Poker Central’s streaming video on demand (SVOD) service PokerGO, will begin a new live series of Poker After Dark starting August 7 and running the whole year.
Poker Central is fast becoming the Netflix of poker. Both companies launched their digital product by showcasing a lot of old crap we had all seen before. Both realised that people wanted something more, and delivered.
Netflix studied their customers and came up with some of the most absorbing original content in the business. Poker Central sent their 24/7 TV channel to the rail and replaced it with a new online presence, and the streaming video on demand (SVOD) service PokerGO.
Instead of watching reruns of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), PokerGO struck a deal with the hosts and ESPN to provide over 60 hours of live coverage of the WSOP Main Event and most interesting side events. Instead of watching High Roller tournaments from the early 2000s, PokerGo added the Aria High Rollers to the TV Guide. And instead of watching reruns of Poker After Dark, PokerGO is launching a new season of Poker After Dark.
The new show will be like the old show except live. The first event is scheduled for August 7, and PokerGO plans to keep the show running all year round with a combination of cash games and Sit n Go’s. Poker Central Ambassadors Daniel Negreanu and Antonio Esfandiari are the first two names solidified for that opening gambit.
The new series will call The ARIA Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, home, and the recent Poker Hall of Fame nominee Mori Eskandani will be on hand to make sure the production is tip-top thanks to his company Poker PROductions.
Nick Schulman and Ali Nejad will commentate, although the press release from Poker Central stated that the show would be ‘players first’ with limited commentary, preferring the scripts to be written by the players on the fly. There has been no news of a Tatjana Pasalic, Kara Scott, Lynn Gilmartin sideline reporter position as of yet.
Joe Kakaty, President of Poker Central, has promised even more original programming and additional high-stakes tournaments in the near future.
