ESPN, WORLD SERIES OF POKER® EXTEND RELATIONSHIP WITH SEVEN-YEAR AGREEMENT

ESPN and Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment today announced they have reached a new seven-year agreement that will keep the World Series of Poker (WSOP) airing on ESPN through April 2018.

The WSOP, the world’s richest sporting event and longest running poker tournament, attracts a total audience of nearly 82 million U.S. viewers each year.   ESPN has broadcast WSOP events every year since 2003 and was operating under an agreement set to expire after the 2010 WSOP.

Under the terms of the new deal, ESPN will telecast a minimum of 32 hours of event coverage from the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas annually, including WSOP gold bracelet events and the “November Nine” Championship.

“The WSOP is proud to call ESPN home for another nine years,” said Jeffrey Pollack, President of Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment and the World Series of Poker. “This long-term agreement ensures that our content will continue to reach sports fans around the world through a wide variety of platforms.”

WSOP content will appear on ESPN, ESPN HD, ESPN2, ESPN2 HD, ESPN Classic, ESPN.com, ESPN360.com, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN International platforms outside of the United States.

“We are very excited to continue our relationship with Harrah’s to deliver the largest, richest, and most prestigious gaming event in the world to fans across a variety of our platforms,” said Doug White, senior director of programming and acquisitions, ESPN.  “Poker continues to be a solid ratings performer for us and allows us to continue offering diverse programming to our viewers.“

ESPN’s coverage of the 40^th Annual World Series of Poker Presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky airs every Tuesday night on ESPN.  Norman Chad and Lon McEachern call the action.  Tonight at 8 PM ET, coverage of the game’s richest tournament, the No Limit Hold’em Main Event begins as 6,494 players compete for $61 million in prize money with the winner walking away with $8.5 million – more than the U.S. Open golf, U.S. Open tennis, Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 winners received combined this year.  Main Event coverage continues each Tuesday through November 10.

About the World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world awarding more than $1 billion in prize money over its 40-year history and the prestigious WSOP gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2009, the event attracted a record-setting 60,875 entrants from 115 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and awarded more than $174 million in prize money. The WSOP in December 2008 was named the 7^th most admired sports brand in North America by the Turnkey Sports Survey, trailing only the older and more established NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR and PGA Tour among sports properties. The WSOP has crafted groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships since 2005, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent in 2007 of the World Series of Poker Europe^SM.  For more information on the WSOP, please visit our website at www.wsop.com or follow us on Twitter at #WSOP.

Click here for the schedules, images and other news material in support of ESPN’s coverage of the 40^th World Series of Poker, presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky.

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World Series of Poker, presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Returns to ESPN on July 28

Tuesday Night is Poker Night

The 2009 competition marks the 40^th Annual World Series of Poker – the longest running and richest poker tournament in the world.

ESPN’s season long coverage begins Tuesday, July 28, at 8 p.m. ET with special $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament.

The star-studded field of 201 entrants combined to create the biggest non-Main Event prize pool in World Series history, a staggering $7.7 million with nearly a $1.9 million winner’s share.

Coverage begins with the final table featuring 2004 Main Event Champion Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, 5-time bracelet winner Ted Forrest, and a cast of young up and coming players.

“This one hour show is the proper beginning to what promises to be an exciting season of poker,” said Jamie Horowitz, ESPN coordinating producer.  “There will be history-making moments, record-setting prize pools, and poker drama that only the WSOP can offer.”

ESPN’s coverage of the 2009 World Series of Poker from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas will air every Tuesday from July 28 through Nov. 10. Norman Chad and Lon McEachern return to call all the action.

Click here for the schedules, images and other news material in support of ESPN’s coverage of the 40^th World Series of Poker, presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky.

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WORLD SERIES OF POKER EUROPE DEBUTS SUNDAY, FEB. 1 ON ESPN

ESPN’s first ever coverage of the World Series of Poker Europe will begin on Sunday, Feb.  1 with the first four episodes beginning at 6 p.m. ET, followed by an encore presentation of episodes 1 and 2 on ESPN2 at 10 p.m., co-hosted by Lon McEachern and Norman Chad.

This world title event drew 362 renowned poker players to the Casino at the Empire in the heart of London. Widely considered to be one of the toughest starting fields ever assembled, pros from all over the world traveled to England for a chance to win poker’s most coveted piece of jewelry – a World Series of Poker bracelet and a first place check for more than $1.5 million.

In Episode 1 at 6 p.m., the fireworks begin early as American pros Phil Ivey and Mike Matusow are seated at the featured table. Others in action include former Main Event Champions Phil Hellmuth, Joe Hachem and Australian amateur Shane Warne, a retired cricket player who has been called the Michael Jordan of that sport.

In Episode 2 at 7 p.m., defending WSOP Europe Main Event Champion Annette Obrestad begins her quest to repeat. The Norwegian star became the youngest-ever to win the title a year ago, and now finds herself across the felt covered feature table from some of the best pros in the world, including Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak. Former Main Event champions Doyle Brunson and Chris Ferguson are also in action.

A stacked starting field at the WSOPE – Main Event played down to 179 players as a number of big names left London empty-handed including Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, and Howard Lederer, but many others remained..

Episode 3 at 8 p.m. begins with phenom Justin “Boosted J” Smith atop of the day two leader board, and challenged by Daniel “Kid Poker” Negreanu – one of poker’s most recognizable stars.  Negreanu heads a featured table with Phil Laak and newcomer Jamie Rosen, who at the time was 3^rd in chips, just behind Negreanu.  At the end of the night, only 62 players will remain in the hunt for one of poker’s ultimate prizes.

Episode 4 at 9 p.m. will chronicle day 3 as the money bubble bursts.  Finish in 37^th place and get nothing but a wish for safe travels home; finish 36^th and collect nearly $50,000.  That bubble will weigh heavily on the players as another grueling day awaits.  Daniel Negreanu again gets the spotlight at the featured table.  This time, England’s David “Devilfish” Ulliott and Vicky Coren join him, along American high stakes pro Phil Laak.  Andy Bloch starts the day as chip leader as he tries to move closer to winning his first World Series of Poker bracelet.  Plenty of big names will try to stop him, including Mike “The Mouth” Matusow.  Also in action are emerging pros Chris Moorman and Chris Elliott, a Scotsman playing in his very first live tournament.

The ESPN2 air dates listed below:  (ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN)
2/1
10pm    Episode #1
11pm    Episode #2

2/8
10pm    Episode #3
11pm    Episode #4

2/15
10pm    Episode #5
11pm    Episode #6

3/1
10pm    Episode #7
11pm    Episode #8

ESPN TO PRESENT WORLD SERIES OF POKER – EUROPE ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1

PRESTIGIOUS EVENT TO AIR IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE FIRST TIME

Beginning on Sunday, Feb. 1, ESPN will devote eight original hours of coverage to the World Series of Poker – Europe Main Event from the Casino at the Empire in the heart of downtown London’s theater district.

This tournament was among the most grueling and exciting of all of the tournaments played in the WSOP, and attracted an extremely formidable field of 362 top players from Europe, the United States, and around the world. Play took place over a six-day period, with the initial field divided into two starting days, and culminated in a final table which took more than 19 hours to complete. At stake was the first place prize of more than $1.5 million and the highly coveted WSOP – Europe Main Event bracelet.

ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker – Europe will begin on Feb. 1 with the first four episodes beginning at 6 p.m. ET, followed by an encore presentation of episodes 1 and 2 on ESPN2 at 10 p.m., co-hosted by Lon McEachern and Norman Chad.

“The intimate look and feel of this tournament is different from other WSOP events we produced in the United States,” said Doug White, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions.

The cavernous Amazon Room at the Rio in Las Vegas, which housed all of the tournaments held last summer, has given way to a small club where players are seated at tables on two different levels; off in a side room, under the stairs, behind the bar, near the roulette tables, and in front of an ice cream shop.

Thanks to a new innovation called the Mobile Hole Card Camera, for the first time ever, ESPN will be able to show the hole cards from key hands at many of these outer tables in addition to the feature table.

“We believe the Mobile Hold Card Camera will provide fans a great understanding of the overall story behind the tournament, and how the players advanced to the final table,” said Jamie Horowitz, ESPN senior sports producer.

The ESPN2 air dates listed below: (ALL TIMES ARE EASTERN)

2/1
10pm Episode #1
11pm Episode #2

2/8
10pm Episode #3
11pm Episode #4

2/15
10pm Episode #5
11pm Episode #6

3/1
10pm Episode #7
11pm Episode #8