WPT Season XIV TV Schedule Announced

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Monday, February 29th, 2016 | Written by Adam Brown

The World Poker Tour is a highly popular tournament series currently running into its 14th season. Every year, some of the most prestigious WPT live events are televised, with millions of viewers subsequently tuning in to watch the game’s greats battle it out for a coveted WPT title, whilst also racking up points which count towards the World Poker Tour Player of the Year Award. This year, however, WPT viewers were left in limbo as the WPT organization failed to release its broadcasting schedule back in January. A few weeks later than expected, there is now good news for poker fans as the Fox Sports Network has finally given an air date for its events, and shared the broadcasting details with the public.

WPT Season XIV

– The Premiere Is Set. The 14th season of the World Poker Tour premiered on the Fox Sports Network on February 28th at 8:00PM.

– The Show Will Air Weekly Episodes. Following the season premiere, the World Poker Tour will air every Sunday night at 8:00PM. There will be a total of 27 episodes in all, and the season will conclude on the final Sunday in the month of August.

– The Four Biggest Events Will Be Televised. Over the course of the 27 episodes, the most important events of the World Poker Tour will be shown. These include the Five Diamond World Poker Classic, which will be held at the Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada; the L.A. Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, California; the WPT Tournament of Champions at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in South Florida; and the WPT Choctaw in Durant, Oklahoma. Each tournament will be broadcast over three weeks.

– The Tournament of Champions Will Be Televised. The last three episodes of the World Poker Tour will show the Tournament of Champions. This event is held across a number of locations, including Atlantic City, Durant, Hollywood, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Montreal, and San Jose.

– Familiar Faces Will Return. The familiar hosts of the previous seasons of the World Poker Tour will be back for Season 14. Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten will return as the main anchors and broadcasters for the weekly show, together with Lynn Gilmartin, who is in her third year with the show. Gilmartin is the fifth woman reporter to be a part of the broadcasts, and has hosted a number of other poker tournaments in the past, including the Asia Pacific Poker Tour. Previous WPT women reporters have included, Miss Hawaiian Tropic Shana Hiatt, and Los Angeles news anchor Courtney Friel.

WPT Continues To Evolve

Television producer Steven Lipscomb created the WPT back in 2002, and subsequently served as chief executive officer of WPT Enterprises until PartyGaming acquired it in 2009 for $12.3 million. In June 2015, the WPT was then purchased for $35 million by Ourgame International Holdings Ltd, with each new owner bringing new excitement and innovations for viewers to enjoy. As the current WPT President, Adam Pliska, explains:

“Thanks to our award-winning production team, World Poker Tour programming continues to evolve and improve during Season XIV. Our viewers have responded very positively to our changes in recent seasons, resulting in our top ranking on FOX Sports Networks, and we will continue to enhance our show to deliver the best in gaming entertainment.”

Plenty To Look Forward To

Now that the schedule has been announced, poker fans are already buzzing about who might 2016’s standout competitor, and eventually win the WPT Player of the Year. The award was first won by Howard Lederer, who is now infamous for his association with Full Tilt, with other winners of the award including Daniel Negreanu, Bertrand Grospellier, Joe Serock, and last season’s champion, Anthony Zinno.

Last week, Anthony Zinno took the Tournament Performance of the Year at the the American Poker Awards for winning the WPT Fallsview Poker Classic for $302,235, followed by the L.A Poker Classic for $1,015,860 the very same month. Can Zinno this season become the first player to ever win twice in a row? We’ll all have to tune in to find out what happens. Commenting on what viewers can look forward to this season, WPT Supervising Producer Mandy Glogow explained:

“We are thrilled to continue to tell the story of the World Poker Tour in Season XIV, and to highlight the compelling storylines of both recreational and professional players as they compete on the most dramatic stage in poker. Viewers will be introduced to new and exciting players throughout the season, welcome back some of their favorite players from years past, and celebrate poker achievement in the historic WPT Tournament of Champions.”