ESPN WSOP Broadcast Has Begun

ESPN's first WSOP broadcast was dedicated to the 40th Anniversary $40,000 NL Hold'em Event #2.
The final table featured Russian Vitaly Lunkin taking on the American
Isaac Haxton in a tough battle for the title. In the end it was Lunkin
who prevailed, earning himself $1.9 million from a whooping prize
pool of $7.7 million.

It was one of the most intense heads-up matches in WSOP history,
keeping the audience on its toes until the very end. Justin Bonomo was
one of Haxton's loudest supporters, as he made a prop bet that at least
one of 43 poker players who live in Panorama Towers in Las Vegas would
win a bracelet in 2009 WSOP - Isaac Haxton being one of them, along
with other notable players such as Barry Greenstein, David Williams,
Joe Sebok, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari and Alexander Veldhuis.

Besides the usual hole card camera, this year's WSOP broadcast has also introduced a Wild Card Hand of the Day
which allows the viewers to see only one player's hand but not their
opponent's. The ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad was thrilled by the
new feature, giving his best to guess what hand the other player was
holding, eventually concluding: "We've found a whole new way for me to sound stupid."

The Wild Card Hand of the Day will remain in the following episodes, accompanied by several
other changes which will enhance the viewers' experience, such as poker pros explaining the reasons behind their play in certain hands.

"Inside Deal"

Many poker fans couldn't help but notice that events such as H.O.R.S.E.
are missing in this year's ESPN WSOP broadcast, however, a sea of
novelties is here to make up for it. ESPN's new web-only poker show "ESPN Inside Deal" will give poker fans a close look into the lifestyles of their favourite pros.

Starting
on 4th of August, the series will last for three months, giving viewers
a chance to see different features and unseen hands from the WSOP
broadcast. Viewers will also be able to submit questions to their
favourite players via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. One lucky winner of
the show's sweepstakes will even become a part of the November Nine
spectacle.

2003 Main Event winner Chris Moneymaker will be the show's first
featured guest, followed by likes of 2004 Player of the Year Daniel
Negreanu and 2005 Main Event Winner Joe Hachem who will also appear on
the show.

Here is ESPN's remaining broadcast schedule for WSOP 2009:

WSOP 2009 ESPN Broadcast Schedule
Event	Date
Champions Invitational	Aug 4
Ante Up for Africa Charity Event	Aug 11
$10,000 Main Event	Aug 18 - Nov 10