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BLUFF: What has been the biggest difference between the Travel Channel and working with GSN?
Mike Sexton: The WPT has had fi ve great years with the Travel Channel. They will always get the credit for being the fi rst network to put poker on in prime time on a weekly basis and everyone in the poker industry owes them a debt of gratitude for that. We are now moving on to GSN and are really looking forward to it. GSN is thrilled to have us and will actively promote the WPT. To me, that will be the biggest difference.
BLUFF: What can we as viewers expect from the new broadcasts?
Mike Sexton: Season VI on the WPT is really an exciting year. We have a nice combination of veterans and new faces making it to the fi nal table. You can expect more depth in the analysis of the play and more insight into what players are thinking about while playing. Every year we take another step in educating our audience and getting them to think about how/what/why players are thinking when they make a play. I can assure you that if you watch Season VI on the WPT, you will become a better poker player.
BLUFF: What are some of the moments that stood out during this year’s WPT season?
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b>Mike Sexton: A few of them quickly jump to mind. The fi rst was the battle at the Legends of Poker at the Bicycle Casino. That event came down to former WSOP Main Event winner (and famed poker author) Dan Harrington vs. David “the Dragon” Pham. Another show you don’t want to miss (and you’ll get to see two shows from this event — it was so good, they made it into a two-part show) was the World Poker Open at the Gold Strike Casino in Tunica, MS. The fi nal four players came down to three of the biggest names in tournament poker: Men “the Master” Nguyen and former WPT champs Freddie Deeb and the “Alabama Cowboy” Hoyt Corkins ó vs. an amateur, a former collegiate wrestler, who got in the tourney by winning a satellite. His name is Brett Faustman, from Michigan. Well, you guessed it, the former wrestler “pinned” all these big names to the green felt and took the title. Another terrifi c show was one where poker history was made. It took place at Borgata, where Gavin Griffi n became the fi rst player in history to win a WPT title, a WSOP bracelet, and an EPT championship (the Triple Crown of Poker). And he’s only 26 years old! These are just some of the great shows you’ll see on Season VI of the WPT.
B LUFF: How is the WPT broadcast evolving with the higher poker IQ of its viewers?
Mike Sexton: The poker IQ of our audience has increased dramatically since the inception of the WPT. If you go back and watch the WPT as the seasons have evolved over the years, we’ve recognized the audience has become much more poker sophisticated.
For example, in the fi rst couple of seasons, we started every show with an explanation of what NL Hold’em is and how it’s played. That hasn’t been done for a number of years. We feel that is now understood by our audience. (When watching a football game, you don’t have the announcers explaining that each team gets four plays to go ten yards and if they don’t get a fi rst down, the ball goes over to the other side. They take it for granted the audience understands that.) The WPT broadcast has evolved because we now get more poker content into the show and delve deeper into what the players are thinking about while playing.
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