A Brief History of Televised Poker
Ahead of the PokerStrategy.com TV World Championship this month, we take a look back at the story of TV Poker so far.
A game which was once looked down upon by many corners of society is now one of the most popular spectator sports around. In the space of 14 years, televised poker has gone from niche to mainstream entertainment.
Poker was first aired much earlier than most of us realise, as CBS would air footage of the World Series of Poker main event in the 1970s. But without the ability to see the cards the players were holding, it didn't prove popular.
But in 1997 WSOP bracelet winner Henry Orenstein invented a device which changed poker forever. His under-the-table hole card camera debuted in iconic British TV poker show Late Night Poker, and history was made.
Six years later Steve Lipscomb took the hole card camera to the States for the first season of the World Poker Tour. It was a brave move at the time, as nearly thirty years of lukewarm ratings from WSOP broadcasts meant that TV stations were reluctant to showcase poker.
The Travel Channel took the risk with the show and it was an instant hit. A few months later the WSOP also used the same hole card technology, just in time to capture perhaps the most iconic image in the history of the game, amateur Chris Moneymaker turning a $39 satellite win into a $2.5 million world championship victory.
The emergence of online poker, Chris Moneymaker winning the main event, and the invention of the hole card camera were the three tipping points that led to what we now know as the 'Poker Boom', which created the game and industry we know today.
Televised poker all of a sudden became a mainstream hit and a string of copycat shows started to appear.
Capitalising on this rapidly growing market, the Poker Channel was launched in March 2005. The channel is still flourishing to this day, broadcasting to over 30 million homes in over 30 countries, and will also be showing the PokerStrategy.com TV World Championship next year.
The formats for TV poker had almost exclusively been the final table or TV shootout format for many years. But the poker market has matured nearly as quickly as the game has developed, and new formats are emerging all the time.
Perhaps the biggest success in this regard has been the popularity of cash game poker, with shows like the PartyPoker Big Game, PokerStars Big Game, the Million Dollar Cash Game, and most notably, High Stakes Poker.
Likewise new tournament formats are being tested all the time, including heads-up events like the PKR Grand Slam, league events like the PartyPoker Premier League, and team events like the PokerStars World Cup.
Today televised poker is at a unique cross roads. On the one hand, it is looking like it could be in decline, at least in the US following Black Friday, with shows like the NBC Heads-Up Championship being cancelled.
But in other areas, televised poker is going in exciting new areas. Perhaps the biggest development is the emergence of poker live streams which have really took off in 2011, especially on the World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker.
This month PokerStrategy.com will be filming their first ever show for the the Poker Channel. The PokerStrategy.com TV World Championship will see our community members doing battle in London to be crowned the TV Champion and win $20,000.
What is the PokerStrategy.com TV World Championship?
This event is our first televised poker tournament, in partnership with PokerHeaven. It is going to be broadcast on the Poker Channel in early 2012.
It will feature seven heats of six players, with the winner of each heat progressing to the final in December.
Waiting at the final table will be PokerStrategy.com CEO Dominik Kofert, as well as a $42,000 prize pool, which includes a $20,000 first prize.
The 42 players who have qualified all won their tickets in exclusive freerolls and rake races. Whether they win or lose in London, they will have an experience they will never forget.
They will be staying at the stylish K-West Hotel, attending exclusive parties, riding in Limousines, and much more.
Where Can I Watch It?
You can follow all the action as it happens, because not only will be providing daily reports, jonas and will also be updating the tournament as it happens in a live updates ticker in the community forum.
Not only will we be bringing you all the major hands, bustouts, and heat winners, we will regularly posting video interviews and footage from the VIP nights our players are enjoying in London.
We also want you get involved by railing your PokerStategy.com community buddies and letting us know what you think of the event in the forum.
After the heats are over, you will be able to watch the shows in full on the Poker Channel in early 2012. Visit The Poker Channel to find out where you can watch it where you are.
Find out more about the PokerStrategy.com TV World Championship.
Don't Miss Out On Exclusives Like This Again
The players who are coming to London are doing so simply because they joined PokerHeaven via PokerStrategy.com.
If you do download PokerHeaven through our links and use bonus code PSVIP, not only will you qualify for a 200% up to €1,000 bonus, you will also be eligible for any future exclusive promotions we have with them.
