World Poker Tour history

On March 30, 2003 the first ever episode of the World Poker Tour (WPT) aired on the Travel Channel. This program would come to revolutionize the world of poker – much of the increased interest in the game can be attributed to the success of the WPT. Over 1 million people watch the show every week.

The man behind the WPT is Steve Lipscomp. He had a vision of reinventing poker as an action-packed televised sport, and was determined to make this come true. The core of his plan was using 16 different cameras (“the WPT-cams”) which would give the viewers total access to the games. These cameras would show every players´ every move and capture the drama and excitement that goes on at a poker table in a way that it never had been done before.

Lipscomp joined forces with poker player and investor Lyle Berman and started to realize his plan. Deals were struck with some of the finest casinos in the world, and Mike “The Ambassador of Poker” Sexton, Vince Van Patten, and former Playboy Playmate Shana Hyatt were signed to host the show. Now all they had to do was to find a network that would broadcast the show.

The Travel Channel liked the idea, and ordered a full season of 13 two-hour episodes without ever seeing one frame of video. That was a wise move as the WPT was an instant hit. When the show started airing, the Travle Channel’s prime time average was 350,000 households. During the opening season of the World Poker Tour, the show alone drew in 1.2 million households every wednesday.

Thanks to the success of the WPT a spin off tour has been created – the Professional Poker Tour (PPT). There is no buy-in to these tournaments, but instead you qualify by proving your skill as a poker player. The prize money is provided by sponsors.

This article was written by Pokershopping.com.

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