WPT announces the launch of the Alpha8 Tour

With the World Series of Poker on its four-month vacation until the November Nine the press releases have been hitting my inbox with everything from Winning Poker Network upgrades to the news today of a new World Poker Tour (WPT) spinoff called the Alpha8 Tour, a series of $100,000 buy-in tournaments that will appear on Fox Sports 1 beginning in March of 2014.

I’m actually not sure how I feel about this idea, as I’ve been both for and against Super-High-Roller tournaments over the past few years. One of my criticisms has always been the haphazard way they are thrown together (usually with lightning fast structures and on short notice), not to mention the incredibly bad timing of adding $100k events, when the poker economy is at one of its lowest points since the Poker Boom of 2003 – How awesome would Alpha8 have been back in 2005?

According to the Press Release (which I have included in full below) the tournaments will take place across the globe with the broadcast of the events appearing on FOX Sports 1, with four hours of coverage dedicated to each tournament. The first event on the Alpha8 Tour will be at the upcoming Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open on August 26. According to the Press Release, Alpha8 will feature a “new” set and will feature PokerNews.com’s Lynn Gilmartin as the anchor of the coverage.

Here is a look at the full press release on the WPT Alpha8 Tour:

World Poker Tour® Teams Up with FOX Sports 1 for the All-New WPT Alpha8™ Series of Televised, Super High-Roller Tournaments to Begin Airing in March 2014

Exclusive, Super High-Roller Tournaments Promise Elite Fields, Unprecedented Poker Action

Twitter: @WPT

Facebook.com/WorldPokerTour

www.WPT.com

Los Angeles, CA (July 18, 2013) – World Poker Tour®, the world’s leading purveyor of high-quality, high-stakes televised poker tournaments is launching WPT Alpha8™, an all-new, global series of super high-roller poker tournaments broadcast on FOX Sports 1, premiering in March 2014.

Held in some of the world’s most prestigious venues in North America, Europe, Asia, and South Africa, each event will feature a buy-in of at least $100,000. Tournament structures designed by WPT Executive Tour Director Matt Savage will ensure exciting poker action at all levels throughout the tournament and allow World Poker Tour to provide four hours of televised action from each event where viewers can watch the game’s very best players compete for millions of dollars in prize money and unprecedented bragging rights.

“I am honored to announce Alpha8, WPT’s newest and most ambitious offering in conjunction with its primetime home on FS1,” said WPT President, Adam Pliska. “Showcasing the world’s poker elite and featuring multimillion dollar prize pools, Alpha8 represents the highest televised treatment of super high-roller tournament poker to date. Playing out over a global stage, this series will give audiences insight into the intensity and skill demanded at the sport’s highest levels.”

Launching August 26, 2013, this exclusive new tournament series will begin with Event 23 of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open — WPT Alpha8 Florida — held at the prestigious Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. As a frequent host of many WPT Main Event and Regional tournaments in the burgeoning Florida poker market over the past 11 seasons, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has earned a reputation as one of the region’s elite casino properties, making it an ideal home for WPT’s newest and most exclusive event.

“As a long-time World Poker Tour partner, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is excited to be hosting the first event in this exclusive, super high-roller series,” said Seminole Gaming COO Larry Mullin. “Adding WPT Alpha8 Florida to the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open schedule raises the volume on this already highly anticipated series, including our $10 million guarantee Main Event.”

Befitting an entirely new tournament series, WPT Alpha8 will feature a unique, modern set and will be hosted by fresh, new talent, including Lynn Gilmartin, who will serve as the show’s Anchor. Recorded for broadcast on FOX Sports 1 in 2014, WPT Alpha8 will be a key element of the network’s new original programming and will air as part of its primetime line up every Sunday at 10pm ET. The show’s expanded format will allow World Poker Tour’s cameras to provide viewers with in-depth coverage of all the play down to the final table, affording viewers with unparalleled insight into the strategies and gamesmanship that sets the world’s best players apart from everyone else.

“We’re excited to bring WPT’s new high-roller series to FS1 viewers,” said FOX Sports 1 Vice President of Programming David Sussin. “WPT Alpha8 will be a key part of our primetime line up and a tremendous complement to our other sports programming including MLB, NASCAR, UFC, soccer, and college basketball and football. With this new series, WPT has significantly raised the stakes of televised poker. By increasing the risk and raising the pressure, WPT Alpha8 delivers more drama and bigger personalities, and we’re confident the show will quickly become a habit for our viewers.”

As part of an exclusive, three-year deal with FOX Sports 1, subsequent WPT Alpha8 tournaments will be aired throughout 2014, and will be sponsored by ClubWPT.com, a membership poker site that provides players with great VIP benefits and the chance to play free online poker tournaments for a share of $100,000 in cash and prizes each month.*

Viewers looking to watch the WPT Alpha8 Florida final table before it airs on TV can watch a live stream of all the action on WPT.com on August 27. On August 28, poker fans can visit www.seminolehardrockpokeropen.com for exclusive live streaming of the final table of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Main Event final table, where players will compete for the title and the winner’s share of the World’s largest guaranteed prize pool of $10 million.

*No purchase is necessary for the ClubWPT sweepstakes and the service is void in states where prohibited. For more information visit ClubWPT.com.