• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SEENIT

TV, Film, Broadband, Pay-TV, Games, Computing and Tech | News, Comment & Reviews

  • NEWS
  • FEATURES
  • ADVERTISE
  • Twitter

Top 5 Poker Shows on TV

Jul 10, 2013 - Staff@seenituk

high_stakes_pokerWhile televised sports tournaments have always been popular, in recent years poker on TV has been flourishing. For many years a number of TV channels have been showing different poker tournaments typically with one or two nights a week dedicated to celebrity poker games.

There are numerous reasons behind the success of televised poker.

Just as people root for their favourite football team, a lot of people are drawn to televised poker to back their favourite pros and celebrities. With these kinds of games, the buy-ins are beyond the typical players reach and as such being able to watch other wins and lose thousands of dollars is appealing and exciting to many.

Some people are drawn to TV poker for educational purposes. Some people say that they can learn new poker skills by watching others play without playing themselves. Whilst some claim this is not a good idea, it is undeniable that watching poker on TV familiarises you with the terminology and strategy.

Here we take a look at 5 of the best poker TV shows past and present.

High Stakes Poker
High Stakes Poker was the first poker-based show that featured cash games rather than tournaments. The programme was first aired in 2006 and is now one of the most watched poker programmes on television. High Stakes Poker is particularly popular as viewers get to see both the very elite in the poker world such as Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan, battle it out at the most exclusive casinos in Las Vegas. Unlike many other poker shows where the focus is on tournaments, with High Stakes Poker all the money at risk is real and with regularl pots of more than half a million dollars on the show you can really feel the tension.

The World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour first aired on television in 2003, and it didn’t take long for the show to reach Travel Channels highest rated programme. The show features great poker which follows the World Poker Tours tournament events around the world. The show is aired on a number of channels including GSN, the Travel Channel and Fox Sports and typically runs on Sundays and Wednesdays at 8PM and 11PM and at other times throughout the week.

The World Series of Poker
The WSOP (World Series of Poker) is one of the biggest poker tournaments in the world, so naturally it is up there with the frontrunners of televised poker. The WSOP is broadcast by ESPN, the world’s leading sports network, and typically broadcasts episodes throughout the entire schedule. The series is a must-watch for any poker fan; nowhere else will you find the variety of games (including 7-card stud and Omaha as well as Texas Hold’em) played at the highest level. The World Series typically attracts some of the greatest poker pros including Chris Moneymaker and Jonathan Duhamel.

Celebrity Poker Showdown
Celebrity Poker Showdown was a celebrity game show which was broadcast on the cable network Bravo. It ran for five seasons (with eight tournaments) and saw some of your favourite celebrities play poker. This show brought a whole new audience to the poker industry and it did wonders for its popularity. Whilst the actual poker being played wasn’t the best on the box, the humour and commentary of the hosts Phil Gordon and Dave Foley made the show a worthy watch.

NBC – National Heads-Up Poker Championship
The NBC National Heads-up Poker Championship is a televised favourite as it features a unique format which sees an invitational field of celebrities and poker pros. As such, viewers get to see their favourite poker pros battle it out against some famous athletes, actors and other well-known celebrities. This event is held annually and is broadcast by NBC. The latest 2013 tournament saw Tom Dwan, who is an exciting young aggressive poker player against the experienced Doyle Brunson, who is known as one of the greatest players of all time.

Source: 2013 NBC – National Heads-up Championship

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Related

RECENT NEWS

BBC announces airdate for new Richard Gere drama MotherFatherSon

Trailer: Andrew Garfield in David Robert Mitchell’s Under The Silver Lake

The Grand Tour trio go classic on the Scottish North Coast 500 in this week’s trailer

BBC First is heading to Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia

FEATURES

Pac-Man – We Look at the Best Ways to Play the Original Video Game Icon

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Ultra HD with all-new Alexa Voice Remote

How feasible are Hollywood’s biggest stunts?

Final Score – Not All Action Heroes Wear Capes

FEATURED

Freesat announces plans for Third Generation UHD set top box

Switching from a monthly to pre-paid data plan could deliver big savings for iPad and tablet users

Ministers publish changes to film, TV and game tax credits rules to ensure UK productions still qualify after Brexit

Amazon Prime Video is now available on BT TV

MORE FROM US

Latest from: streamedTV

Adult Swim is coming to Channel 4 streaming service All 4

Trailer: Esmé Creed-Miles and Joel Kinnaman in Amazon’s Hanna

Cruel Intentions Director Roger Kumble to helm new Netflix movie

Deutschland 83’s Anna Winger to make new Netflix series

Hiking programme Walks Around Britain launches new SVOD service

ADVERTISE ON SEENIT

We’re pleased to offer a number of advertising opportunities to high quality brands including sponsored content, competitions and advertising placements.

Please contact us for details.

MORE FROM US

Sports On Telly

Sky Sports Box Office to show Anthony Joshua v Jarrell Miller

Eurosport Romania extends Premier League rights deal

Eleven Sports Taiwan secures rights to Unilions’ CPBL fixtures

BBC extends North West 200 broadcast rights deal

BBC confirms 2019 Guinness Six Nations Championship presenter line-up

Copyright © 2019 MayorWatch Publications Limited · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Copyright · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

MayorWatch Publications Limited · 20-22 Wenlock Road · London N1 7GU · Company Number 6291816