ESPN Unveils Schedule for 2012 World Series of Poker Television Coverage
The World Series of Poker will have its Tuesday night time slot on ESPN again in 2012. On Tuesday, the world's leading sports network announced that the WSOP Main Event and two new events will be a part of the ESPN schedule starting on July 3.
ESPN will broadcast two one-hour episodes of the WSOP Main Event every week leading up to the final table, which will be aired on a 15-minute delay on Oct. 30. The near-live coverage of the preceding days of the Main Event have been cut from the schedule, much to the dismay of hardcore poker fans. ESPN introduced daily coverage of July's Main Event in Las Vegas last year, but it was hit-or-miss with regular viewers of the show.
Two new events will also make their way to the ESPN schedule this summer. The final day of the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop will air near-live on a 15-minute delay on ESPN and ESPN3 on July 3, and the WSOP National Championship will air on Aug. 7. After the same-day coverage of the Big One on July 3, ESPN will break the event down into two one-hour episodes on July 31 to recap the action.
All but two (Wednesday, Sept. 5 at 20:00 and 21:00 EDT) of the 29 WSOP episodes will air on Tuesday nights. As always, the commentary will be provided by Lon McEachern and analyst Norman Chad. Kara Scott will be reporting from the sidelines for the second straight year.
"Fans know Tuesday night is poker night on ESPN," said Doug White, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions. "Beginning with the Big One for One Drop and the WSOP National Championship, and continuing on Tuesdays with the WSOP Main Event, we will set the stage for this intense competition and continue the excitement through the Final Table in October."
Here's a look at the 2012 WSOP schedule on ESPN:
2012 WSOP on ESPN Schedule
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 3 | 3 p.m., 8 p.m. | The Big One For One Drop (near-live) | ESPN3/ESPN |
| July 31 | 8-10 p.m. | The Big One For One Drop | ESPN |
| August 7 | 8-10 p.m. | WSOP National Championship | ESPN |
| August 14 | 8-10 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| August 21 | 8-10 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| August 28 | 8-10 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| September 5 | 8-10 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| September 11 | 8-10 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| September 18 | 8-10 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| September 25 | 8-10 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| October 2 | 9-11 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| October 9 | 9-11 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| October 16 | 9-11 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| October 23 | 9-11 p.m. | WSOP Main Event | ESPN |
| October 30 | 9 p.m. | WSOP Main Event Final Table (near live) | ESPN |
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