After announcing last week that they are more than doubling the television coverage of the 42nd Annual World Series of Poker® on ESPN, the WSOP has announced that poker lovers around the world will be able to watch the final table action of 55 gold bracelet events live (on a five-minute delay) via the Internet. WSOP.com will be the exclusive home to the streaming, which will include two-camera coverage and audio via the tournament’s final table announcer.
This is the first time in the history of the WSOP that all 58 gold bracelet events will receive some sort of video coverage. (ESPN3 is streaming the $25K Heads Up, $50K Poker Players Championship and the Main Event).
The WSOP.com coverage will not involve any hole card coverage. It will be delayed 5 minutes per gaming regulations, and be commentary-free (outside the announcer providing betting action). In essence, the coverage will allow those unable to witness the action in person, the ability to watch the event in similar fashion to spectators on-site.
“We are proud to provide video of the culminating action to a worldwide audience in real time,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “This online initiative will complement our spectacular television package on ESPN and deliver even more of this year’s WSOP to fans who want the most immediate coverage possible.”
On most days, two final tables will be streamed. The typical start times for these will be 2:30 or 3:00 PM Pacific time. The streams will last until the event concludes, and no video will be shown during the standard breaks in action. Beginning June 1 and running through July 7, there will be at least one stream a day except for June 2, June 7 and July 4-6, where no final tables are scheduled to be contested. All times and dates are subject to change without notice.
FullTiltPoker has launched a wide range of online qualifier tournaments offering $12K prize packages to the 2011 World Series of Poker* Main Event – including eligibility for the $10 Million Main Event Mania bonus.