Esfandiari vs. Hellmuth in New PokerGO ��High Stakes Duel�� Show; NBC Deal Renewed
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PokerGO made two announcements the past week, both of which should excite poker viewers. The first concerned a brand new show coming to the direct-to-consumer OTT subscription video service, while the other is a renewed deal to bring premier tournaments to the mainstream masses.
High Stakes Duel
On Thursday, July 30 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, PokerGO will debut the first episode of ��High Stakes Duel,�� a show that will feature heads-up matches between some of poker��s biggest names. This is evidenced by the first match �C Antonio ��The Magician�� Esfandiari versus Phil ��The Poker Brat�� Hellmuth �C that will be played live at the PokerGO Studio at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
The format of the show is unique. For Round 1, players buy-in for $50,000 with the winner advancing to Round 2, however not before the loser has the opportunity to call for a rematch. Other Round 1 matches will take place between other poker pros. The stakes will double with each round, resulting in a potential total prize pool of $12,800,000 in Round 8. In order for a player to walk away victorious, they must win 3 straight matches before Round 6 or 2 in a row from Round 5 onward. If there are no challengers within 30 days of the previous match, the most recent winner also walks away victorious.
��For 10 years I��ve been challenging Phil to a heads-up match where the winner shoots the loser with a taser gun - so going head-to-head in ��High Stakes Duel�� has been a long time coming,�� Esfandiari said in a press release. ��The idea that the winner has to go double-or-nothing at least two more times after the first match is brilliant; it will be interesting to see who will go for the challenge and who will turn it down when it gets to a certain point.��
Hellmuth shot back: ��Antonio and I have a long history of playing poker together. From the time he came to my house as a young man and insisted we play heads up (he won), to the time we played televised cash games together (he won), to the NBC Heads Up Championship in 2005 - I won it all. Looking forward to this battle!��
Renewed Deal with NBC Sports
PokerGO��s parent company, Poker Central, also announced a multi-year renewal of their partnership with NBC Sports Group through 2022.
The deal means many of the company��s premier tournaments such as the Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB), U.S. Poker Open and Poker Masters, will be incorporated into NBC Sports�� schedule. The two companies struck their original deal back in 2017.
��We want to continue to see our major tournaments and poker programming reach the greatest number of sports fans possible, globally,�� said JR McCabe, Chief Business Officer of Poker Central. ��Renewing our partnership with NBC Sports will allow us to further engage with both our passionate poker fans, as well as those who are entertained by the sport.��
Gary Quinn, Vice President, Programming & Owned Properties, NBC Sports added: ��We��re excited to continue our partnership with Poker Central, which allows us to continue to engage with all poker fans, while also introducing the game to a wider audience.��
NBC Sports and Poker Central will announce tournament dates and corresponding broadcast schedules at a later date.
