PartyPoker Late Night Poker Line-Up Confirmed Return of the Original Poker TV Show

PartyPoker Late Night Poker Line-Up Confirmed Return of the Original Poker TV Show

October 16, 2007

    GIBRALTAR, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- 

    PartyPoker Late Night Poker makes its annual return to
screens on Channel 4 in the UK and Ireland early next year,
but filming gets underway in Cardiff on the 23rd October,
with the final on the 27th. After a number of different
formats over recent years the tournament goes back to the
format of 1999-2002, with an emphasis on player
personalities that have made the tournament so compelling
over the years.

    Joining familiar Late Night Poker personalities and
champions, such as Dave "The Devilfish" Ulliott,
the Hendon Mob, Padraig Parkinson, Donnacha O'Dea, Marcel
Luske and Simon Trumper, will be some of most talked about
players on the scene. Controversial 2006 WSOP Main Event
Champion Jamie Gold is flying in from the US to take part
and is the winner of the richest poker event ever, taking
home US$12 million. Also recently added to the line-up is
WSOP Europe Main Event winner Annette Obrestad, Roland De
Wolfe, Robert Williamson III, Jen Mason and Jon Kalmar.

    Adding to an already international flavour, there are
also two wildcards who are recent converts to the game.
Holland's Maud Mulder is famous in her homeland for
finishing second in the original Pop Idol series, has had
hit chart records but also won the very first major poker
tournament she played in spectacular style. Joining Maud is
Agnieszka Rylik, a top television journalist from Poland who
has prepared for her battle with the pros by heading to Las
Vegas for coaching sessions with Mike Sexton.

    A PartyPoker spokesman said: "We're happy so many
of the old faces are back and are pleased with the line-up.
There is also going to be a celebrity special table filmed
the same day as the final -- details of which will be
released in the near future."

    With PartyPoker Late Night Poker harking back to its
original format, the way the action is actually going to be
filmed for television is going change this year and
flashbacks to previous series' will feature.

    Rob Thomas, producer of Late Night Poker for production
company Presentable said: "The convention for every
poker show these days is to show all the player's cards as
soon as they enter a pot. When Late Night Poker started,
the style was very different. Player's cards were revealed
at appropriate moments during the hand to create more drama
as the hand progressed. Twice in each show we will see the
hand from one player's perspective. We'll only see their
particular hole cards, which give the viewer a different
perspective as the hand develops. TV poker is about
creating drama and tension and, in these instances, the
commentators will have great fun guessing what the opponent
might be holding, and then there's the excitement of the
"reveal" moment at the end of the hand. We
believe this will enhance the viewer's enjoyment."

    Late Night Poker revolutionised people's perception of
poker when the tournament was first broadcast on Channel 4
in 1999 and was the first to use under the table cameras.
The total prize pool for 2007 is US$335,000 (US$90,000
added by PartyPoker) with US$125,000 going to the eventual
winner. There will be 49 players paying a US$5000 buy-in
with seven heats featuring seven players, followed by a
semi final and a final. The field will also feature ten
online qualifiers who won their seats in exclusive online
tournaments on PartyPoker.

    Coverage of the tournament will be filmed by
Presentable and will be presented by Vicky Coren, with
Thomas Kremser the Tournament Director. Presentable also
produced the coverage of the successful PartyPoker Poker
Nations Cup earlier this year.


    For more information, please contact:

     Warren Lush
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]