Poker Tournament on HDTV
16 June 2006
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Gone are the days when televised poker tournaments require huge buy-ins to compete; now players with lots of game and a smaller bankroll can be television stars. The Vegas Open, the first such tournament, will be broadcast in high definition as a 13-episode series on INHD starting Sunday, July 2.
The tournament is being played in the recently opened and luxurious 14,500 square foot poker room in Caesars Palace and consists of 10 separate, $1,060 buy-in tournaments, open to the general public. Each event's winner advances to a semifinal heads-up round of play, from which five heads-up winners then advance to the final table for the chance to win $100,000 in cash, winner take all. The Vegas Open is the inaugural event in what is planned to be a series of international tournaments produced by the National Poker League, in association with Stella Productions.
The Vegas Open series will premiere on Sunday, July 2 (10:30 p.m. EASTERN) and run throughout the summer on INHD, an iNDEMAND Network. The show, the first poker series to be broadcast entirely in high definition, will speak to a younger generation of poker fans who know the game and are attracted by the allure of becoming a TV poker personality. Early results from the tournament are a testament to that, with younger players besting older, more seasoned competition.
"We envision The Vegas Open becoming one of the major arenas for players to make a name for themselves, without the requirement of huge bankroll or sponsorship," says Nene Gonzalez, National Poker League president. "We're giving players the opportunity to make some noise and, in the process, become a television star."
Oliver "Ali" Nejad, a prominent poker personality, will be providing commentary on the broadcast, while former WSoP champion, Scott Fischman, will give his "Into The Tank" poker tip and analysis during each episode.