At a press conference held to kick off the Bellagio Cup, officials from the World Poker Tour (WPT) welcomed back Kimberly Lansing, who first appeared during Season 6. Lansing will return to her hostess role on-air and also film interviews with players during events. Lansing sat down with Poker News Daily from the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. Talk about what went into you rejoining the WPT.
Kimberly Lansing: The WPT wanted to revamp the whole show and change it up. They haven’t had the host position in a couple of years and I think they just wanted to add a different dynamic. It felt right because if you look at it, I managed to get to know a lot of poker players and establish friendships with them during Season 6. It was really the perfect fit bringing me back.
I’m still doing interviews like I did before and keeping people up to speed on Live Updates. I’ve also been shooting interviews throughout the event for broadcast. We’re trying to give viewers an idea of what happened in the days leading up to the final table.
PND: The WPT has undergone an overhaul of sorts since Season 6 and is now under new management. Is there a noticeable difference?
Kimberly Lansing: It’s definitely a noticeable change. There are a lot of the same people here that I know well from traveling with them during Season 6. There have been changes here and there like ownership and who my boss is, but they’ve all been wonderful to work with. While it’s different, though, it has the same feel as before.
PND: Can you expand on what your role with the WPT will be?
Kimberly Lansing: I’m the anchor of the show, so I have a separate area where I’ll be sitting. My back is going to be to the final table, so it’ll be playing out behind me. I think I’m also opening the show and talking about what’s going on in the tournament and what’s happened in the first few days. I’ll do interviews with fans and family in the audience and bust out interviews too.
PND: From watching Live Update videos you’ve done with players like Justin “Boosted J” Smith and Liv Boeree at the Bellagio Cup, you seem much more comfortable in front of the camera. Talk about your on-camera presence.
Kimberly Lansing: I worked a lot over the past two years writing and hosting my own show five days a week. I was reading off the prompter and I’m not trying to be anything else than what I am. That’s what’s important as an on-camera person – to be yourself and listen to who you’re interviewing. This is me – take it or leave it. I’m very comfortable in my own skin.
PND: What daily show did you host?
Kimberly Lansing: I’ve been hosting a show off AOL called “Moviefone Minute.” I was the first host that had ever written and presented the show. It was one-minute long gossip and entertainment show that I wrote every day. It was a great experience for me because it was daily. It kept me on my toes and kept my brain working.
I also contributed to the TV Guide Network. I did entertainment expert pieces and went to shows like “Hollywood 411” and reality chats. I just gave my opinion and my entertainment knowledge.
PND: What is your favorite poker moment to date, whether with the WPT or not?
Kimberly Lansing: Taking eighth in the WPT Celebrity Invitational. I was really bummed because I didn’t make the final table or the money, but it was such an amazing experience. All I did was get lucky and suck out. I hit my one-outers on the river and it was amazing. That tournament is like a Turbo, though, so you have to get lucky.
PND: What do you do away from poker?
Kimberly Lansing: I just moved in with my fiancé, Zach Hyman, who I met during the WPT, so I can thank the WPT for contributing to my personal life. Overall, I’m getting used to a new time in my life. I’m also traveling to Italy and France next week for WPT events and planning a wedding, which is next April in Santa Barbara right after our tournament in Indiana.
