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Game of Gold returns, will it build on the success of the first series?
In the first series, we were able to watch the biggest poker names of today compete in a unique format. The line-up included old school legends such as Daniel Negreanu, Jason Koon, David Williams, Josh Arieh and the eventual winner Maria Ho. Online poker legends Fedor Holz and Daniel "Jungleman" Cates, grinders like Michael Soyza and Kevin Martin, and streaming and social media personalities Lukas "Robin Poker" Robinson, Charlie Carrel and Johan "YoH Viral" Guilbert were also in attendance.
The show, which combined poker action with elements of a "survivor" reality show, will have a huge number of poker fans glued to their screens by the end of 2023. The first episode recorded an exceptional 485,000 views on YouTube in its first six weeks. The second episode saw an expected drop to 340,000 views, but the programme retained its large core audience until the finale. The twelfth episode reached 320,000 views two weeks after publication.
One of the unusual elements in Game of Gold was the competition in teams. Over the course of twelve episodes, players participated in a series of challenges in which they were gradually eliminated. Daniel Negreanu's team was the first to be eliminated, and he then enjoyed the show as a fan. The successful ones earned gold coins, and the last six turned them into tokens in the grand finale. Out of the $456,000 tournament, well-known pro Maria Ho emerged as the champion.
What's behind the show's success?
Part of the show's success is surely due to the clever advertising that appeared before it aired. But that alone wouldn't have been enough if the show hadn't scored with viewers. As we mentioned earlier in the article, one of the notable differences from previous poker shows was the team competition. Combining that with the challenges in the style of shows like Survivor created a format worthy of attention. At the same time, Game of Gold broke a familiar formula by moving the traditional sports broadcast model into reality TV, and in doing so, captured the attention of a wider range of fans.
The first season of Game of Gold produced a number of iconic moments. There was a dose of drama, such as the life-and-death struggle in the first round in which the top four players were eliminated as a team. We saw epic duels between Williams, Jungleman and Carrel - the latter two facing off in the most entertaining Indian poker match ever filmed. Olga Iermolcheva delivered a hyper-aggressive opening game, Luther made some admirable heads-up shots, and last but not least, Maria Ho capped it all off with her victory.
The whole show was made more enjoyable by the good-natured optimism of the less experienced Lukas "Robin Poker" Robinson. The main entertaining moment of all the episodes was watching and commentating on the teammates that accompanied each challenge.
Reunion
The reunion featured several members of the original cast, including reigning champion Marie Ho. The players had a chance to look back at the show and their performances.
Johan "YoH Viral" Guilbert explained how he felt the moment Dan "Jungleman" Cates launched a verbal tirade at him backstage in the team room. "If the camera wasn't there, I wouldn't have been this cool," said the Frenchman. Kyna England shared her initial apprehension about participating. She was worried about her lesser experience in live poker, but once she got into it "it was fun, overall it was a great experience and I'm really glad I was able to participate."
Series Two
The show's return for a second series was announced by host Jeff Platt at the end of the Reunion. What it will look like is not yet clear. Since probably every poker player I know has seen the twists and turns of the first series, the creators will have to change some elements. The future lineup also raises curiosity. Before the first series, no one knew what to expect, and the participants went out on a limb with their participation. Now that the show has become a hit, it is sure to attract more media-savvy players. We hope to hear more details in the coming months.
Source - PokerFuse, PokerNews, PokerStrategy, Poker.or