Poker on Screen: Poker2Nite

Some poker shows are there for years, becoming a part of the landscape of the game. Look at touchstones such as the European Poker Tour coverage, the World Series of Poker action on ESPN or the Pro-Am Poker Equalizer. OK, maybe not that last one.

Other poker shows, however, are gone as quickly as they arrived. The poker news reporting show Poker2Nite, sponsored by notorious former poker site Ultimate Bet, was one such show, coming along in 2009 and gone just 18 short episodes later in 2010.

The show was presented by Joe Sebok and Scott Huff, formerly of Huff & Stapes and now a television executive producer extraordinaire, with credits on shows such as The Missing, Wolf Hall and the forthcoming Dangerous Liaisons recently. Joe Sebok was a pro player even back then, known as ‘The Cub’ due to him being the step-son of Barry ‘The Bear’ Greenstein.

With an ability to round up news that played on both men’s sense of humour and ability to entertain, the show was a good idea and an obvious forerunner to poker news segments on YouTube that are put out there by poker brands. Ultimate Bet being the sponsor was a good thing at the time, but the Ultimate Bet scandal which would ahem… ultimately cause a major stir in the industry was yet to be fully discovered.