Poker's Super High-Roller WPT Alpha8 Series Starting August 26th

The much anticipated WPT Alpha8 Series is set to get underway starting August 26th at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in Florida with the $100,000 buy-in tournament sure to draw a great deal of television interest when it eventually airs on the FOX Sports 1 channel in March 2014. However, the inaugural WPT Alpha8 series taking place in North America is just one stop on a tour that will visit various venues across the world, including Europe, Asia, and South Africa.
As WPT President Adam Pliska explains about its exciting new tournament series: “Showcasing the world’s poker elite and featuring multimillion dollar prize pools, super high-roller represents the highest televised treatment of super high-roller tournament poker to date. Playing out over a global stage, this series will give audiences insight into the intensity and skill demanded at the sport’s highest levels.”
In preperation for next month’s start, the World Poker Tour has now announced Ali Nejad and Olivier Busquet will be the two-man commentary team joining Alpha8 broadcasts anchor Lynn Gilmartin at the debut event. Oliver “Ali” Nejad is a veteran poker television presenter, best known as the announcer on NBC’s Poker After Dark, while Olivier Busquet is a talented poker pro with over $4 million in online and live tournament earnings, including victory at the 2009 WPT Borgata Poker Open $3,300 event for $925,514.
Together, the popular poker personalities are sure to bring a wealth of experience to the commentary team, while providing some insightful, well-rounded analysis on the high-roller event. However, the game is not the only aspect of the broadcast, and viewers can also expect to get a glimpse into the lives of the high stakes players competing in the WPT Alpha8 Series.
Expressing his excitement at the upcoming Alpha8 broadcasts, vice president of FOX Sports Network, David Sussin, commented: “WPT Alpha8 will be a key part of our primetime line up and a tremendous complement to our other sports programming. With this new series, WPT has significantly raised the stakes of televised poker. By increasing the risk and raising the pressure, WPT Alpha8 delivers more drama and bigger personalities, and we’re confident the show will quickly become a habit for our viewers.”