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Poker Night LIVE to Feature Low Stakes Celebrity Cash Games

Fans of TV poker will have a new show to follow starting next month. Poker Night in America announced on Wednesday that they will launch Poker Night LIVE starting on March 20, 2018, on CBS Sports Network.

This new show will feature celebrities and poker celebrities battling it out on the felt but at stakes where the focus of the game will be on fun rather than crushing souls.

Phil Hellmuth to Kick Off New Series

Poker Night LIVE will premier on March 20, 2018, on CBS Sports Network and will begin a short 13-week run. The program will air every Tuesday at 10 pm Eastern and will feature a more “celebrity-centric” game than typical PNIA productions.

The series will host a combination of celebrity players, including poker celebrities. Unlike standard PNIA broadcasts, this new show will feature lower stakes with a focus on players having fun at the tables rather than worrying about making mistakes or getting embarrassed.

According to President of Rush Street Productions Todd Anderson, “We’ve been re-imagining TV poker for the past four years, making it more fan friendly with famous faces and a fun atmosphere. This is the latest exciting step as we continue to revolutionize how fans can watch poker. Anything can happen on live TV and probably will with a table filled with celebrities! The viewers will be able to see and hear everything that’s happening, just as if they are another player sitting at the table.”

The Gardens Casino in Los Angeles will host the show for the entire 13-week run. For the first episode, Phil Hellmuth has signed on to play. Other celebrities for the first and subsequent shows have yet to be announced.

In addition, a press release on the PNIA site states that host Joe Stapleton will also be playing at the tables. The funnyman/TV host is a fan favorite and according to Poker Night LIVE Executive Producer Jonnie Kedj, he’s “a blast to play poker with! With his comedic skills and vast experience at calling some of the most iconic poker hands of all time – we can’t wait to watch him mix it up with Celebs on Live TV.”

Celebrity Poker Showdown 2.0?

If the concept of this show sounds familiar, you’re probably thinking of Celebrity Poker Showdown that ran for 5 seasons on Bravo. Former poker pro Phil Gordon and Dave Foley is the most popular pair of hosts from the shows run, but Kevin Pollak and Phil Hellmuth also took turns at hosting.

Celebrity Poker Showdown featured a series of celebrity poker tournaments played in freezeout style. A wide variety of celebrities appeared on the show. Some of the tournament winners included Brad Garrett, Jason Alexander, Seth Meyers and Stephen Culp.

While Poker Night LIVE will be a cash game rather than a tournament, it’s understandable that some could think this is the second coming of Celebrity Poker Showdown. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though because the program was actually quite enjoyable and odds are that many casual poker fans learned poker hand rankings from watching this show.

One of the best selling points for this show is that it will be available on cable and satellite TV rather than streaming for the initial broadcasts. This should help a broader audience to watch the program and hopefully help it earn additional seasons.

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