Beginning on September 10, cable television’s Discovery Channel will dive into the world of casino gaming with the premiere of three different programs in a block called “All In, All Night.” While two of the programs will feature content that other cable channels have delved into, the third one features two of poker’s most eclectic personalities.
Premiering at 10PM (Eastern Time) next Wednesday, poker champions Antonio ‘The Magician’ Esfandiari (holder of three World Series of Poker bracelets that include the 2011 “Big One for One Drop” title and two World Poker Tour titles) and Phil ‘The Unabomber’ Laak (one WSOP bracelet, one WPT title and the record holder for the longest poker session) will once again join forces for a program called “Underground Poker.” The premise of the show looks to be highly interesting and, because of its stars, should provide plenty of entertainment.
Esfandiari and Laak, using the connections that they have garnered in their years of playing poker around the world, will step away from the tournament format to go to “underground” (re: potentially illegal) cash games across the United States. In the debut episode, Esfandiari and Laak journey to New Orleans for action at several locations. The description from the Discovery Channel states, “Whether it is at a luxurious loft on Bourbon Street or in the back room of a seedy, swamp-side dive, high stakes and danger preside with every raise and every call…and that’s why it’s exactly where Antonio and Phil want to be!”
This isn’t the duos first foray into gaming-related television. In 2007, the duo were the featured stars of the MOJO Network’s “I Bet You.” In that program, Esfandiari and Laak journeyed across the U. S. for a program that featured them proposition (prop) betting on virtually anything that they came across. The series ran for two years on the MOJO Network and a third season was filmed, but the MOJO Network ceased broadcasting in 2008, ending the series (that third season has, as of yet, to ever be aired on any network).
The other two programs in the Discovery block lack the sizzle that the Esfandiari/Laak program will deliver. Beginning the night of programming at 8PM, a program called “Hustling the House” will open up the evening’s entertainment. “Casinos, lotteries and bookies all use math and science to stack the deck against you,” the Discovery plug states. “Now you can fight back…get the scoop that the House doesn’t want you to have with “Hustling the House.”
Sandwiched in between “Hustling the House” and “Underground Poker” will be a program called “Casino Secrets.” Premiering at 9PM, the show will focus on (naturally) casinos and the tactics they employ on their properties. “Every single detail in a casino is designed to keep the gambler from leaving,” Discovery says in the plug. “The longer the gambler stays, the more likely that gambler is going to lose money. “Casino Secrets” will feature insiders discussing the world of high rollers, the true odds of roulette, the inner workings of a slot machine and other casino mysteries. With “Casino Secrets,” the truth is about to come out.”
The new programming from the Discovery Channel is rather ambitious because, other than taped poker tournaments or made-for-television events, gaming hasn’t been the “featured attraction” of a night of programming. The subject matter for the first two programs on “All In, All Night” might be a retread of other past programs (“Breaking Vegas,” which aired on the History Channel from 2004-2006 and can sometimes have “special” airings), there is only one other program that might be comparable to Esfandiari and Laak’s program. The National Geographic Channel aired “Inside Underground Poker” in 2013, focusing on the illegal (and famous) world of the New York City poker underground. That show did not feature luminaries such as Esfandiari and Laak, however.
