A new poker show called the Inside Deal had its first episode Tuesday on ESPN.com. The 30 minute show is hosted by ESPN the Magazine writer Laura Lane and poker personality Bernard Lee and it takes a look inside the world of poker. Inside Deal is also held in the same Bristol, Connecticut studio as SportsCenter and is broadcast in similar fashion to the hit sports show.
The first episode of Inside Deal centered on a preview of the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table. 2003 WSOP Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker joined both Lane and Lee to talk about the final table as well. Phil Ivey’s legacy and Jeff Shulman’s disdain for WSOP gold bracelets were two of the main topics discussed during this segment.
Another topic of heavy interest that was touched upon was the Day 1D sellout where over 500 players were denied entry into the Main Event. While the obvious explanation for this incident was that WSOP officials wanted to keep a cap on each segment of the first day, Bernard Lee also offered the explanation that, “Poker players are known procrastinators.” The trio ended the Day 1D segment by discussing possible solutions for how this problem could be avoided in the future.
Much of the show’s focus switched towards Moneymaker in the second half of the show as the co-hosts talked about Moneymaker’s Omaha success. Moneymaker also made it clear that he’s all but done with Texas Hold’em as he stated, “It’s hard to find myself playing Hold’em anymore.” The show ended with Moneymaker answering a quick series of questions and talking about how he had lost his WSOP Main Event bracelet at one point before finding it.
Those who are interested in catching the Inside Deal can do so by checking out ESPN.com’s poker section every Tuesday.
Tags: News, Poker Pop Culture, TV
