American broadcaster has agreed to cover the inaugural North American Poker Tour on its ESPN2 channel beginning in April.
Thursday 18th February 2010
In America, leading broadcaster ESPN has announced that it will air 16 one-hour episodes of the inaugural PokerStars.net North American Poker Tour (NAPT) starting in April on its ESPN2 channel.
The NAPT has been billed as the ‘first major poker tour in North America created by poker players for poker players’ and began in January with the PokerStars.net Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas.
The second leg of the NAPT, which kicks off on Saturday from the Venetian in Las Vegas with a $25,000 high-roller bounty shootout, will begin ESPN2's taped coverage on April 19 from 9pm New York time. This will be followed on April 26 at 9pm with a re-run of the first event followed directly by coverage of the Venetian $5,000 main event.
The NAPT Mohegan Sun main event will be held at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino from April 7 to 11 and ESPN2 will be broadcasting its coverage of that tournament in May. There will be a programme covering the Mohegan Sun shootout on May 10 from 9pm followed directly by coverage of the main event.
ESPN2's coverage will be hosted by model and actress Joanna Krupa and continue on May 17 from 9pm with a programme dedicated to the first leg of the tour and the PokerStars.net Caribbean Adventure $25,000 high-roller event.
“Having the NAPT on ESPN2 is going to take poker on this continent to a different level,” professional poker player Daniel Negreanu told ESPN.com.
