Coverage of World Series of Poker Main Event and Final Table on ESPN Begins July 3

ESPN’s coverage of the 50^th annual World Series of Poker will begin Wednesday, July 3, with the Main Event and run through Tuesday, July 16, with the conclusion of the Final Table. As part of an ongoing partnership between ESPN and Poker Central, ESPN will telecast at least 40 hours of live WSOP coverage, plus an additional 90 hours of originally produced episodes. Poker Central’s direct-to-consumer OTT service PokerGO will offer exclusive WSOP Main Event coverage that is not broadcast during ESPN windows.

The core group of talent is back for another year: Lon McEachern as play-by-play and Norman Chad as analyst. Kara Scott returns as sideline reporter and break desk host. Over the course of the live two and a half week production, ESPN will have many of the biggest names in poker joining McEachern and Chad in the booth. The feature and secondary tables are equipped with RFID chip technology, interfaced with the graphics to reveal the players’ cards instantly. A third table, as well as the feature and secondary tables, are also equipped with the “hole card” cameras as a back-up. Additional RF cameras have been added to cover play in the outer rooms, where well over 6,000 participants are expected.

The Final Table (July 14-16) remains a three-day event with an inevitable marathon ending on Day 3. The planned broadcast schedule of the WSOP Main Event on ESPN/ESPN2 is as follows:

*The scheduling including dates, times, and specific events is subject to change. All events will be streamed on a 30-minute delay with hole cards shown per gaming regulations.

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