ESPN bringing 'World Series of Poker' to Deadwood Associated Press
DEADWOOD, S.D. -- The Black Hills gambling town of Deadwood, which had its notoriety rejuvenated courtesy of an HBO series of the same name, will land on national cable TV again in October, this time as a backdrop for ESPN's World Series of Poker.
Bill Walsh, owner of the Franklin Hotel on Deadwood's Main Street, said his contact at ESPN confirmed the show on Friday.
The two-day taping, scheduled Oct. 26-27, will feature 12 previous winners playing poker in Walsh's Main Street-level saloon. ESPN will fly the players to Deadwood, where they will stay at the Franklin.
Walsh said Texas-based entertainment developer Bill McDavid and promoter Mark Oswald have worked for about a month to land the tournament.
McDavid said entertainment executives were attracted by the Deadwood name and a new location for the poker tournament. He said the idea sprang from a conversation with Oswald, who mentioned he was promoting a televised poker tournament for Las Vegas.
"We were just talking, and I said it was too bad we couldn't do that project here in Deadwood, a town that is really historically linked to poker," McDavid said. "What started out as a comment quickly turned into a lot more. Within the day I was talking to other people involved with the tournament." Source Link
I been to Deadwood once and thought it was a great town. Now that HBO has started the Deadwood series looks like that town is gonna be hopping again.
