Poker breaching new frontiers

27-07-2009

Poker is breaching fresh frontiers – Montel William of talk show fame is launching a new television program called International Team Poker League (ITPL). The show, based on the talent show format, aims to use the reach provided by the ‘Net’ to bring together the best in online and land-based poker games.

No Limit Texas Hold’em

The game of choice is No Limit Texas Hold’em. The satellite tournaments will start in March 2009, but will go on air from November. Williams said he loves Poker because it is a game which is played and enjoyed by all, irrespective of social standing. Further, advancements in technology have made it possible to bring together players sans geographical and racial boundaries at virtual tables in cyberspace. He felt the time was right to take Poker to new heights by creating an International Team Poker League.

Satellite and seeding tournaments

The qualifying tournaments, in the NLTH satellite format, will be held both online and in land-based casinos. Those who win will go on to a Draft Pool Seeding Tournament to be held over three days at a Las Vegas casino. The top players here will form six teams, who will then compete to make it to the SuperTable one-day final team event. The chosen six will be the ITPL team of the season.

A touch of reality

Williams’ program will have a reality show flavour, as the players will be filmed live as they pursue their game, pit their wits against the big names, and maybe even make a name for themselves. Each episode will be of one-hour duration, and the program will be on air once a week through the season. It offers a lot of scope for casinos and the remote gambling sector, and already, there has been a lot of interest evinced, according to Williams, who, however, declined to give out details of any partnerships.