PokerGo, Poker Central’s over-the-top subscription video service, is launching a new tournament series featuring big-money heads-up matches between rival players.

High Stakes Duel will premiere July 30 with the first match featuring Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Hellmuth. The games will appear live from the PokerGo Studio at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

“This series is different than anything we've created before in poker,” said Mori Eskandani, executive producer at Poker Central. “If you’re a fan of the game, you definitely don’t want to miss this. The stakes and rivalries will be on another level."

The first round of High Stakes Duel has a $50,000 buy-in with the winner advancing to round two of the battle. The loser in each round has an option to challenge the victor for a rematch prior to the next round. The stakes double in each round, resulting in a potential total prize pool of $12,800,000 in round eight. To win, a player must win three straight matches before round six or two in a row from round five onward.  If there are no challengers within 30 days of the previous match, the most recent winner also walks away victorious.

The players in the first match, Esfandiari and Hellmuth have been poker rivals for a decade. Hellmuth, known as the “Poker Brat” has won a record 15 World Series of Poker bracelets and has $23.4 million in career tournament earnings. 

“Antonio and I have a long history of playing poker together,” said Hellmuth. “From the time he came to my house as a young man and insisted we play heads up (he won), to the time we played televised cash games together (he won), to the NBC Heads Up Championship in 2005 - I won it all. Looking forward to this battle!”

Esfandiari won the initial million-dollar poker tournament in 2012 and has two World Power Tour titles and three World Series of Poker bracelets.

“For 10 years I’ve been challenging Phil to a heads-up match where the winner shoots the loser with a taser gun--so going head-to-head in High Stakes Duel has been a long time coming,” said Esfandiari. “The idea that the winner has to go double-or-nothing at least two more times after the first match is brilliant; it will be interesting to see who will go for the challenge and who will turn it down when it gets to a certain point.”

Poker Central said it renewed its programming agreement with NBC Sports Group through 2022.

High-stakes poker events owned and operated by Poker Central will appear on NBC Sports linear platforms including the Super High Roller Bowl, the U.S. Poker Open and Poker Masters.

NBC Sports and Poker Central will also jointly develop new programs and formats. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“We want to continue to see our major tournaments and poker programming reach the greatest number of sports fans possible, globally,” said JR McCabe, chief business officer of Poker Central. “Renewing our partnership with NBC Sports will allow us to further engage with both our passionate poker fans, as well as those who are entertained by the sport.”

Poker Central and NBC Sports Group have been working together since 2017, after the programmer's former linear channel folded in favor of OTT.

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Poker Central, which allows us to continue to engage with all poker fans, while also introducing the game to a wider audience,” said Gary Quinn, VP, programming & owned properties, NBC Sports.

NBC Sports and Poker Central will announce tournament dates and corresponding broadcast schedules at a later date.

Poker Central said that its PokerGo over-the-top subscription service will replace its coverage the World Series of Poker with WSOP Classic, featuring unforgettable games from tournaments played from 2003 to 2010.

The World Series of Poker, like many other sports events, was postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some sports are starting to come back to TV and other's are in the process of making plans to do so.

WSOP Classic will start airing Monday and run through July 24, the usual tournament schedule.

Footage from those past tournaments hasn’t been seen since it originally aired.

PokerGo will show 134 WSOP Main Event episodes, including wins by Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Jamie Gold, Jerry Yang, Peter Eastgate, Joe Cada, and Jonathan Duhamel.

Theseries including historic poker moments including Phil Ivey’s emergence in 2003 and “Ante Gate” from the 2006 Main Event between Phrahlad Friedman and Jeff Lisandro.

“The World Series of Poker is a tournament with unmatched, electric energy that we celebrate annually across the globe with our community,” said J.R. McCabe, chief business officer of PokerCentral. “Since we are unable to partake in the live tournament as we usually would this summer, we decided to bring some of the most memorable games in WSOP history, many of which have not been available for broadcast since original airing, into the homes of fans and players alike.”

WSOP Classic starts off on PokerGo with the World Series of Poker Main Event from 2003.

As part of an Independence Day weekend special, PokerGO will air the first-ever televised WSOP Main Event from 1973 on the Fourth of July.

Poker Central this week launched PokerGO, an OTT-delivered subscription service that makes its debut about six months after the programmer decided to shut down a linear TV network that was carried by a few MVPDs.

RELATED: Poker Central Is Folding TV Channel

Poker Central said the new subscription service, which sells for $99 per year or $10 per month, features a mix of live events, including the Super High Roller Bowl and coverage from the World Series of Poker (via a new four-year deal with ESPN), original programming and a VOD library.

The service will also expand this summer to include coverage of weekly high stakes cash games.  Originals for PokerGO include Dead Money: A Super High Roller Bowl Story (a documentary about Matt Berkey, a 2016 finalist) and Pokerography (bios of poker pros). Catalog programming includes Poker After Dark, Face the Ace and Doubles Poker Championship.

Per Poker GO’s site, the OTT service is available on the web, via iOS and Android mobile devices, Apple TV boxes, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, and the Chromecast platform. Support for PlayStation and Xbox consoles is in the works.

Poker Central launched a TV network in the fall of 2015, and opted to shut down the channel in December 2016, which had carved out distribution deals with the National Cable Television Cooperative, Buckeye Broadband, Sony’s PlayStation Vue. Cox Communications also carried the channel in hotels.  

"It's a digital pivot because we saw our millennial audience wanted more content. But they wanted new, original content," Joe Kakaty, president of Poker Central, said of the decision at the time. "TV is not going away -- it's just how we’ll work with TV that is going to change.”

NBC Sports Group and Poker Central said they reached a media rights deal that will see poker programming air on NBC Sports Network on Monday nights as early as this summer, notably including the programmer's Super High Roller Bowl and other unspecified events. The Super High Roller Bowl, with a buy-in of $300,000, will see 56 players compete for a share of a $16.8 million prize pool, with the top finisher earning $6 million, the programmer said. The 2015 version aired on NBCSN, according to Poker Central, which at the end of 2016 folded its linear channel.

NBC also gains rights to stream poker programming on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. The programmer said NBC will air additional poker fare starting this fall. 

In a release, Poker Central chief digital officer JR McCabe said: “With our large slate of premier tournaments combined with our experienced team of content creators, Poker Central is creating a comprehensive platform that truly stands out in a crowded content space. Partnering with the distinguished NBC Sports Group allows us to distribute our content to a platform agnostic audience.”

Gary Quinn, VP of programming at NBC Sports Group, added in the release: “NBCSN is thrilled to present Poker Central’s high-stakes action. Partnering with Poker Central allows us to continue to deliver high-quality programming, while creating a destination for both existing and new poker fans alike.”

The Poker Central network has launched on Sony PlayStation Vue, joining more than 100 TV channels on the nationwide over-the-top service. The poker-focused service has launched previously on Buckeye CableSystem and other providers in the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) but PlayStation Vue is its first national pay-TV affiliate.

It is part of PS Vue's higher-end Elite tiers, which adds movie and entertainment offerings (including EPIX) for a higher cost than its Access Slim and Core Slim tiers. PS Vue has two versions of Elite -- one that includes access to live broadcast TV networks such as ABC and NBC that's limited to seven markets (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas and Miami), and a recently launched "Slim" version that does not include the live broadcast TV networks but is available on a national basis. 

“We are particularly excited about launching on PlayStation Vue, which is a great opportunity for us to become accessible to more viewers nationwide,” Poker Central CEO Clint Stinchcomb said in a release.

PlayStation Vue, which includes a cloud DVR, is accessible  through PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and a variety of other streaming platforms via the PlayStation Vue app.

Poker Central, the startup programmer that has launched on assorted digital platforms, has obtained its first multichannel-TV launch, on Buckeye CableSystem in Ohio. Starting today, the network is available on Buckeye CableSystem channel 92 in standard definition and channel 579 in high definition in Toledo and Sandusky, Ohio.

In December, Poker Central (which launched in October 2015) reached an agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative which makes it easier for multichannel video programming distributors, including NCTC member Buckeye CableSystem, to add the network.

The launch partners announced the news at a press conference at Hollywood Casino Toledo.

Quotes from the launch release: 

“We are pleased to be able to offer our subscribers the very best and newest in entertainment and sports programming," said Jeff Abbas, president and general manager of Buckeye CableSystem. “Poker Central will find many passionate viewers among our customers in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan.”

“Hollywood Casino Toledo is pleased to be a part of the launching of Poker Central in our area. We look forward to Poker Central providing unprecedented coverage of the poker world and insider access to the incredibly talented professionals who make the game so compelling.” said Jeffry Goodman, Vice President of Casino Operations, Hollywood Casino Toledo.

“The Internet made poker play global and universal, appealing to a new generation of poker players and giving rise to celebrities outside of Hollywood and traditional sports”, said Sid Eshleman, Chief Distribution Officer for Poker Central.

Poker Central, the new independent network for card players and enthusiasts, has expanded its multiplatform hand with the launch of an app for the new Apple TV.

The app provides free access to Poker Central’s live feed and VOD library, and complements its reach on several other OTT platforms, including Roku players and integrated Roku TVs, the Amazon Fire TV, Xbox 360 and Xbox one, and a channel on FilmOn.

Poker Central, which launched on October 1, is currently negotiating for carriage with cable operators and other traditional MVPDs, but has not announced any deals.

The new apps-friendly Apple TV went on sale late last month. The 32 GB version sells for $149; a 64 GB edition costs $199. 

Among its other recent activity, Poker Central has been trying to reach its audience, including card-loving millennials, through a range of social media outlets. Among them is a recently launched complementary, promotional channel on Twitch (subscription required), the Amazon-owned live streaming service, that features an interactive show starring professional poker player Maria Ho.

Poker Central is making a big bet on social media as the startup linear TV channel seeks out new ways to connect with card players and enthusiasts who tend to skew into that hard-to-reach millennials crowd.

One big card it’s playing is a channel on Twitch, the popular over-the-top live streaming service now owned by Amazon, and a new interactive show starring professional player Maria Ho, who has accumulated about $2.6 million in poker tournament earnings. The live show, called Poker Central Live With Maria Ho, is being offered three times a week, with each show running about five hours in length. Poker Central is announcing specific airdates on its website and the Twitch channel itself.

The Twitch offering is viewed as an OTT complement to the 24/7 Poker Central channel, which debuted on Oct. 1. (Distribution partners had not been announced at press time.)

The Twitch channel is also one component of Poker Central’s broader social-media strategy, which also includes a presence on Facebook, which had 274,976 “likes” as of last week. Its Twitter account (@PokerCentral_) has more than 16,700 followers.

MAKING A ‘POKER FACE’

In concert with this week’s network launch, Poker Central is also holding a “Poker Faces” contest on social media whereby viewers can upload their poker face for a chance to win one of three trips to the Aria in Las Vegas and for a private lesson with one of the pros.

Each month, one of the network’s three professional poker player partners — Daniel Negreanu, Antonio Esfandiari or Phil Hellmuth — will act as judge and provide the winner with his or her lesson.

That’s all part and parcel of a plan to connect with younger viewers in places they frequent. “We know there’s a strong millennial audience interest in poker,” Clint Stinchcomb, CEO of Poker Central (and a former Discovery Networks executive), said.

He said Poker Central knew it was onto something with Twitch following a summer trial on the platform of the Super High Roller Cash Game ($250,000 buy-in).

“Millennials came to Twitch and participated aggressively,” Stinchcomb said, noting that the event generated 1.5 million unique in a bare-bones offering that didn’t include elements such as onscreen graphics and a view of the players’ hole cards.

“Twitch, for us, is about promotion,” Stinchcomb said, noting that Poker Central will also use the platform to pump in clips from the primary network, which will start off with about 2,000 hours of content, spanning categories such as tournament programming; instructional programming, news and highlights; player bios and documentaries; and poker-themed films. Poker Central’s primetime slate will include shows and series such as Super High Roller Cash Game, Heads Up Grand Slam, Poker After Dark, Doubles Poker Championship, Face the Ace and 100 Greatest Poker Moments, among others.

SOCIAL PROMO POWER

Stinchcomb is also a fan of using mobile live streaming platforms such as Periscope and Meerkat to provide an additional social-media vehicle for Poker Central. For instance, poker pros, many of whom have huge followings on social media, can use those platforms to promote upcoming telecasts.

Don’t expect to see Poker Central follow in the footsteps of CBS, HBO and Showtime and sell its primary service over-the-top, though.

“We’re not in the business of going direct to the consumer,” Stinchcomb said. “I’m not a huge fan of the direct-to-consumer business, personally … We’re focused on providing what meets the need of today’s distributor.”

Former Discovery Communications executive Clint Stinchcomb is looking to deal operators a strong multiplatform hand with Poker Central.

Launching Oct. 1, the poker-themed independent network is looking to capitalize on the popular game played by more than 50 million consumers in the U.S. and more than 100 million people around the world.

With the continued growth of casinos around the U.S., the explosion of online gaming and poker’s global popularity Stinchcomb said the network’s timing is perfect.

“It’s become more mainstream than it’s been in the past,” he said.

Poker Central, which will launch as a linear channel and a Web-based service simultaneously, will offer 2,000 hours of programming split into five categories: tournament programming; instructional programming, news and highlights; entertainment, including biographies, documentaries and poker-themed films targeted to men 18-34, according to Stinchcomb, the network’s CEO.

But neither the linear channel nor the website will offer any poker gaming or betting content, adding the service is “purely for entertainment.”

While a number of sports networks carry poker programming, including ESPN (World Series of Poker) and Fox Sports Net (World Poker Tour), Stichcomb said no outlet provides poker coverage around the clock.

“If you look at those networks, poker is less than 2% of the content they offer,” Stinchcomb said. “Actually having World Series of Poker on ESPN is good for the category, but there’s plenty of space for a 24-hour network on poker.”

Stinchcomb said Poker Central is talking to distributors about basic carriage and not sports-tier distribution. He expects the network to be in front of 50 million global households within six months of launch.

“There’s a reset going on in the traditional MVPD business, and if you can provide distributors with a proposition that checks several boxes with a broad scope of [distribution] rights, then I think we can provide value to distributors,” he said. “People still consume linear, so for the OTT providers we can offer our linear service.”

The network has already lined up several key advertisers, he added, although he would not reveal specific figures.

Katz Television Media Group vice president and director of content strategy Bill Carroll said a poker-themed channel with a well-defined brand targeting young male viewers has an opportunity to break through the clutter.

“Poker shows have continued to be an integral part of many of the sports cable networks,” Carroll said. “I have to believe that since they haven’t disappeared that they indeed have an audience. Whether that audience can be extrapolated to a 24-hour channel remains to be seen.”