This technology seems to be wow-level — with the potential to change the dynamic of the “televised” game. An Australian guy developed an RFID-enabled poker table that is now ready for market … allowing just about any game to be “broadcast” in real-time, complete with instant card-showing and hand percentages that viewers have come to expect.
The only downside I can see is dealers having to relearn how to pitch.
Buzzerblog, which covers the game show industry, reported last week about a pilot for a poker game show where players can win up to $1,000,000. Shuffle Up and Deal, which states that it’s the first “family-friendly” poker-themed game show, will have five contestants attempt to create the best poker hand from an oversized electronic poker board. Whomever makes the most money will have an opportunity to win $1,000,000 at the end of each show. Interested participants should fire off an email to ontheshow@shuffleuptv.com for taping in November.
ClubWPT is the newest show to come out of the World Poker Tour family and the first to premiere on Fox Sports Net, and, well, I expected better.
Let me start by saying that I’m a fan of the WPT and have been since I was employed in their accounting department. I always secretly pull for the WPT to do well. And in truth, despite my criticisms of the company and its decisions at times, I feel that they’ve weathered some storms and still managed to put together a quality product every time. That is why it pained me to watch ClubWPT when it premiered on Saturday.
The 2008 World Series of Poker will begin airing on ESPN on Tuesday, 7/22 with two hours of coverage every week leading up to the November 11th final table. Six bracelet events, including the $50K HORSE championship, will set the stage for the extensive coverage of the WSOP main event that will span from September 2nd to October 28th. The final table preview show will follow, and the semi-live broadcast of the main event final table will finish out the season on November 11th.
Set your TiVo or DVR – or do it the old fashioned way and sit in front of your TV when it airs – per the following schedule (times listed are EST):
Jul. 22 (8-10pm) $10K PLHE
Jul. 29 (8-10pm) $1500 NLHE
Aug. 5 (8-10pm) $5K Mixed Hold’em
Aug. 12 (8-10pm) $1K NLHE w/rebuys
Aug. 19 (8-10pm) $50K HORSE
Aug. 26 (8-10pm) $10K PLO
Sep. 2 (8-10pm) $10K NLHE Main Event
Sep. 9 – Oct.28 (9-11pm) $10K NLHE Main Event
Nov. 4 (8-10pm) $10K NLHE final table preview
Nov. 11 (9-11pm) $10K NLHE final table
It was officially announced today that Amanda Leatherman, formerly of PokerWire and currently of PokerRoad, has joined the World Poker Team of traveling reporters and will take on the role of live updates hostess. In a position formerly held by Kimberly Lansing, Amanda will be doing player interviews, video updates, etc.
As for Lansing, no word. Some speculate that she might be moved into the television hostess role, but if that was the case, wouldn’t it have been announced already? My inside sources say that auditions were open, and Lansing was not guaranteed that spot. And with the Bellagio Cup beginning tomorrow, WPT will be forced into a decision and announcement soon.
GSN let the renewal option for the World Poker Tour’s 7th season lapse on June 7th. There is currently no deal in place, though GSN said it’s still open for discussion, for shows that are scheduled to begin taping with the Bellagio Cup next month.
This doesn’t look good.
See the shareholder notice below:
WPT Enterprises Opens Discussions for Season VII Television Broadcast Rights
GSN Renewal Option Lapsed on June 7
LOS ANGELES, Jun 09, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: WPTE) announced today that GSN’s option for exclusive broadcast of the entire World Poker Tour(R) (WPT) seventh season expired on Saturday.
GSN CEO David Goldhill said, “The World Poker Tour has been a great partner and the show continues to perform strongly on our network. We are continuing discussions with WPTE regarding how we may be able to work together – including perhaps broadcasting parts of Season VII.”
WPTE is currently in discussions with several major networks to broadcast programming from its landmark seventh season, which kicks off July 11 at the prestigious Bellagio in Las Vegas and runs through April 2009.
“We have enjoyed watching the show and our numbers grow on GSN. Our hope is that we can find ways to collaborate with the network long into the future,” said Steve Lipscomb, WPT Founder, President and CEO. “This may allow us the first opportunity to explore diversifying content on multiple networks like most sports leagues. We have already begun those discussions and look forward to making another season of the best and most widely distributed poker programming in the world to our dedicated viewers and fans.”
New Season VI episodes will continue to broadcast Monday nights at 9pm ET/PT on GSN through late August. Encore episodes will continue to broadcast on the network for up to four years. Episodes of seasons II through V currently air on the Travel Channel.
The 2008 World Series of Poker main event will end on July 14 with nine final table players remaining. They will return to play on November 9, and the final two will play it out on November 10, and these two days will be condensed into two hours of programming to air on ESPN November 11 from 9pm – 11pm EST.
LAS VEGAS – May 1, 2008 – The World Series of Poker® (WSOP) Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light today announced a groundbreaking change that will more closely align the televised presentation of the world’s largest, richest and most prestigious poker tournament with other premier sports broadcasts.
The last nine players of the $10,000 World Championship of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, known as the Main Event, will compete on November 9-10 instead of the originally scheduled date of July 16.
“Our intent is to provide an even bigger stage for our players,†said Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the World Series of Poker. “Now fans and viewers will ask ‘who will win’ our coveted championship bracelet instead of seeing ‘who won.’ The excitement and interest surrounding our final nine players will be unprecedented.â€Â
Lou Krieger mentioned this, and I just checked it out and bookmarked it.
iPokerCal is a new website that lists all things poker – internet tournaments, live tournaments and events, and televised poker. It looks to be a comprehensive listing of everything going on in the poker biz, including a page of poker room reviews that will surely be growing as the site expands.
