PartyPoker.com Late Night Poker Masters

I was there, when Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott slow-played his top set, when Simon "Aces" Trumper managed to get every single chip of his opponent into the pot preflop, while holding pocket rockets. I was there, when Phil "The Poker Brat" Hellmuth tried to intimidate the other players by talking the last clear mind out of their heads, when "Mad" Marty Wilson planted a cherry tree. I was there and I am proud of it.



What I'm writing about was clearly the most important reason why poker developed the way we know it today. In 1999, a major British TV station, Channel 4, and a creative production company based in Cardiff, Presentable Ltd., realized a project, originally designed to fill some space on air after midnight. The Late Night Poker Series was born. A brand-new technique that allowed showing the cards of the players to the audience, while they were thinking about their next decisions, brought so much tension and excitement to the spectators that the program exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.



People who watched it on TV became interested in learning the game, and the Internet offered a wide choice of possibilities to fulfill the demand, enabling people to learn and play the game in anonymous, convenient privacy. Soon it was clear that a second series would follow, and up until October 2002, six series of Late Night Poker were produced. But there were more reasons for the outstanding success of this format.



Hendon mobster Barny Boatman said: "Late Night Poker was a key point in my life. When I was invited to play in the first series, I had some good results in international seven-card stud tournaments, but only a little experience in no-limit Texas hold'em. But this great community of players involved in the show and the overwhelming hospitality of Presentable put any pressure away. They simply managed to get the very best out of us, out of every single player. Late Night Poker was also one reason why the Hendon Mob could get started. When Channel 4 seemed to lose its interest after series six, I felt a bit sorry. In general, if things are brought to an end, they never come back."



Finally, nearly four years later, a leading I-poker provider was attracted by the format, and the PartyPoker.com Late Night Poker Masters was born. Certainly, the world of poker has changed a lot since then, so the format has changed a little, as well. While the first series of Late Night Poker was performed purely on an invitational base, this time, only 24 international pros were invited to participate, while eight qualifiers, who made their way through several online tournaments could grab a spot, as well. A total of 32 players were divided into four groups of eight players, who had to play a preliminary heat. The winner and the runner-up would make their way to the final. Eight finalists then had to play for the title and $250,000 in prize money.



When Presentable invited me to take part in the event, I didn't hesitate for one minute to accept. On the list of competitors, you could find the names of guys who started to write poker history long before the boom started: "Gentleman" Liam Flood, Donnacha O'Dea, Surinder Sunar, Willie Tann, Ben Roberts, and Pascal Perrault, as well as the shooting stars of today, like Marcel Luske, Danish champ Theo Jorgensen, Tony G., "El Blondie" Dave Colclough, and Ken Lennaard, to mention just a few. Except for Ross Boatman, the complete Hendon Mob was on the starting line, and former Late Night Poker Champ Simon "Aces" Trumper switched his seat in the commentary box for a spot at the poker table.



The "dark horses" in the field were the online qualifiers, and everyone was curious how they would perform under the spotlight conditions of a TV studio while facing some of the best players the modern poker world has to offer. When I asked David Tighe, one of the two qualifiers who were playing in my heat, about his impressions, he said: "I started playing poker about two years ago, and when I watched Late Night Poker on TV, it had a big influence on my motivation to improve my poker skills. Now, being here and part of the show is like a dream come true."



I'm sorry that I'm not allowed to tell you more about the heats and the finalists right now, but I can promise you hours of first-class poker. You will see outstanding moves, never expected changes during the heats, and surprising results. Don't miss one single episode, when it's on air.



Michael Keiner is an independent German poker pro on the international tournament circuit. He maintains his own site at www.michaelkeiner.de.