Catching up with...ESPN Poker Club
There is no bigger name in sports than ESPN, and with the WSOP coverage getting set to begin we thought it was time to catch you up on all the great things that are going on at the ESPN Poker Club. Andrew Feldman ESPN.com Poker Editor, was kind enough to sit down with us for a short Q&A.
Tell us a little bit about how the ESPN Poker Club began.
The ESPN Poker Club started as a way to both provide poker fans a place to play and follow the game on ESPN.com. The idea stemmed from a conversation about capitalizing on both poker’s enormous growth over 2003 and 2004 and the growth of fantasy sports in the US. From the game perspective, we wanted to provide a place where fans could play for free and give them the chance to become the amateur who overcomes all odds to beat the pros.
Regarding content, ESPN. com wanted to provide insight to the casual poker fan about the comings and goings in the poker world. We started off in 2004 with Steve Rosenbloom and Phil Gordon producing high quality material, since they both have a deep connection to the game. From that point on, we began to add more great content through a partnership with BLUFF and contributions from Scott Fischman and Bernard Lee. Our latest addition came over a year ago, with Gary Wise stepping up and becoming our feature writer.
In addition to our original programming, we provide news and coverage from poker’s largest events, as well as the “Poker Edge” podcast, featuring Phil Gordon.
What makes the ESPN Poker Club different from every other poker site?
Players at the ESPN Poker Club can expect an experience from a free site that they will get nowhere else. Only at the ESPN Poker Club are the players able to talk to the managerial staff and essentially create whatever tournaments they want, whenever they want. If you have a good idea for a tournament, just send a note to our customer service team and, together, we’ll make it a reality.
Another major benefi t of playing at the ESPN Poker Club is that, as we all know, on a free site, it’s hard to get realistic play. However, we limit the amount of chips players can get, so that if they lose their bankroll, they are broke until the next day they can reload. It’s a concept that teaches bankroll management in addition to providing a solid poker education.
With that bankroll, users can enter another ESPN Poker Club innovation, the poker leagues. We offer leagues almost every day of the week and, over a ten-week period, players compete for the league championship. The top ten players in every league also qualify for the Champions League, where the best on the site compete each week. Players in the Champions League can’t get too comfortable, though, as the lowest-scoring half of them are removed after every tenweek season.
What innovations are currently being made on ESPN.com to promote poker?
We just recently launched our new World Series of Poker on ESPN site. This page allows viewers to fi nd out the latest WSOP information and TV schedules. Original content will also be displayed on this page, which will be in addition to the coverage that viewers will see during the television shows. Only on ESPN.com will you be able to see this, and, as we follow the November Nine, this new page on ESPN.com will be the home for all of that information.
As the weeks progress during our television coverage, you can also get a sneak preview of the episode, as well as content that will go hand-in-hand with what is shown on TV.
Inside the game, innovations are happening every day. We are now offering players more ways than ever to earn points each week, which allows them to enter the special Sunday Qualifi er satellites. New structures, including deep-stack, 6-max and heads-up tables have also been popular new additions.
