Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament
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The Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament was a series of no limit Texas hold 'em poker tournaments. It was made for television and aired on Fox Sports Net in the United States,[1] Rogers Sportsnet in Canada and Ftn in the United Kingdom.
Results
| Season | Year | Winner | Prize | Runner-Up | 3rd place | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2004 | Gus Hansen[2] | $1,000,000 | Johnny Chan | Phil Ivey | Results |
| 2 | 2005 | Johnny Chan | $400,000 | Todd Brunson | Juan Carlos Mortensen | Results |
| 3 | 2006 | Todd Brunson | $400,000 | Antonio Esfandiari | Johnny Chan | Results |
Crew
The first series was hosted by Chris Rose, with support from poker author Michael Konik and poker professional Mark Gregorich. Mark Gregorich left the show at the end of the first season.
The first series grand finale aired in February 2005 on the same day as Super Bowl XXXIX. Fox carried the Super Bowl that year, so instead of the series' usual home on FSN, NBC carried the finale instead. It was hosted by Matt Vasgersian, with support from poker professional Erick Lindgren. Backstage interviews were conducted by poker player Evelyn Ng.
The first series was executive produced by David Doyle and Directed by Brian Lockwood.
Howard "The Professor" Lederer replaced Michael Konik at the beginning of the 3rd season, with Annie Duke joining for several episodes as a "special guest". Mary Strong conducted the backstage interviews.
Computer versions
There have been two computer games made of the first two seasons of the show.[3]
- Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament
- Poker Superstars II
- Poker Superstars III
There is an online web version made in flash of the computer game[4]
- Poker Superstars II Web Game
These were published by Funkitron and available at Play Poker Superstars, the official Funkitron Poker Superstars website.
The AI used in them was created by Brian Sheppard, the programmer who created the Maven Scrabble playing AI for Scrabble.
References
- ^ Harris, Martin (June 23, 2019). Poker & Pop Culture: Telling the Story of America's Favorite Card Game. D&B Publishing. ISBN 978-1-912862-00-9.
- ^ Hansen, Gus (May 1, 2008). Every Hand Revealed. Kensington Publishing Corp. ISBN 978-0-8184-0749-9.
- ^ PC Gamer. GP Publications. 2005. p. 74.
- ^ "Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament Review". GameSpot. Retrieved February 14, 2026.