Poker on TV - National Heads-Up Poker Championship

  The last time that Gabe Kaplan was relevant to a network television audience, wearing bell bottoms as a fashion statement that was to be taken seriously. Since the cancellation of Welcome Back Kotter Kaplan has retired to a more private life than that of an A-list celebrity. Much of his post Kotter days were taken up in the pursuit of his favorite pastime: poker. Now Kaplan is back on NBC. This time he is not playing a character based on his stand-up comedy, but appearing as himself and hosting a show based on his passion for poker. He, along with sportscaster Matt Vasgersian are the faces behind the mics at the National Heads-Up Poker Championship.  As we all know, poker has found a definite niche on cable television, but the National Heads-Up Poker Championship is a rare foray for the sport into the network rotation. NBC recognized the wild popularity of the sport, and came to the conclusion that it was ready for a mainstream audience.  This particular poker championship is unlike many of the rest in its sturcture. Instead of featuring players competeing against hundreds of other players in a mad rush to make it to the final table, this show features 32 tables, each with only two players. The games are heads-up, which makes action highly personal. In other words, this is the poker version of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.  This show was the result of the NHL lockout. NBC needed something to replace the frigid sport and its short sighted management who thought cancelling an entire season would only make people want hockey more. The show did well enough in 2005 to be renewed in 2006, when hockey was back and nobody seemed to care.  People's thirst for poker seems to have gone beyond the cable channels, and folks have proven they will watch Holdem played on network television as well. The success of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship on NBC can only mean good things for the health of the sport.