Breaking News: Phil Hellmuth Is New Celebrity Poker Showdown Host
It has been just announced that nine-time World Series of Poker winner and FORMER World Champion Phil Hellmuth will be the new host on the upcoming season of BRAVO's "Celebrity Poker Showdown," to be held for the first time in New Orleans and which will benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina.
In a press statement released today, Frances Berwick, Senior VP of Programming and Production for Bravo, said:
"In Phil Hellmuth we have found an engaging, proven and renowned poker champion who we are confident will complement Dave Foley's comedic commentary and provide the insight our viewers rely on."
More on this plus our commentary to come soon. For now, read the entire press release after the jump, or eyeball what Hellmuth told our friends at ESPN's Poker Club about the new deal.
BRAVO'S 'CELEBRITY POKER SHOWDOWN' HEADS TO THE BIG EASY AND RETURNS WITH A NEW SEASON, A NEW CO-HOST, IN A NEW CITY
NINE-TIME WORLD SERIES OF POKER WINNER PHIL HELLMUTH WILL JOIN HOST DAVE FOLEY AS THE SERIES' NEW POKER COMMENTATOR
THE EIGHTH TOURNAMENT OF THE HIT SERIES TO BE HELD AT HARRAH'S NEW ORLEANS AND WILL GIVE AWAY ONE MILLION DOLLARS TO HURRICANE KATRINA CHARITIES
NEW YORK -- March 22, 2006 -- In support of the victims of hurricane Katrina and the City of New Orleans, Bravo's hit series, "Celebrity Poker Showdown," is set to film the next season in the ravaged Louisiana city. Joining the production will be poker champion and winner of nine World Series of Poker bracelets, Phil Hellmuth, who will serve as the series' new poker commentator and co-host, along with comedian Dave Foley. The all-new eighth tournament, featuring a million dollar prize pool will premiere this spring.
"For the new season of 'Celebrity Poker Showdown' we have decided to take the series in a new direction and we could think of no better way than to support the people of New Orleans," said Frances Berwick, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production for Bravo. "In Phil Hellmuth we have found an engaging, proven and renowned poker champion who we are confident will complement Dave Foley's comedic commentary and provide the insight our viewers rely on."
"New Orleans is a city with a heart and soul like no other American City and being that it is the birthplace of poker, there was no better place to take our show," said executive producer Marcia Mul?. "And in the process, to be able to give away a million dollars to help bring back the big easy, that's a winning hand."
New co-host and poker commentator Phil Hellmuth is a true poker champion. With nine World Series of Poker victories and more than fifty tournament titles under his belt, Hellmuth's poker legacy is secure. His laundry list of achievements began in 1989 at the tender age of 24 with his first World Series of Poker Main Event title, the youngest person to ever accomplish the feat, a record that stills stands to this day. He has since amassed dozens of major tournament wins internationally, including wins at The World's Biggest Seven-card Stud Tournament in Austria and Late Night Poker in Great Britain.
Bravo will be partnering with Harrah's Entertainment to make Harrah's the new official casino of "Celebrity Poker Showdown." For the all-new season, "Celebrity Poker Showdown" will be filmed at Harrah's New Orleans. The land-based casino closed shortly before Hurricane Katrina made landfall near the city on August 29. The building sustained storm damage, and was used by first responders as a base of operations in the days following the storm. Repairs to the facility have been completed and the casino re-opened on February 17.
Filmed in front of a live audience, each episode of "Celebrity Poker Showdown" features five celebrities competing against each other for the chance to win thousands to donate to the charity of their choice. Each week, a new group of celebrities meet at the table to go head to head until only one remains. The winner from each week's game will advance to the championship sixth game. To date, "Celebrity Poker Showdown" has given away $2,450,000 to charities around the world. All celebrities will be playing for charities benefiting victims of Hurricane Katrina.
"Celebrity Poker Showdown" is produced by Picture This Television in association with Bravo. Marcia Mul?, Bryan Scott and Lisa M. Tucker are the executive producers.
Bravo is the cable network that plugs people into arts, entertainment and pop culture with original programming, acclaimed off-network dramas, comedy and music specials, movies and by showing a whole different side of celebrities. Currently available in more than 80 million homes, Bravo is known for breaking exciting new personalities, shaking up the way we look at style, media, fame and Hollywood, pulling back the curtain on the creative process and making influential and inventive original programming. Its critically acclaimed and award-winning original programming includes "Inside the Actors Studio," "Project Runway," "Celebrity Poker Showdown," and "Blow Out" as well as the 2004 Emmy winner for Outstanding Reality Program, "Queer Eye." The network's latest hits include "Being Bobby Brown" and "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List."
Bravo is a program service of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBC Universal one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Bravo has been a NBC Cable Network since December 2002 and was the first television service dedicated to film and the performing arts when it launched in December 1980. For more information visit www.bravotv.com.
Is this a true statement - The winning hand in Texas Holdem is always the best five-card hand made from a player's two hole cards and the five community cards. What if four 7's are dealt on the table, is that a split-pot or does the player with the highest card in hand win???
Posted by: Stevo St. John | July 23, 2006 at 10:27 PM
LOL, you said it Drizztdj.
Posted by: Poker Guides | March 27, 2006 at 03:40 AM
Please tell me this is a parody post.
"Well Dave, Christina Ricci over there has to be the biggest jopke I've ever seen!" "I mean COME ON, who plays KK out of position when you get re-raised, OF COURSE Richard Karn is holding aces?!?!"
That show is gonna die from the flood of Helmuth on air shillings.
Posted by: Drizztdj | March 23, 2006 at 06:19 AM
Have you seen http://www.bloggerpokertour.com
Posted by: John | March 22, 2006 at 08:54 PM
We have reviewed your blog at and we are impressed with it's content and design and are inviting you to join the ImAllAboutPoker.com community during the BETA phase.
What is the ImAllAboutPoker.com community?
The ImAllAboutPoker.com community is a collection of 30 content-rich POKER blogs. Each day through-out the month your blog will be displayed first when anyone on the internet goes to ImAllAboutPoker.com . By inserting a small banner at the top of the browser, all 29 other blogs in the community will be accessible by the reader. Our goal is to established a community of 30 good POKER blogs that can easily be found on the internet. Each member of the community understands that the work of 30 is much larger than the sum of its parts.
Are there advantages of joining during the BETA Phase.
Yes. During the BETA phase, we are looking for 15 of the 30 POKER blogs. We would very much like for the BETA members help give up suggestions for the other 15.
How do I join?
Complete and submit the information below. We have already reviewed your blog and think it's ImAllAbout.com worthy.
If a join will my blog always be in the comminuty.
Maybe. To keep the community dynamic and fresh, we ask that the last update to your blog be with the past 30 days. If a blog becomes static, it will be replace with a new blog.
Why join the ImAllAboutPoker.com community?
1. It's absolutely free. You will never pay a penny.
2. To promote your blog along side 29 other good POKER blogs. Your saying no big deal, right? Well, read a little more. Once per month your blog will be displayed when anyone on the internet goes to ImAllAboutPoker.com Furthermore, your blog will always be accessible from our navigational toolbar. Our goal is to have your blog viewed through the ImAllAboutPoker.com community 2,000 times per month. Hopefully, you will have a few ads on your blog to help put money in your pocket.
3. You have nothing to loss.
How will the community succeed?
The community will succeed when all members promote it. Tell everyone about the ImAllAboutPoker.com community of blogs. Then and only then will we generate more traffic to the community. Remember, the work of 30 is much larger than the sum of its parts.
If you are interested please visit us at www.ImAllAbout.com and use invitation code 55758
Posted by: Patrick Greene | March 22, 2006 at 07:21 PM
good god. say it aint so.
well i suppose most saw this coming, should be interesting to see if the show continues to head south or will it get a boost.
Posted by: mike | March 22, 2006 at 04:33 PM