Week 1 of the PokerStars sponsored “Big Game” kicks off tonight on Fox affiliates around the United States. The high-stakes cash game features five pros battling against a “Loose Cannon” amateur armed with $100,000 in real money. You can catch the “Big Game” starting between 1:00am and 2:00am in most television markets.
A promo clip found on YouTube and distributed by “Big Game” officials late last week features the following stirring introduction: “Big names, big stakes, big blowups. Welcome to the Big Game.” On-screen graphics include Voluntarily Put Money into the Pot (VPIP) and Aggression Factor (AF), stepping up the level of poker intellect imparted on the viewer.
The first week of action features Daniel Negreanu, DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson, UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth, Unabomber Poker front man Phil Laak, and PartyPoker’s Tony G. The aforementioned video also includes shots of Vanessa Rousso, Scott Seiver, Brunson 10 member Dani “ansky” Stern, Victory Poker’s Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, and Jason Mercier playing, many of whom have appeared on the GSN cash game franchise “High Stakes Poker.”
Rounding out the promo is an entertaining montage of a hand between Hellmuth and Week 1 Loose Cannon Ernest Wiggins, a 35 year-old businessman from Washington, D.C. Wiggins is all-in for $74,000 in a pot of nearly $200,000 holding pocket kings on a board of 9-10-9. Hellmuth has A-9 for trips and asks if Wiggins wants to run it four times. Wiggins says, “I sure do.” Hellmuth proceeds to win the first board before dropping the next three, losing twice to a boat and once to a flush. Needless to say, the rest of the table is quite pleased for the amateur, whereas Hellmuth looks disgusted.
PokerStars “Million Dollar Challenge” host Chris Rose and PokerRoad’s Joe Stapleton will have the call of the “Big Game.” According to an exclusive interview Rose gave Poker News Daily recently, the opening week features a considerable amount of banter between Hellmuth and Tony G, who are seated next to one another. Former World Poker Tour (WPT) Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman will also have an on-screen presence.
For markets whose local Fox affiliates are not carrying the “Big Game,” check out PokerStars.tv to catch all of the action starting on Tuesday. A total of six weeks of original “Big Game” programming will air along with a pair of “best of” weeks. In addition, “Big Game” officials plan to host another round of taping in August following the World Series of Poker (WSOP) featuring even more Loose Cannon qualifiers from PokerStars.
The show carries a $100,000 minimum buy-in with blinds of $200/$400 and a $100 ante. Loose Cannon qualifiers can keep whatever they win above their initial $100,000 stake. Catch the PokerStars “Big Game” all this week on Fox. Check your local listings for more information.