ESPN.com Poker Show Inside Deal to Debut Tuesday

The web-only poker show “Inside Deal” will make its debut on ESPN.com on Tuesday. Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Bernard Lee hosts “Inside Deal” and its premiere features 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker.

ESPN.com Poker Editor Andrew Feldman and ESPN The Magazine Columnist Laura Lane will flank Lee, who told Poker News Daily that he is looking forward to “Inside Deal” premiering on Tuesday: “This is a show that is needed in the industry and it’s unique in its time. It’s going to be a solid show with ESPN production value. It’s really going to start setting the standard for poker shows.” “Inside Deal” will be rolled out weekly on Tuesdays for three months, culminating with the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in November.

Poker fans will be able to submit questions to “Inside Deal’s” hosts and guests through mediums like e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter. A press release distributed by Lee’s publicist notes, “Fans will also be given an exclusive chance to participate in a sweepstakes where one lucky winner will experience the November Nine in a unique way.” Lee plans to interview as many of the final nine in the WSOP Main Event as possible and told Poker News Daily, “Moneymaker is going to be our first guest, which is always a draw. Our host, Laura Lane, is an up-and-coming journalist. She’s really good and people will be very surprised.” Moneymaker’s monumental win in the 2003 Main Event over poker veteran Sammy Farha helped propel the game into the global phenomenon that it is today.

“Inside Deal” is sponsored by PokerStars.net and will focus on the lifestyle of poker players in addition to in-depth interviews, breaking news, and the latest tournament recaps. Despite “Inside Deal” debuting in an online-only format on ESPN.com, Lee believes that the table is set for a recurring televised poker show on the cable network: “With everything that goes on in poker, there is news every week. During the WSOP and leading up to the November Nine, there’s absolutely a market for this to be on television. There is an audience out there. Look at how many people watched last year’s Main Event. A live poker series would be a good lead-in to future ESPN shows.”

Lee hosts the “Bernard Lee Poker Show” weekly on RoundersRadio.com and 1510 AM The Zone in his native Boston. He is a poker columnist for ESPN.com and the Boston Herald whose book “The Final Table” can be found on the shelves of industry enthusiasts around the world. Lee stormed onto the poker scene in 2005, when he finished 13th in the Main Event for $400,000. He recorded two final tables in WSOP Circuit Events in early 2008, including a fourth place effort in the Horseshoe Council Bluffs Championship for $37,000. He also finished as the runner-up to Dale Robinson in a $1,060 buy-in preliminary tournament at Caesars Indiana for $40,000. He is currently an instructor for the WSOP Academy.

In the eyes of many, Lee’s most impressive feat was winning tournaments held during the Foxwoods World Poker Finals three straight years between 2006 and 2008. He won a $4,800 buy-in event in 2006 for $368,000, a $1,850 buy-in event in 2007 for $239,000, and a $530 buy-in event in 2008 for $22,000. Lee is a staple at live poker tournaments across the East Coast. “The Final Table Volume 2” debuted in December in time for the holiday season amid resounding fanfare. The book chronicles hands from his Boston Herald newspaper column of the same name from 2007 to mid-2008.

We’ll have full coverage of the debut episode of “Inside Deal” right here on Poker News Daily.