It’s hard for some of us to fathom, but the World Poker Tour has been on the airwaves for a decade now, with the premiere episode from Season X of the popular poker tour scheduled to air on FOX Sports Net beginning February 12 at its regular timeslot of 8 PM EDT, with a re-airing at 11 PM EDT.

What began as an experiment to create a worldwide poker tour at the biggest casinos across the US and in Europe, using the new Hole-Card technology and a television partner in the Travel Channel has become a mainstay on US airwaves for a decade, and even with a few struggles, changes, and a couple of network shifts, the WPT is still going strong with Vince Van Patten and Mike Sexton calling the action.

After the sale of the WPTE to Party Gaming, the WPT broadcasts underwent their most drastic changes since the tour debuted in 2002, with new segments and expanded coverage added to the final table format the tour has implemented since the outset. The changes saw an immediate impact as ratings rose some 30% thanks to the updated broadcast that includes some sex appeal with Host Kimberly Lansing and the Royal Flush Girls, something for the poker purists with additional coverage of the playdown days and increased use of statistics, and something for the younger crowd with Tony Dunst’s Raw Deal segment.

In a press release WPT CEO Steve Heller talked about the changes the WPT implemented last year as well as the upcoming season, “WPT Season IX redefined poker programming and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Season X will see more new elements that we expect the audience will love and will further enhance the timeless appeal of our show… World Poker Tour’s sustainability is not only a testament to continual innovation, but also to co-hosts Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten, who have been the best in the business for an incredible ten years.”

According to the press release, Season X will feature an increase in episodes (from 27 in Season IX to 36 this season) as well as fewer commercial breaks, which will allow players to see even more action than before:

“For a series that was already a strong performer, last season’s 30% increase in household ratings is truly exceptional,” said David Sussin, VP of Programming at Fox Sports Net. “Extending the number of original episodes for WPT Season X will only help generate more excitement for our audience.”

“The steadfast effort put into revamping the World Poker Tour last season was rewarded with resounding fan and viewer support,” said Adam Pliska, WPT President. “For WPT Season X, we’re debuting more innovations and giving our audience even more reasons to tune in each week.”

For more information on the Season X TV schedule or for information on upcoming World Poker Tour events you can visit the World Poker Tour website at www.WorldPokerTour.com

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Tags: Best In The Business, Card Technology, Continual Innovation, Drastic Changes, Fox Sports, Hole Card, Mainstay, Mike Sexton, Premiere Episode, Purists, Raw Deal, Sex Appeal, Steve Heller, Timeless Appeal, Timeslot, Travel Channel, Vince Van Patten, World Poker Tour, WPT, Wpte

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