The folks who brought us the World Series of Poker, 441 Productions and David Neal, have created a brand new poker league: the Epic Poker League. And broadcasters of EPL events include none other than CBS Sports.
The Velocity Network, the new HD cable “male upscale lifestyle” network of Discovery Communications, will also be airing footage of Epic Poker League tournament action. Between the two broadcasters, over 20 hours of EPL coverage will be presented to fans at home: 13 hours from Velocity and 7 hours from CBS Sports. Broadcasts on the latter station will be hosted by Emmy Award-winner Pat O’Brien and the off-screen announcer at the National Heads-Up Poker Championship and NBC television’s Poker After Dark, Ali Nejad.
The first EPL event takes place August 9 – 12 at the Las Vegas Palms Casino. This inaugural season of the tour will consist of four main events, all of which culminate in 2012 in a $1 million guaranteed freeroll final at which only 27 players will remain.
Comprising the Epic Poker League will be 218 of poker’s biggest names, including Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan, Phil Hellmuth, Erik Seidel, Barry Greenstein and Phil Ivey.
The parent company of the tour, Federated Sports & Gaming (FS+G), which is headed up by chief executive Jeffrey Pollack, paid CBS Sports to buy time to broadcast the Epic Poker League, not unlike an infomerical producer buys time to air their material, while the Velocity Network agreed to air footage as part of a promotional tie-in deal in.