WPT Season XIV FSN Shows to Start in February

The WPT’s Season XIV FSN broadcasts will start with Jason Brin’s win in Oklahoma. (Image: blog.worldpokertour.com)

The latest flow of action from the World Poker Tour (WPT) will find its way on to the FOX Sports Networks (FSN) later this month when footage from the Choctaw stop is shown in the US.

Although Season XIV is still in full swing and Chris Leong has only just won the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open in Atlantic City, the annual TV recap will begin on February 28 with the tour’s first visit to the Choctaw Casino Resort.

A Moneymaker Show

Part of the WPT’s ongoing effort to expand the tour to new regions, the inaugural event in Oklahoma’s Choctaw Casino Resort attracted an impressive 1,175 entrants, but when the chips had fallen it was Jason Brin who stood victorious.

A carpet storeowner by day, Brin saw off Darren Elias (3rd – $303,593) and Andy Hwang (2nd – $468,105) to claim his first WPT title and $682,975 in prize money.

For the WPT, this event is the perfect one to kickoff its Season XIV broadcasts as the story of an amateur beating off the pros in major event is always a good marketing tool. 

After airing three episodes from WPT Choctaw, FSN will show a further 24 episodes at 8 p.m. on Sundays and 11 p.m. on Wednesdays through until August 28 when it will air coverage of the season-ending Tournament of Champions.

Between February 28 and August 28, FSN viewers will be able to see all the best action from events such as the WPT Legends of Poker, the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open and the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star.

Familiar Faces Return

As ever, the voices of the WPT, Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten, will be presiding over the action and adding some extra color to the already vibrant tapestry of talents on display.

Also back for a third season will be Lynn Gilmartin and Tony Dunst who will provide on-the-rail interviews and analysis.

Back at the turn of the century WPT broadcasts were cited as a reason for the initial poker boom. First airing in 2002 with hole card cams and a “live sports feel,” the shows attracted millions of viewers around the world and each one helped boost the profile of poker in the mainstream.

However, as the popularity of poker leveled off, viewing figures slowly dropped and the WPT was forced to reinvent its TV product.

Today the WPT not only shows its main events, but special Alpha 8 episodes dedicated to its series of high rollers have helped make it one of the top rated shows in its category on FSN.

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