Poker Going Mainstream Again?

The poker community is excited about a possible new hit series on mainstream television. Underground Poker, starring top poker stars @Antonio Esfandiari and @Phil Laak aired last night on Discovery Channel as the closing show in a special block of programming on gambling titled 'All-In, All-Night'.

In this special, they head to New Orleans, home to some of the most coveted underground games in the nation, and use their connections to hone in on the action, whether it's at a luxurious loft on Bourbon Street or in the back room of a seedy, swamp-side dive. Down in the Big Easy, high stakes and danger preside with every raise and every call, and that's why it's exactly where Phil and Antonio want to be.

Esfandiari: "If we get the poker community behind us, we’ll have a show on Discovery for sure. Hopefully people will like it and won’t bash it too much.”

The pilot episode has received much positive attention in social media, which is hardly surprising since "Phil and Antonio know everybody who knows anybody in the poker world". Celebrities who have shared their excitement about poker going mainstream again include @Michael Phelps and @Daniel Negreanu :