Over the past weekend CBS started broadcasts on the first episode of the Intercontinental Poker Championship, bringing together 21 top global poker players in an intense competition for a $350 000 first place prize and trophy.
In the programs, the players are broken into three groups of 7 who play a single table tournament, with the winner advancing to the semi finals. The remaining three groups of 6 players each then play another set of single table tournaments with each winner moving on, presenting a double elimination style tournament.
The final six players then play down to two who will square off in a best of three heads-up match to determine the champion.
The star quality of the series is best illustrated by a list of the contestants and their nationalities:
Antanas Guoga, Australia
Daniel Negreanu, Canada
Johnny Chan, China
Humberto Brenes, Costa Rica
Dave Ulliott, England
David Benyamine, France
Don O’Dea, Ireland
Eli Elezra, Israel
Marco Traniello, Italy
Yosh Nakano, Japan
Sammy Farha, Lebanon
Refugio Quintero, Mexico
Thor Hansen, Norway
Hasan Habib, Pakistan
Ralph Perry, Russia
Carlos Mortensen, Spain
Stephen Wolff, South Africa
Jimmy Cha, South Korea
Chris Bjorin, Sweden
Doyle Brunson, United States
Chau Giang, Vietnam
Like the Olympics, the international tone will be emphasised in the broadcasts by the display of each country’s flag and the playing of national anthems.
“Poker is hot,” said Henry Orenstein, who helped create the show and is credited with creating the “hole camera” that allows television viewers to see a player’s hole cards. “It rivals soccer and tennis as a pastime of worldwide appeal. Poker is now watched by tens of millions of people around the world.”
The remaining seven episodes in the series will air in the U.S. next weekend, and then on July 1, 2, 8, 15, and 22.