ESPN.com has hit the ground running with seven weeks of intense coverage of the 41st annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). ESPN.com’s WSOP Preview package featured articles on the storylines we’ll be following, the players we’ll be watching and who professional players like Daniel Negreanu, Howard Lederer and Dennis Phillips drafted on their fantasy poker teams. The ESPN Poker team made predictions on what to expect from the event and on ESPN Audio’s Poker Edge podcast, ESPN’s telecast co-hosts Norman Chad and Lon McEachern share their excitement and offer some thoughts on the event.
The next seven weeks will feature recaps of all bracelet events, daily blogs and columns highlighting the action in Las Vegas, as well as daily SportsNation chats with a variety of players and ESPN.com’s poker team. Fans can also check out The Nuts — ESPN.com’s poker rankings — exclusive footage from the World Series of Poker telecasts and sign up for ESPN.com’s bi-weekly poker newsletter.
For the third straight year, poker player extraordinaire Phil Gordon and ESPN.com’s Andrew Feldman will offer weekly poker edge podcasts during the events and daily coverage right from the floor at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas beginning with the start of the WSOP Main Event. Additionally, ESPN Inside Deal presented by PokerStars.net also kicked off their second season on May 25. Fans can try to win a seat into the Main Event by playing at the ESPN Poker Club (http://games.espn.go.com/poker/index).
Beginning on June 8, ESPN.com’s poker news, entertainment and strategy show will return to a weekly schedule and will run continuingly through November when a champion is crowned. Laura Lane, Bernard Lee and Feldman will bring the biggest names in poker straight to fans where they’ll answer questions, analyze the industry and provide an inside look at their lifestyles away from the table.
ESPN3.com’s live poker coverage includes:
June 26: 530pm ET – Mixed Hold ‘Em
June 27: 3pm ET – TOC, Day 1
June 28: 3pm ET – TOC, Day 2
July 1: 5:30pm ET – $25k Short-handed No Limit Hold ‘Em Day 2
July 3: 5:30pm ET – $25k Final Table
Additionally, ESPN is offering WSOP seasons 2005-2009 on iTunes and will also offer all 2010 WSOP episodes the day after its TV debut. Full episodes will also be available via ESPN Mobile VOD.
