In the US, a shutdown of the NHL hockey league led to poker being broadcast in its televised slots. This is said to have contributed to what was known as the Poker Boom, where the niche casino game ballooned in popularity and became a household staple. Yet in the UK, poker on television remained a niche show, kept for the late night and very early morning slots. In this article, we discuss the top poker shows that found their way onto UK television.
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Arguably, today, the poker playing sector has grown to an unprecedented size, using astute incentives such as attractive casino welcome bonus offers to welcome more players to the industry. With a wealth of poker variations to try along with other table games, it is quite surprising that online streamed events such as this have not made a return. The closest it has come is with live casino gaming, but a celebrity event of this kind would be a great draw for online operators, who can take inspiration from hit shows in the recent past.
Celebrity Poker Club
Celebrity Poker Club was aired on the satellite game show-themed channel Challenge TV. It was a spin-off from Late Night Poker, which aired on Channel 4. It ran for three series from 2003 to 2005.
The first outing had a mixed bag of celebrity contestants, ranging from comedian John Bishop to horse racing pundit John McCririck. The series was won by Sir Clive Sinclair, the British investor and computer manufacturer. Its second series was won by Victoria Coren, now known as the host of Only Connect. Coren was an accomplished poker player herself outside of the show. She was the first woman to win an event on the European Poker Tour as well as a host of other accolades. She was so successful, she was asked to return as a presenter in series three.
Late Night Poker
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Late Night Poker was the first major poker series on British television. It used cameras situated under the tables so that viewers could see players’ cards. It first aired in July 1999 and was a tournament using the rules of No Limit Texas Hold’Em. Dave Ulliott won the first series. The show had ten subsequent outings that ran up to 2011.
European Poker Tour
European Poker Tour was first broadcast on the home of poker on terrestrial television, Channel Four. It aired in 2004 and comprised a series of poker tournaments.
Created by John Duthie, he was a director himself who had worked on programmes such as Kavanagh QC and Haunted. He became a household name when he won the first televised Poker Million tournament. This was at a table that also included poker luminaries like Tony Bloom and Barny Boatman.
In the first few seasons, Duthie commentated alongside Colin Murray, former Radio One presenter. This switched to James Hartigan later, who has been joined by other prominent poker players during his tenure.
As a European Tour, it stops all across the continent. These places have included Barcelona, London, Dublin, Baden, Dortmund, Prague and other major cities. Since 2011, it has been taped by The Tinopolis Group. Based in the UK and Europe, they create shows for international broadcast.
Poker Million
Poker Million was broadcast on Sky Sports, once they saw the popularity of poker and the success of the Channel 4 televised games. While it did use Texas Hold’Em, it took the format of a shoot out tournament. In this, tables do not have players added when one is eliminated. Instead, each is its own ‘heat’ with the winner going to the next round. Arguably, it was one of the most successful UK poker shows. The first series finale had huge viewing figures as John Duthie won a pot of £1 million.
Since the poker boom, all the aforementioned channels have had revised and reinvented poker series aired. In the digital era, there are even dedicated poker channels that only air games. However, for many, the fondest memories are of watching those late-night televised games, getting an insight into what was then an elusive world of dark rooms and characterful players.