Pok-umentary

New Channel 4 series £50 Says You’re Going To Watch This, to be screened next week, is set to profile the biggest names in poker on primetime terrestrial television.

As part of his ‘research’ comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli, who both pitched and presented it, headed out to Las Vegas for last year’s World Series of Poker to meet some of the biggest and brightest characters in the game, including former world champions Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer and Chris Moneymaker.

‘The sports division of Channel 4 wanted to actually explore and investigate gambling as a modern-day phenomena,’ Hardeep told PokerPlayer. ‘Basically, I had to go to Las Vegas and make crazy bets with all the big poker players!’

We can’t wait to see it, mostly because loads of our mates are in it. PokerPlayer’s Grub Smith and Marc Goodwin make appearances as well as InsideEdge’s Alan Bowden, Dave Colclough and Paul Jackson. And not only that contributor Shelley Rubenstein was a consultant producer on the shows.

The programmes will be broadcast on three consecutive nights next week, 23, 24 and 25 January, on Channel 4 in the 11.05pm slot.

Presented by Hardeep Singh Kohli, £50 Says You’ll Watch This uncovers the truth behind gambling today and takes the viewer on a journey from the horses to spread betting on the internet, via the increasingly popular game of poker.

Episode 1 – Hardeep takes £7,000 of his own money and embarks on the mother of all betting sprees, in Las Vegas and across Britain, to find out what’s on offer, and what it takes to be a gambler. And when he looks into prop Hardeep gets to walk into a swimming pool fully clothed, and play ping pong with a man who had breasts implanted as a wager…

Episode 2 – With an annual turnover of £53 Billion, gambling is rapidly becoming Britain’s most popular leisure pursuit. And the fastest growing game is Poker. Hardeep, no mean poker player himself, tracks the fortunes of the game, meets the worlds biggest poker stars, and finds out what it takes.

Episode 3 – After a punishing whirlwind tour of some of Britain’s more unlikely gambling joints, Hardeep is confronted by the harsh realities of gambling addiction, and finds out the truth aboutBritain’s future as the virtual hub of world gambling.

The show is more confirmation that poker is creeping into the mainstream. And, from what we’ve seen, we reckon they might have got it right for once. ‘I’m really proud of the show because I think it will educate people about gambling,’ says Hardeep. ‘It’s always been seen as a dirty word and no one’s wanted to talk about it openly before.’