TSN isn't bluffing with poker series
By ROB BRODIE -- Ottawa Sun

The poker craze, it seems, isn't dying down anytime soon. If anything, it continues to mushroom. Witness the creation of the Degree Poker Championship, the first all-Canadian version of the popular Texas Hold 'em duel. It's a project that's been in the works for a year at TSN, with the first of four shows airing last night.

It's an all-Canadian affair featuring "everyday" people, said Adam Ashton, TSN's VP of marketing. "The thing we asked ourselves was 'How do you create an authentic Canadian poker tournament championship to find our next undiscovered star?' " he said. TSN conducted an on-line registration for the free poker tournament in the spring and received more than 20,000 responses. Out of that group, 2,000 were randomly selected to compete, equally split into regional poker tourneys at casinos in Niagara Falls and Richmond, B.C.

Forty-five players -- five tables of nine -- made the finals, which were taped at Niagara Fallsview Online Casino Resort in June. The first of four parts of the TV presentation aired last night, with the others tonight, Sept. 23 and Sept. 24. The latter episode includes the $100,000 final and a bonus $1 million final hand poker showdown. Ashton said TSN hopes to draw about 170,000 viewers each night. The entire series has been shot in high-definition format.

So what's the appeal of it to viewers? Ashton believes a lot of it has to do with the way TV presents it. "People at home know what's going on," he said. "To see that unfold is the real drama ... it's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster."

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