American TV series or program
Poker Dome Challenge Gameplay in the Poker Dome Also known as MANSIONPoker Poker Dome Challenge Country 3️⃣ of origin United States No. of seasons 1 No. of episodes 43 Production Running time 2 hours Original release Network 3️⃣ Fox Sports Net
The MANSIONPoker Poker Dome Challenge was a 43-week series of speed poker tournaments offering a grand prize of 3️⃣ US$1,000,000. The tournament aired in the United States on Fox Sports Network from May 2006 to March 2007. The tournament 3️⃣ featured a number of technological gimmicks in an effort to increase viewer interest and excitement. Commentating duties were shared by 3️⃣ rotating hosts including Barry Tompkins, Jon Kelley, Michael Konik, Michael Gracz, Joel Meyers and Chris Rose with Leeann Tweeden serving 3️⃣ as co-host/exit interviewer (occasionally covered by Nafeesa DeFlorias). Matt Savage was the tournament director.
The series consisted of single table tournaments 3️⃣ of six players each. Five of the six competitors qualified through daily freeroll tournaments held at mansionpoker. Another competitor came 3️⃣ from the National Pub Poker League, an amateur poker league that partnered with MansionPoker and qualified its nightly bar tournament 3️⃣ winners into a private weekly freeroll.[1][2] Winners of the online qualifiers were flown all expenses paid to Las Vegas, Nevada 3️⃣ and receivedR$500 in casino chips and other amenities.
Professional poker players Tony G, Dennis Waterman and Perry Friedman and reality television 3️⃣ personality-turned poker pro Rob Mariano have appeared in the Dome. Nevada casino author Al W Moe appeared in the Dome 3️⃣ and his wife, Shannon R Moe, was an alternate selection a month later.
Players started with 50,000 in tournament chips and 3️⃣ play continued until one player had all 300,000. The tournament was single-elimination and only the winner of each table received 3️⃣ prize money. Players had just 15 seconds to act on a hand before it was ruled dead. Each player was 3️⃣ given one 30-second time extension that could be used at any time. When the table got to heads-up, each player 3️⃣ received another 30-second time extension (although if a player hadn't previously used the extension he or she did not then 3️⃣ have two). Betting was pot-limit pre-flop and no-limit post-flop until heads-up play, when it became all no-limit.
Each preliminary winner pocketedR$25,000 3️⃣ in cash and advanced to the semi-finals. After each set of six preliminary tournaments, a semi-final single table tournament was 3️⃣ played among the six winners, with the winner of that table takingR$50,000 and advancing to the final table. After the 3️⃣ six semi-final matches were played, the finalists played one more single table tournament for theR$1,000,000 winner-take-all grand prize. Each of 3️⃣ the other finalists won a prize package from Mansion Poker worthR$13,000.
The Poker Dome [ edit ]
Tournaments were played in front 3️⃣ of a live audience in a structure called The Poker Dome. The audience couldn't be seen or heard by the 3️⃣ players and players were screened before entering the Dome to ensure they were unable to communicate with anyone outside the 3️⃣ Dome. The high tech table featured an LED display for the dealer button, hole card cameras, automatic card reading technology 3️⃣ (described on-screen as "computer chips," possibly passive RFID tags) and built in LED hand timers. Two dealers worked the tournaments 3️⃣ to maintain the fast pace, and players were attached to heart monitors. Players' hole cards and heart rates were displayed 3️⃣ for the live audience and in particularly stressful situations like all in bets, heart rates were displayed to the home 3️⃣ audience.
The Tropicana Resort & Casino hosted the first eight Round 1 preliminaries and the first Round 2 playoff prior to 3️⃣ the completion of construction at the Neonopolis, where a top-floor movie theatre was reworked into the Poker Dome set. Eventual 3️⃣ Poker Dome Challenge winner Rodel Tuazon won the first preliminary held in the Neonopolis studio, in an episode also featuring 3️⃣ Tony G.
Tournament results [ edit ]
Final table [ edit ]
Finish Player Total cash winnings 1 Rodel TuazonR$1,075,000 2 Dennis WatermanR$75,000 3️⃣ 3 Rob SherwoodR$75,000 4 Ben LudwigR$75,000 5 Andrew RogersR$75,000 6 Jerry SchraderR$75,000
World Pro-Am Challenge [ edit ]
On July 12, 2006, 3️⃣ The Poker Dome played host to the World Pro-Am Challenge, with a US$1,000,000 prize pool. Three professional players were pitted 3️⃣ against three amateur online qualifiers, who had access to three other pros for coaching. The top three spots paid, and 3️⃣ if an amateur cashed the prize money would be split with the coach. Each amateur started withR$20,000 more in chips 3️⃣ than the pros and each amateur/coach team was allowed two time outs, one called by the player and one by 3️⃣ the coach.
