Back in April of this year, the World Series of Poker made news on several fronts, not the least of which was to announce a fall edition of the WSOP live in Las Vegas. But a few weeks later, they also revealed that the WSOP was ending a longstanding deal with ESPN for television coverage of the series. Beginning in 2021, TV coverage is moving to CBS Sports Network.
Not everything will be different. The Poker PROductions team, headed up by Mori Eskandani, will work with the WSOP to film the episodes. Most likely, the public won’t see any difference in the footage, only a different channel when they tune in to see it play out on TV. (Time to check that cable package, DirecTV lineup, or whatever else the kids watch these days to see if they offer CBS Sports Network.)
In addition, the commentating crew will remain together. Norman Chad and Lon McEachern confirmed their return to the commentary booth for WSOP 2021, and Jamie Kerstetter will join them again.
Not everything will be on CBS Sports Network, though. Doesn’t PokerGO play into this somehow? Oh, they most certainly do.
PokerGO Coverage
Some of the 2021 WSOP will be on CBS Sports Network, but the scope of those broadcasts remains to be seen. However, PokerGO released their livestreaming schedule, so it gives players a starting point for coverage.
Eskandani, who is also PokerGO’s President, commented on the 36 days of live broadcasts on PokerGO this year. This will include a livestream of every day of the Main Event. In all, PokerGO will cover 26 different WSOP tournaments. “The WSOP represents the most exciting time on the poker calendar,” Eskandani said, “and we look forward to bringing the thrill of winning gold bracelets to millions of people around the world.”
The catch is that PokerGO is a subscription service. It comes with quite a lot of poker content, but it does require a paid membership. Fans can choose a monthly rate or a discounted annual rate. Keep eyes open, though, for special introductory offers in the weeks to come.
(Pssst. Use the code WSOP2021 when ordering a full year of PokerGO and save $20 off the price.)
2021 WSOP Schedule on PokerGO
The livestreams will begin on October 4 as follows:
Oct 4 (Monday) $25K NLHE High RollerOct 6 (Wednesday) $600 NLHE DeepstackOct 7 (Thursday) $25K NLHE Heads-Up ChampionshipOct 8 (Friday) $3K NLHE FreezeoutOct 9 (Saturday) $10K LHE ChampionshipOct 11 (Monday) $10K Seven-Card Stud ChampionshipOct 13 (Wednesday) $1,500 8-Game MixOct 14 (Thursday) $1K Ladies ChampionshipOct 15 (Friday) $5K NLHE 6-HandedOct 16 (Saturday) $10K Short DeckOct 18 (Monday) $3K HORSEOct 19 (Tuesday) $800 NLHE 8-HandedOct 21 (Thursday) $50K NLHE High RollerOct 22 (Friday) $1,500 PLOOct 23 (Saturday) $10K HORSE ChampionshipOct 24 (Sunday) $3K LHE 6-HandedOct 26 (Tuesday) $10K PLO ChampionshipOct 27 (Wednesday) $10K NL 2-7 Lowball ChampionshipOct 30 (Saturday) $25K PLO High RollerNov 5 (Friday) $50K Poker Players ChampionshipNov 19 (Friday) $1,979 Poker Hall of Fame NLHE BountyNov 20 (Saturday) $250K NLHE Super High RollerNov 22 (Monday) $50K NLHE High RollerNov 23 (Tuesday) $100K NLHE High Roller
Why the big gaps in November? That is the time that the Main Event will be in progress, and PokerGO is providing detailed coverage for that, too. The press release did say it would cover the Main Event from start to finish, but it seems that they might be skipping Day 1B in favor of the $50K PPC mentioned above. We expect clarity as the PokerGO team reveals times and commentators for the streams.
As for the Main Event coverage, with that Day 1B exception on Friday, November 5, PokerGO will cover every day of the tournament. November 4-7 are the starting flights of the $10K World Championship, with the two Day 2 combinations set for November 8-9. The survivors combine on November 10 and play down to a final table through November 14. They will then cover the two-day Main Event final table on November 16-17, a Tuesday and Wednesday.
https://twitter.com/PokerGOnews/status/1435991435329736704?s=20
