As poker continues to grow in popularity its presence on television as a sport is also growing.

POKER is continuing to grow in popularity - so much so that it has infiltrated the amusement sector with poker games being developed just for fun with no cash payout. It has always been a popular table game within the casino environment but it is the game’s online presence that has really pushed it forward and opened it up to a wider audience and there is now the demand from this audience to follow the game, like you would a sport, on the television.

For Angus Gairdner, director of broadcast at The Poker Channel, when poker is broadcast on TV it has usually been edited into a shorter form and shot in such a way that encapsulates the excitement and tension at a poker table. "The majority of our programming features the biggest names in the game playing for vast amounts of money, with expert commentary, analysis and features including under table cameras, detailed game stats and heart monitors giving the viewer a unique insight to the mindset of a player," he said.

The fact that huge sums can be won or lost at the turn of a card can also make poker compulsive viewing, according to Gairdner. "Poker is not just a card game, it is a sport, a science even, a game that can be learnt in minutes but take a lifetime to master.
"Viewers are able to connect with the game easily, the rules are straightforward, but to be good requires considerable skill, and our viewers like to see the game played at the highest level."

The Poker Channel launched in the UK in March 2005, on the Sky platform, attracting an audience of more than a million unique viewers each month. In March 2007 the Poker Channel repositioned itself as a Europe-wide channel, broadcasting out of London on an Ofcom licence, which under the EU ‘TV Without Frontiers’ directive means the channel is regulated by the laws and organisations of the UK rather than the regulators in the local territories. "We are now in 17 countries and broadcasting to over 17 million homes while the channel broadcasts the very best poker content including the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour, PokerHeaven.com, European Cash Game and Irish Open," said Gairdner.

It is probably fair to say that poker has made the most successful transition to television - much of which can be attributed to the style of the game with skill as much of a factor of success as the cards that are dealt. It is the familiarity with the game that appeals so much. So many people know how to play the game and indeed many will play at home with friends or go to a casino. For many it is a genuine pastime and passion in their own lives so, for Gairdner, it is no surprise that there is a considerable audience out there that want to see it played on television at the highest level.

Other casino games are less reliant on skill, which perhaps makes them less appealing to a TV audience. "This is not to say, however, that other ‘over the table’ games haven’t transferred to television well," he said. "We have worked very successfully with partners within Backgammon programming and will shortly launch a Tournament Blackjack show."
For Montel Williams, US talk show host and TV producer, the success of poker on television, compared to other table games, is because the game is unique in the sense that it is equal skill to luck. "Additionally there is something about the gambling element of poker that makes it more exciting than any other game," he said.

Williams has been a fan of poker for some time and has been playing for 30 years. Such is his enthusiasm for the game and belief in its potential, his production company is preparing to launch the International Team Poker League on US television in January 2010. Speaking at the IGE show, held in London in January, Williams told iNTERGAMINGi: "Poker is related to life - position, patience and perseverance - and is played by a large cross section of society. It is a game that has everything - played by kings and leaders and regular Joes alike."
However, he does believe "the game is not given the respect it deserves and ought to be an exhibition sport at the Olympics."

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The idea behind International Team Poker League is that it can be used to cross barriers. "The way in which televised poker has been produced up until now has meant it has been watched mostly by poker pros, poker aficionados and active poker players," said Williams. "That is why I am so excited about this new show that will be focused on the ITPL and team concept play. Similar to the way that other sports are portraying the game and the players, this show will combine the sport of poker and the reality of the players."

ITPL will be offering online qualifying opportunities, supported through the Playtech network, and when it hits television screens, will have a minimum of 10 weeks of content, which will include seven weeks of league play, two weeks of playoffs and one week of the final table. For Williams this idea of combining the appeal of poker with a reality TV element will, rather than alienate existing poker followers, broaden the appeal of the game to larger audiences. "Like other sports such as golf, soccer, American football, basketball and so on, this show will integrate the players’ backgrounds to make it a more viewer friendly experience," he said.

So, it would seem those involved in the sector feel there is definitely room for presenting poker in different ways. If figures discussed in this feature are anything to go by there is definitely the audience, whether it is a more traditional non-interactive format such as the offering from The Poker Channel - watching pros play at their best - an interactive format where viewers are able to press a button on their TV remote and communicate with the presenter and/or play online, or in a way which opens up the entertainment possibilities by incorporating it with reality TV, with new opportunities making themselves present all the time.

"We certainly see territories that are stronger than others," said Gairdner. "But this can be for all manner of reasons. We currently offer a single feed in English, but are well advanced in the process of exploring opportunities to deliver the channel with alternative audio feeds and subtitling." It would seem then, that poker is, very much, here to stay…