This year millions of viewers tuned in to watch the World Poker Tour on the Travel channel and the broadcast of the 2003 World Series of Poker on ESPN. Those of you who enjoyed seeing the pros play on the World Poker Tour show may be interested to see how some of Hollywood’s Celebrities play the game.
Twenty-five Hollywood stars will stack their chips against each other playing for the Quarter Million Dollar Charity prize pool. All players are guaranteed at least $5,000 in prize money. Just for making it to the finals, fifth place will win $7,500, fourth place will win $10,000, third place will win $12,500 and second place will walk away with $20,000 for their charity. The “Celebrity Poker Showdown” champion will walk away with $100,000 for the charity of their choice.
The series was filmed October 16-19th before a live audience at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, each episode of “Celebrity Poker Showdown” will feature five celebrities competing against each other for a piece of the $250,000 prize pool in a game of No Limit Texas Hold’em poker for the charity of their choice.
Each week a new crop of stars will take to the table to challenge their peers. The winner from each week’s game will go on to compete in the championship final sixth episode. Viewers will have the inside track on the hands the different players are holding via hidden cameras. They will also be able to hear from the eliminated players, who will watch the remainder of their respective matches from the ‘Loser’s Lounge,’ via closed circuit television.
The twenty-five players, including seven Emmy Award winners, three Golden Globe winners, two Grammy Award winners and one Academy Award winner, are broken down into five games:
Game 1 – Premieres Tuesday, December 2, 2003
Ben Affleck, Don Cheadle, David Schwimmer, Emily Proctor, Willie Garson
Game 2 – Premieres Tuesday, December 9, 2003
Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Timothy Busfield
Game 3 – Premieres Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Hank Azaria, Michael Ian Black, Peter Facinelli, Nicole Sullivan, Mo Gaffney
Game 4 – Premieres Tuesday, December 23, 2003
Paul Rudd, Ron Livingston, Sarah Silverman, Shannon Elizabeth, Coolio
Game 5 – Premieres Tuesday, January 6, 2004
Mimi Rogers, David Cross, Tom Green, Carrie Fisher, Scott Stapp
The Championship Game – Premieres Tuesday, January 13, 2004
“Celebrity Poker Showdown” is produced by Picture This Television in association with Bravo. It should prove to be a very entertaining series for poker players and the general viewing audience alike. Don’t forget to mark your calendar for the premiere episode December 2nd at 9pm EST. On a personal note; I was proud to have my book, Get the Edge at Low Limit Texas Hold’em included in the packet that was sent the celebrities before the tournament to help them learn the game.