Football & Poker Legends Cup PartyPoker.com Football & Poker Legends Cup The PartyPoker.com Football & Poker Legends Cup is a televised poker tournament, airing in the United Kingdom on Five from April 2006 onwards, in the lead-up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.- Format :... |
Five (UK) | 2006 onwards | Jesse May, Padraig Parkinson and Ken Lennaárd Ken Lennaárd Ken Richard Douglas Lennáard is a Swedish professional poker player, based in Stockholm, Sweden. He was also the chairman of the Swedish Poker Federation until he resigned in October 2006.-Poker career:... |
| Pokerheaven.com Online Series of Poker | CNBC CNBC CNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers... |
2006 onwards | Unknown |
| Fulltiltpoker.com Million Dollar Cash Game | Sky Sports Sky Sports Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland... |
2006 onwards | Unknown |
| La Notte del Poker | SKY Sport 2 | 2006 onwards | Pupo, Zero Assoluto Zero Assoluto Zero Assoluto is an Italian pop / R&B duo comprising Thomas De Gasperi and Matteo Maffucci . They met each other when they were teenagers and became best friends.-History:... , Chiara Edelfa Masciotta |
| Pokermania | Italia 1 Italia 1 Italia 1 is an Italian commercial television channel on the Mediaset network. It is oriented especially at young people.Italia 1 was launched in January 1982 and, originally, was owned by Rusconi; after a few months, however, due to the aggressive dumping practices of Silvio Berlusconi's rival... (Italy) |
2007 onwards | Ciccio Valenti and Luca Pagano Luca Pagano Luca Pagano is an Italian-born poker player who finished third place in the Barcelona Open, a European Poker Tour event, in 2004. He has placed in the money in multiple EPT events since then... |