Slowly but surely, the amount of original programming is beginning to stack up for the 24/7 streaming channel (and hopefully soon we’ll see some more television outlets) Poker Central. Less than six months into their run, Poker Central will debut their latest program on Monday night, featuring arguably the most well-known tournament director in the world as he corrals the biggest names in the world to discuss the game.
Inside Poker with Matt Savage will premiere on Monday night at 9:30 PM (Eastern Time) and will replay later in the evening at 12:30 AM. Featuring World Poker Tour Executive Tournament Director, Commerce Casino Tournament Director and founder of the Tournament Directors Association Matt Savage, the show will feature in-depth and unfiltered conversations between Savage and industry icons on the biggest topics within the poker world. In addition to discussing a wide array of issues, poker tips and advice from the pros and “inside-the-ropes” stories from the top events and card rooms around the country will also be featured.
The first episode will bring a variety of stories for poker fans. First up is Mike Matusow, who has been beset with back issues over the past year that have kept him out of the poker rooms of the West Coast and off of the tournament poker trail because of the factor that he cannot sit for extended periods of time. Savage will also talk with 2012 World Series of Poker Championship Event winner Greg Merson about his struggles with sobriety. Finally, Savage will open up the mike alongside WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart.
Poker Central is looking for Inside Poker with Matt Savage to really take the poker community inside the game and learn more about not only its personalities but its insiders. “Poker Central is committed to being the world’s TV channel for all things poker, by providing unprecedented coverage of the poker world and insider access to the incredibly talented professionals who make the game so compelling for viewers around the globe,” said Clint Stinchcomb, the Chief Executive Officer of Poker Central. Future episodes of Inside Poker with Matt Savage will take place at the Seminole Hard Rock in Florida, the Commerce Casino in California and Foxwoods Resort in Massachusetts.
With the debut of Inside Poker with Matt Savage on Monday night, Poker Central has fortified its original programming lineup tremendously since its launch. Their series Pokerography, featuring 30-minute biographies of some of the biggest names in the history of poker, have been quite well received, as were their broadcasts of the Super High Roller Bowl, which will return in 2016 as a part of Poker Central’s broadcasting (in 2015, it was on the NBC Sports Network to “tease” viewers to come to Poker Central). What may be their biggest coup, however, is coming later this spring.
In April, the Global Poker League, the brainchild of Alex Dreyfus and the Global Poker Index, will begin their play and Poker Central will be the broadcast home for all GPL matches. Both live and recorded events will be shown twice weekly over the Poker Central airwaves (cablewaves? streamers?), as will pre- and post-game shows for those two match days. After the World Series of Poker this summer, Poker Central will also be the home for the GPL playoffs and the GPL World Championships in late summer.
With the addition of the new Savage show, Poker Central is at least making a concentrated effort to provide original programming for a voracious audience. But there are still far too many reruns of old poker tournaments and cash game programs on Poker Central to maintain a steady audience. Hopefully there will be more original programming – the channel is not eve six months old yet – to bring this station fully to life.
