Late Night Poker is a British television show in which Poker players, mostly professionals or strong amateurs, compete in a short series of No-Limit Texas hold 'em tournament games for a prize of approximately £50,000.

Six series of the show were created between 1999 and 2002. Produced in Cardiff, Wales, by TV company Presentable, they aired on Channel 4.

In 2005 an all-amateur tournament by the name of PartyPoker.com Late Night Poker Ace was broadcast, following a qualification round on the aforementioned website. A second tournament is planned for 2006.

A celebrity version of the show was produced on 12 October 2000, featuring (in finishing order from 1st to 7th place) Anthony Holden, Al Alvarez, Martin Amis, Victoria Coren, Patrick Marber, Stephen Fry and Ricky Gervais. This led into the creation of Celebrity Poker Club.

Crew

• Jesse May - commentator; also appeared in a season 1 episode under the pseudonym "Mickey Dane."
• Nic Szeremeta - creator (uncredited), commentator (seasons 1-3)
• Lucy "Golden Ovaries" Rokach - commentator (season 4)
• "Barmy" Barny Boatman - commentator (seasons 5-6)
• Thomas Kremser - floorman and referee
• "Quickdraw" Peter Schmid - dealer
• "52-Fingered" Marinda Rado - dealer

Format

A series of Late Night Poker consists of 9 programmes - 7 heats, one semi-final, and the final. Each heat has 7 players. The 7 winners of the heats progress straight to the final, and the runners-up go to the semi-final, where one additional player progresses, for a final table of 8 players.

(NB: The first series featured 5 heats, with the players finishing 1st and 2nd in each progressing to the final. The players who qualified by finishing first in their heat started the final with twice as many chips as the heat runner-ups.)

Although the precise sums of money involved have varied, the typical buy-in has been in the region of £1,500, with a first prize of between £40,000 and £60,000.

The shows lasted 60 minutes when broadcast, with the season finals lasting 90 minutes. When shown in America on FSN, the shows were cut to 30 minutes each.

Under-the-table cameras

Late Night Poker's success is largely attributable to its "under-the-table" cameras which allow the viewers and commentators to see the players' cards through the transparent table. It is doubtful Poker could succeed as a spectator sport otherwise, and American broadcasters have subsequently used a similar technique in programmes such as World Poker Tour.

Nevertheless, in contrast to most Poker shows, Late Night Poker tends to use these cameras in a rather minimalist way. For example, in a two-way pot, often only one player's cards are shown, with the commentators trying to infer from the other player's actions what cards he or she holds, and how the first player should act. Because of this, the commentary often mirrors the actual decision-making process of a Poker player. Only late in the hand, at the time of a critical decision, would the other player's cards be shown, possibly revealing a startling bluff or an unexpectedly strong hand.

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