Sunday, May 02, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

WORLD SERIES OF POKER: Showing their Cards

ESPN plans the most extensive coverage ever of the World Series of Poker

An ESPN crew tapes play at a table during an early round game at the World Series of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe on April 23. Photo by Cariño Casas Bob Chesterman of ESPN during the opening week of the World Series of Poker. Photo by Cariño Casas

What happens in this year's World Series of Poker is definitely not staying in Las Vegas.

In addition to drawing many more players to the tables, the 35th annual edition of the Binion's Horseshoe poker tournament -- which Harrah's Entertainment now owns and operates -- is attracting a lot more television attention.

ESPN's presence, for instance, is impossible to miss at this year's World Series.

The sports network's crews were once content to stop by and film the final day of the championship, then air it months later.

Not anymore.

This year, ESPN will film final table action at 13 of the World Series' tournaments. All that film will be shipped back to New York and edited into 22 shows that will air on the cable sports network beginning in June. The network aired seven programs from last year's World Series, all of them from the final tournament event.

Poker tournaments on other cable networks, such as the Travel Channel, have also done well in the past couple of years.

The growing interest in poker tournaments, both as a participant and as a spectator event, helps explain why Harrah's officials were willing to spend millions to buy the World Series tournament after Binion's Horseshoe was forced to close earlier this year.

Just how big the poker tournament market could be to Harrah's is evident in the series' final entry list.

The final event, a $10,000 buy-in no limit Texas hold`em tournament that has traditionally given the winner bragging rights as the world's greatest poker player, may produce 2,000 entries this year. Tournament spokesman Nolan Dalla said it will "conservatively" attract at least 1,500 entries, compared with 830 a year ago.

Much of the growth is attributable to a long series of satellite tournaments on the Internet and at casinos elsewhere. Those venues offer players a chance to earn a $10,00 buy-in for as little as about $40. A single poker Web site this year qualified more than 200 entries.

The increase in entries also means an increase in the final pot, when the finalists will split between $20 million and $25 million, maybe more.

Such numbers help ensure television's growing interest in poker tournaments.

Bob Chesterman, coordinating producer for ESPN's Original Entertainment Department, would not talk about his network's investment in this year's coverage, although he agreed, "We've put a lot more into this year's production than ever before.

For this year's series, a section of the tournament area on the Horseshoe's second floor has been turned into a television studio that looks suited for a session of "Meet the Press."

There will be 22 floor-level and overhead cameras and a high-tech lighting system exploring every nook and cranny of the tournament's final table action. A specially designed table was ordered and delivered to the Horseshoe, where spectators will be able to watch the games from bleachers surrounding the raised playing area. The final table took about six weeks to put together at a cost of "thousands of dollars" because of internal technology and wiring associated with the built-in mini-cams, tournament officials said.

The built-in technology will allow TV viewers to see more of the action than players at the table.

Cameras at the edge of the table, for instance, will give a view of "hole" cards. Another addition this year will be the "rabbit cam," which is designed to let viewers see what card a player would have received if only he had decided to call or raise another player's bet. With the "rabbit cam" all the dealer has to do is slide the card over a camera inset under glass on the tabletop.

"Things like this create suspense and inflate the entertainment factor," Chesterman said.

For the first time television is giving games other than no-limit hold`em some close-up attention, too.

Games such as seven-card stud and Omaha hold `em should be big hits with a TV audience, Chesterman said. But games such as razz might be a bit more of a gamble, he added.

Former World Series of Poker director Eric Drache believes all the new TV attention being given to poker tournaments is bound to fuel further growth of all poker tournaments, not just the Horseshoe event.

"There are a lot of stud players out there, but all the attention has been given to no-limit hold`em, which is fine because you can see what the results have been. A lot more people are playing. Giving stud more time in front of the cameras is going to produce the same kind of result."

But what about televised poker's future, maybe a reality show based on poker?

"The 22 hours that we have scheduled based on this year's World Series is an amazing amount of programming to do," Chesterman said. "That's the thing about poker -- it is reality TV. You don't have to put anything else around it. People are very interested in the game, how it's played, the winning, the being eliminated. I'm not sure how much interest there might be once you take people away from the game."

Years ago, Horseshoe founder Benny Binion predicted the World Series final could eventually get as many as maybe 50 players competing for the money and the recognition it offers.

And Drache remembers being happy to see the number of $10,000 entries increase "even by a few each year."

But 1,500 to 2,000 people playing to a global audience?

"Who could have imagined?" he said, grinning.