2013 WSOP to Air on ESPN Starting on August 6

Today ESPN announced via a press release that they will begin airing coverage of the 2013 World Series of Poker beginning on August 6.

Coverage of the Final Table of the Main Event – arguably the most important televised presentation of a poker tournament to happen all year – will be “virtually live” and will be available to viewers on Monday, November 4 and Tuesday, November 5.

Coverage will be similar to that in previous years

For those returning viewers who tune in to catch poker’s most exciting and prestigious tournament will find many things the same, including Lon McEachern as the primary commenter with Norman Chad reprising the analyst role he has filled in years past. Kara Scott will also be reporting.

The WSOP is not only one of poker’s largest tournaments, attracting thousands of participants from around the globe, it is also one of the oldest. It began back in 1970, with Benny Binion hosting the inaugural tournament at the Horseshoe Casino. In the forty years since it got its start, the WSOP has swelled to include sixty-one different events, with nearly fifty percent of those events comprising Texas Hold’em variations. The event has been televised for decades, since the late 1970’s.

Asia-Pacific Coverage to Provide Lead-In

And while in many ways this year’s coverage will resemble that of previous years, there are changes afoot as well. Senior director of programming for the network, Doug Scott, remarked that ESPN is thrilled to lead up to coverage from the Rio in Las Vegas, Nevada by airing the Main Event Final Table from the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific.

“We’re looking forward to showcasing the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific Main Event to our viewers for the first time ever,” Scott said.

“WSOP events are always filled with drama and the season leading up to the greatest night of poker—the Final Table in November—will definitely be must-watch television for poker fans,” he continued.

A full schedule of the planned coverage can be found here. ESPN will also have a variety of web and blog content available via their web site.