Fox Sports Flush with Live Poker

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By Kimberly Speight

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Fox Sports Net said Monday it will air the nation's first live telecast of a professional poker tournament July 14.

"The American Poker Championship Live From the Turning Stone Resort and Casino" will feature six players competing for as much as $1 million during the final round of a three-day no-limit hold 'em tournament at the Oneida Indian Nation-owned casino in Verona, N.Y. The 6-10 p.m. telecast will air with a five-minute delay, instituted because of concerns over cheating.


"There's no doubt that poker has gained tremendous momentum as a television product in the last year," said George Greenberg, FSN executive vp production and programing. "Our hope with this live telecast is to capture the high-stakes drama and tension every poker player experiences as it occurs -- good hands, bad hands, miscues and successes."


The cable network, which also airs the "Championship Poker at the Plaza" series on Sundays, is introducing a new card-reader computer system for the live telecast that it says will make "instantaneous onscreen card identification possible."


Reuters/Hollywood Reporter