ESPN to telecast World Series of Poker Europe

Jeff Richgels  —  8/05/2008 4:03 pm

The phenomenal ratings success of TV poker is prompting ESPN to bring its cameras overseas.

The 2008 World Series of Poker Europe announced Tuesday that it will be held at a London Casino Sept. 19 to Oct. 2 with ESPN telecasting for the first time.

ESPN is scheduled to air eight original hours of coverage of WSOP Europe in the U.S. and distribute the tournament globally. No details were released on the telecast schedule. The agreement for the deal has to be finalized, WSOP said in its news release.

ESPN360.com is scheduled to provide live coverage in the U.S., Europe, Mexico and Brazil, as it does for the WSOP in Las Vegas.

WSOP Europe will feature four bracelet events, concluding with a 10,000 World Championship No-Limit Hold'em event similar to the WSOP Main Event.

Notable professional poker players expected to attend include Madison native Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, Erick Lindgren, Jennifer Harmon and Daniel Negreanu.

"Harrah's has obviously put effort into making a lot of improvements to the event," 11-time WSOP champion Hellmuth said in a statement. "I would like to make history by being the first American to win a bracelet in Europe."

Meanwhile, Scott Montgomery is the overwhelming choice to win the WSOP Main Event, according to a new DuplicatePoker.com poll.

The Main Event played down to the nine players for the final table last month. Those nine will compete for the title in November.

Twenty-nine percent of 1,106 poker players surveyed named Canadian Montgomery by a more than a 2-to-1 margin over the rest of the finalists. Ivan Demidov of Russia and chip leader Dennis Phillips of Illinois were named by 13 and 12 percent, respectively.

Montgomery also was voted the most skilled of the WSOP finalists and the most likely to win a Duplicate Poker tournament.

Jeff Richgels  —  8/05/2008 4:03 pm