After the success of Late Night Poker Season 1, which we also featured in this series, poker on screen got a whole lot more entertaining in Britain at the turn of the millennium as Late Night Poker returned.

Season Two focused on many of the features that had made the first season so appealing to viewers. The lipstick cameras hidden under the table that showed fans the players cards before and during each hand, the lingering close-ups on hard-worn faces and smoky background shots that made you, the viewer, feel like the whole game was taking place in an underground bunker. Everything that fans loved was still in place.

The graphics, structure and tournament organization were all even slicker than the first series. A poker series is a little like a comedy vehicle that turns into an established sitcom, with Seinfeld being a good example of the comparison.

In the first series, all the characters have to be introduced and the chemistry discovered. By the time Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer returned to screens, fans were familiar with their idiosyncrasies, as well as the sets, the timing and the energy. It was the same with Late Night Poker; if the feeling after watching the first series was ‘What the heck is this?’ in Britain, then upon the resumption of rivalries, there was a real warmth and welcome to proceedings.