Most of the poker on television today shows top professional players wagering large amounts of money, either in a tournament or a high-stakes cash game. In many cases, this is money that the Average Joe just doesn’t have to put up and, as such, it excludes them from the game. A new poker-themed game show is coming to television, however, that is looking to change that situation.
Poker Hall of Fame inductee and World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Mike Sexton will serve as the host for “Shuffle Up And Deal,” a poker themed game show that will air on the MyFamilyTV network in 2010. The half-hour program has been tapped for 13 episodes and, along with Sexton, will feature another poker program veteran in Brandi Williams, who was last seen as the hostess on the syndicated “Ultimate Poker Showdown.” The MyTV network is available in over 50 million homes across the United States and features such programming as the highly popular “WWE Smackdown.”
Billed on its website as “TV’s First Family-Friendly Poker-Themed Game Show,” the program doesn’t focus on high-stakes play. Instead, it will give amateurs the opportunity to use their skills, intuition, and luck in a fast-paced game that will give each episode’s winner a shot at a progressive jackpot that can total up to $1 million.
In each episode, amateur poker players choose their own cards from an electronic board that the viewing audience sees and the turn of each card either helps the contestant’s hand or hurts their chances of winning. The objective of the game is to finish with the highest cash winnings among the five players that are competing. The player who wins each episode advances to the bonus round and plays for a progressive jackpot that starts off at $250,000 and goes up $10,000 for every episode that the jackpot isn’t hit.
As an added attraction for the show, “Shuffle Up And Deal” will offer an interactive feature for the viewing audience. By using their phones, viewers are invited to “Follow the Ace” by picking one of five cards that are used in that particular viewer’s game. If the viewer is correct and picks the card that is the ace, they will be entered into a random drawing that gives each winner $10,000.
“Poker has been a great source of entertainment for many people for many years, but in order to grow and continue to be the most popular game of all time, poker needs to reach out to a whole new audience,” Sexton stated during the announcement of the new program. “Shuffle Up and Deal does just that and I’m proud to be a part of this new movement.”
Another unique part of the “Shuffle Up And Deal” franchise is the opportunity for players to take part in casinos across the country, much like the popular “The Price is Right” franchise has done with its Las Vegas show. A traveling road show is in the works that will take the game to those who aren’t able to be a part of the television production. Another top poker professional, Chad Brown, has signed on to serve as the emcee when the live version visits local casinos across the United States.
There is already a great deal of buzz about “Shuffle Up And Deal.” Other than the website, a Facebook group has also been created that is approaching 1,000 fans who are eager to see the program take flight. With such support, “Shuffle Up And Deal” looks to be the next hot poker property that fans will see not only on their television screens, but also in casinos in 2010.
