PokerStars Gets Leg Up on Full Tilt in Network TV Battle

Michael Jones — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:40:56 +0000

Both Full Tilt Poker and and PokerStars have launched poker-themed shows on network television in recent months, and it looks like PokerStars might have the edge in this arena.

Both shows — “Face the Ace” and “Million Dollar Challenge” feature amateur players facing pros or celebrities in a chance for a million-dollar payday.

While neither shows has exactly gotten critical acclaim, PokerStars’ “Million Dollar Challenge” debuted last Sunday on Fox, in the afternoon following the network’s NFL football slate. Daniel Negreanu, one of the stars of the show, blogged about the show and said that the show got 4 millioin viewers in 2.1 million households, retaining about 15% of the NFL audience. From his blog:

I am SO very happy with the show. Wow, just amazing numbers in terms of viewers and I really think the show hits a demographic that is mostly totally new to poker and likely doesn’t watch shows like PAD, High Stakes Poker, or even the WSOP. The whole point of creating the show was to introduce people to poker in a format that they are more comfortable with: a game show format.

Negreanu goes on to say that the show is not designed for current poker players — the show is designed for TV, with fast blind structures, and it’s aimed at new players. PokerStars also included a $20K freeroll for people who got the password from the show. The next episode is schedule for this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern (check your local listings). More details on the show here.

Negreanu’s “critique” of the show and who it’s targeting could also apply to “Face the Ace,” Full Tilt’s show. It debuted in August in a much more high-profile primetime slot on NBC, and did a disapponting .3 rating for under 1.5 million viewers. The next scheduled airing of “Face the Ace” is Oct. 31st.

One thing is clear, for both shows — Doyle Brunson doesn’t approve of either. From his blog:

No disrespect intended, but these poker shows are awful. Full Tilt’s “Face the Ace” and Poker Stars “Million Dollar Challenge” are so bad, it’s embarrassing. There is no skill involved in either show and I can’t imagine getting an audience that will watch the shows.

One thing Doyle can’t argue with? Phil Ivey is a beast. Learn how to qualify to win a piece of his WSOP main event action here.<strong>

Poker Stars Million Dollar Challenge Premieres

Brian Ralentide — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:41:50 +0000

Poker Stars Million Dollar Challenge, the latest entry in the poker game show genre, gets under way with its premiere episode on FOX Sunday, October 11th (4:30 ET, check local listings).

The first episode of the show, which employs a heads up format similar to Full Tilt Poker’s Face The Ace, features Father Andrew Trapp, a Catholic Priest. Trapp will be coached by Daniel Negreanu for his first-round match against a celebrity playing for charity, for his second-round match against a Team PokerStars Pro and then, if he survives those two matches, has the chance to play Negreanu for $100,000.

Viewers looking for serious heads-up poker may be disappointed. As Negreanu says on his blog: “I want to make it clear what this show is: it’s a game show FIRST and a poker show SECOND. The blinds go up quickly and they get high pretty quickly, which I actually think benefits the contestants. The slower the structure, the harder it would be for an amateur player to get through a celebrity, a PokerStars Team Pro, and then me. The more luck involved, the better for them.”

Judging from the format and promos for the show, PokerStars took the lessons that FTP learned hard way with Face The Ace to heart. The production values seem to be a serious step up and Stars appears to have created a unique angle with Negreanu being available to coach contestants directly as they compete in their match.

The show culminates in episode five, where contestants who defeated Negreanu in earlier episodes have an opportunity to compete for $1 million.

Stars is offering viewers an extra incentive to watch the show. For the first two episodes the show will include a password viewers can use to enter an exclusive tournament with a first prize of $20,000.

You can view clips from the show and other exclusive material once the show has aired at PokerStars.tv here.

Get Negreanu’s reaction to the show, as well as some inside insights and the like, at his blog here.

View the promo for the show below:

Watch Million Dollar Challenge on PokerStars.tv

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PokerStars Gets Leg Up on Full Tilt in Network TV Battle

Poker Stars Million Dollar Challenge Premieres