New Poker Show Adds Unexpected Twists to Pro Play

A new poker TV show – The Final Table – is aiming to transform how poker is watched by millions of fans by introducing ‘time bank’ chips, shot clocks, and a host of other innovative ideas.

Poker shows on TV have tended to be standardized fare over the last few years, and although the introduction of hole cameras made viewing a much more enjoyable prospect, there have been very few changes since.

Until now that is, with Todd Anderson, the president of Rush Street Productions, promising that:

The show will introduce a ‘shot clock’ during play, giving players only60 seconds to think about decisions and play – with hands mucked if they fail to beat the buzzer. Players will also have a ‘time bank’ chip, which they can use for more time if they are faced with a particularly tough decision. The overall plan is to make the game more exciting for viewers and players alike, with no more 10-minute tanks breaking the flow of play.

In his announcement last week Executive Producer Dustin Iannotti stated:

With plans for 26 hour-long epsiodes throughout the year well underway, the production team have already traveled the breadth of the US shooting episodes from New York in the East, to Sacramento in the West, and many points in between.

The creators, who are also responsible for the ‘Poker Night in America’ show, have attracted a slew of famous names to their new show, with Phil Hellmuth, Jason Somerville, Maria Ho and David Tuchman all playing their part.

14-time WSOP bracelet winner Hellmuth will be in the broadcast booth, while Somerville – whose Twitch.tv broadcasts have broken all records for online poker viewing – will stick with his internet offerings, giving the show the best of both worlds.

Maria Ho, who until last year was commentating for the Heartland Poker Tour and is now the Global Poker League franchise manager at Los Angeles Sunset, will be joined by Tuchman for the play-by-play commentary. Tuchman currently shares the same duties for Poker Night in America and in the past has commentated on the WSOP live stream.

Todd Anderson outlined the plans, stating:

So far the show has visited and recorded from the Turning Stone Casino in New York, Canterbury Park in Minnesota, Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, FL and Sacramento’s Thunder Valley Casino –with further travels to Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia planned in the weeks ahead.

The Final Table will air in late spring on a syndication basis, so poker fans will need to check their local listings to see when and where they can watch it– but all-in-all this is a hugely exciting new project which will add a new dimension of entertainment to TV poker!