Poker Central announces inaugural programming

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Poker Central, the world’s only 24/7 Poker TV network devoted to poker and producers of the Super High Roller Series, today announced an exciting lineup for its October 1 launch, including numerous U.S. premieres of blue chip series. The network is all in with its first World Premiere, Super High Roller Bowl Cash Game, which will debut December 2, 2015.

“Poker Central is about to super serve the tens of millions of passionate and sophisticated poker fans in the United States and around the world. With thousands of hours of new, fresh content, Poker Central aims to entertain as well as it informs,” said Clint Stinchcomb, CEO of Poker Central. “Television and Internet have made poker play global and universal, giving rise to a new set of stars outside of Hollywood and traditional sports. We are excited that launch day has arrived and so has mainstream poker.”

The network will augment and bolster its content offering with social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To commemorate the October 1 launch, Poker Central will introduce its Poker Face contest, where viewers and fans can upload their poker face for a chance to win a once in a lifetime experience. Poker pros and network partners Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari and Daniel Negreanu will act as judges (with one judge per month for three months). Each month’s winner will be flown to the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas to meet with one of the three celebrity poker players and receive a private lesson.

Poker Central’s prime-time programming includes:

PRIME TIME:

WORLD PREMIERE

December 2

9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET, Wednesdays
Super High Roller Cash Game
13x60
Production Company: Poker PROductions/US

Old-school and progressive personalities collide when top poker pros like Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Jennifer Tilly, Antonio Esfandiari, Bob Bright, Johnny Chan and Jean-Robert Bellande ante up for this new cash game. See big names, giant stacks, heartbreaking losses and cut-throat competition as some of the world's best poker players each pay $250,000 to try to win millions. With unlimited re-buys, watch the fat stacks grow and the fireworks fly.

US AND NETWORK PREMIERES

October 1, 2015

8 p.m. ET, Mondays-Fridays, Saturday
Premier League Poker
Season 7, 22x60, 2013
Season 6, 19x60, 2013
Production Company: Matchroom Sport/UK
US Premiere

From London to Las Vegas and Vienna to Montreal, Premier League Poker features poker’s most exciting players in exotic settings across the globe, competing for a huge prize pool and the prestigious Premier League title. Witness what it takes to bring home the bragging rights as marquee players such as Phil Hellmuth, Tony G, Annie Duke, Marcel Luske, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Laak, Antonio Esfandiari and more square off to see just who is best of the best.

Premier League Poker VII moves onto the plush surrounds of the Playground Casino in Montreal as 12 superstars of the tables compete in a league format with a $125,000 buy in and a massive prize funds. All players compete four times in a total of six heats made up of eight players each. The top four in the league make it through to the final table while two other spots are determined by heads-up matches. With only the very best competing, the Premier League title is a ‘must have’ on any poker superstar’s resume.

9 p.m. ET, Mondays
Heads Up Grand Slam
8x120, 2009
Production Company: Matchroom Sport/UK
US Premiere

See 32 of the world’s best players battling it out for a $100,000 first prize and $350,000 prize pool. The deep structure lets the players demonstrate their full repertoire of skills and the knockout format promises mouth-watering clashes.

The big names include Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, Luke “Full Flush” Schwartz, WSOPE champ Annette Obrestad, WPT winner Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Premier League champion JC Tran, triple-crown king Roland de Wolfe, Nam Le, Antonio Esfandiari, David Williams, Juha Helppi, Theo Tran, Vicky Coren, Sammy “Any Two” George, Andrew Feldman and Roberto Romanello, among others.

Every day at 11 p.m. ET
Poker After Dark
Season 6 (Weeks 54-66)
78x60, 2011
Production Company: Poker PROductions/US
Network Premiere

Six professional poker players gather in Las Vegas and ante up to $150,000 to battle in a winner-take-all game of No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. Grand prizes and take-homes are well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Friday, October 2

9 p.m. & 10 p.m. ET, Fridays
Doubles Poker Championship
13x60
Production Company: Poker PROductions/US
Network Premiere

Thirty-two of the best professional poker players in the world buy in for $50,000 apiece… but there’s a twist. They are randomly paired off and compete as two-person teams that share the play on each hand. With a $1 million in first place prize at stake, which team will survive the gauntlet of clashing personalities and top shelf competition in a game that’s usually a single-minded endeavor?

Saturday, October 3

8 p.m. ET, Saturdays
Face The Ace
7x60, 2010, Poker PROductions/US
Network Premiere

After proving their mettle in an online qualifier, contestants make their way to Las Vegas and stand in front of four doors. The choice is theirs, but behind each door is a professional poker player looking to take them on head-to-head and send them right back where they came from. But if the rookie can Face the Ace and win, they will be paid handsomely.

Sunday, October 4

8 p.m. ET, Sundays
100 Greatest Poker Moments
8x60, 2014, Matchroom Sport/UK
US Premiere

This countdown special looks back over some of the greatest moments in poker. Showcasing some of the biggest televised events including the World Poker Tours, Big Games and Premier Leagues, and featuring the biggest names in the game including Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Tony G and Phil Hellmuth. This series shows some of the very best bluffs, blunders, needles and huge cash pots as we reveal which hand makes the number one spot.

9 p.m. ET, Sundays
High Stakes Poker
Season 5, 13x60, Poker PROductions/US
Network Premiere

In a game where big stacks do all the talking, High Stakes Poker delivers. This is not a tournament format. At a minimum $100,000 buy-in, this cash game format draws only the biggest players from around the world in a free-wheeling setting where often, the pots aren’t the only things boiling over as the night goes on.

10 p.m. ET, Sundays
The Big Game VI
20x60, 2012, Matchroom Sport/UK
US Premiere

Ground-breaking programming from the Matchroom Sport stable, the Big Game is real poker with huge money on the line from some of the game’s most famous players. This season, the Big Game comes from the Montesino Casino in Vienna where players power through 48 straight hours of poker. Can their wallets and their minds take it? It’s a game like no other as players battle the ticking clock while the ever-present threat of player evictions hang over the table. Each year it gets bigger and better and with the likes of Phil Laak, Tony G, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates, the controversial Tony G and Sam Trickett in the cast, this edition promises to be the most exciting yet.

Tuesday, October 6

9 p.m. & 10 p.m. ET, Tuesdays
Women’s World Open I
8x60, 2007
Production Company: Matchroom Sport/UK
US Premiere

Featuring some of the world’s most famous female players, and hosted by Jesse May and actress Shannon Elizabeth, world famous poker-playing celebrities take to the table in a bid to win a seat in this inaugural tournament. Only the winner will go through to the first heat and the competition in this qualifying heat is fierce.

Look out for Canadian Kara Scott, an aggressive poker player who looks to make herself the table captain, and other serious contenders like snooker referee Michaela Tabb, Lisa Marie Long, Jo Salley, radio DJ Sam Mannand one of the most experienced players, model Leilani Dowding.

Wednesday, October 7

9 p.m. & 10 p.m. ET, Wednesdays
The Big Game VII, Barcelona
The Big Game VII, North Cyprus
8x60, 2013
Production Company: Matchroom Sport/UK
US Premiere

The first stop of Season 7 is Barcelona, as top poker players put thousands on the line in the world’s most famous cash game. As players are eliminated, and the clock ticks on for 12 hours of nonstop play, even the best can unravel. The players test their endurance and their bankroll in one of the most competitive cash games on the poker calendar. Season 7, with 4 stops around the globe, is one of the most exciting series yet. The lineup includes Tony G, Toby Lewis, Max Pescatori and Alec Torelli. The second stop of Season 7 is North Cyprus, as The Big Game heads to the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, North Cyprus featuring Sam Trickett, Daniel “Jungleman” Cates and Michael Mizrachi.

Thursday, October 8

9 p.m. & 10 p.m. ET, Thursdays
Alpha 8
16x60, 2014
Production Company: WPT Enterprises/US
Network Premiere

World Poker Tour’s Alpha 8 is a series of international Super High Roller Poker Tournaments featuring buy-ins of at least $100,000. These high-stakes, high-risk events attract the most prestigious and electrifying players in poker including Phil Ivey, Antonio Esfandiari, Tony G and Jason Mercier. The Alpha 8 global tour starts in South Florida, crosses the pond to the elite Mayfair district of London, sails to the exclusive Caribbean beaches of St. Kitts, and ends in dramatic fashion near the wilds of Africa in Johannesburg. The game is No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em, the stakes are sky-high, the locations are stunning, and the results are mind-blowing.