Sopranos star to front new poker show
Posted by Gavin Smith on 14 May 2009 at 08:05
An American television firm will pit the talents of amateur of poker players against professionals with the help of one of the stars of The Sopranos.
Steve Schirripa, who played Bobby Baccalieri in the hit mob soap, will host Face The Ace when it appears on NBC in August.
Executives hope it will appeal not only to poker's hard core but also to game show fans are not so familiar with cards.
Variety reports three victories in a row against pros on the show would net a contestant $1 million dollars.
The amateurs will get the chance to select one of four professional players who will have their identities concealed by smoked-glass doors.
They then have to a play the chosen pro in a heads-up poker match, and then choose to keep their winnings if successful or face a second professional for a bigger prize.
If the second professional falls, the amateur has the option of going up against the third pro for the big $1 million.
Face the Ace will join two other poker shows run by NBC - Poker After Dark and The National Heads Up Poker Championship.
Gerry Petry, network executive vice president, said "There's nothing like it on the air right now."
He added the show was designed to appeal not just to core card fans but also to a new audience who are in to game shows but not necessarily poker.
The first Face the Ace battle appears on August 1 at 9pm.
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