The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida is scheduled to host the Alpha8 series during the month of August. The Aplha8 series is a part of the World Poker Tour’s new super high-roller tournament series.
The series will be telecast lived on Fox Sports 1 and will be covered by two new TV commentators according to the WPT. The first episode from the inaugural event is scheduled to be released on FOX Sports 1 during the early part of 2014.
The WPT confirmed that Olivier Busquet and Ali Nejad who are popular TV personalities will be a part of the new WPT commentary team.
They will be joining Lynn Gilmartin who is the anchor and together will cover the WPT Alpha8 broadcast. These three personalities are scheduled to team up for the first time in Florida and thereafter will also cover all the $100,000 buy-in tournaments that are scheduled to take place in Asia, Europe, South Africa and North America.
In a statement, World Poker Tour President Adam Pliska said
We are thrilled to welcome two of poker’s most thoughtful and outspoken voices to the WPT Alpha8 family. Over the past decade, both Ali and Olivier have made undeniable contributions to the game of poker, both on and off the felt. With their combination of unsurpassed poker knowledge and outgoing personalities, Ali and Olivier will provide viewers with insightful and entertaining commentary that will ensure the show appeals to a wide audience including both serious poker players and casual fans of the game.
Ali Nejad will strengthen the WPT commentary team as he brings over a decade of experience with him. He is most recognized for being the off-screen announcer for Poker After Dark and also the color commentator on NBC’s National Heads-Up Poker Challenge. Busquet has worked with ESPN and covered the World Series of Poker where he was recognized for his poker commentary and in-depth analysis of key months in the game.
Pliska went on to say that the
World Poker Tour has a strong history of identifying dynamic talent and creating fun and engaging on-air teams whose personalities help draw viewers into the drama inherent in every televised final table. With this new cast, we’re confident that Ali, Olivier, and Lynn will continue the tradition created by Mike, Vince, and the rest of the WPT cast over the past 11 seasons.
