CALL, BET, RAISE, RIGHT HOOK

Promoting poker as a mind sport may be at the heart of what the International Federation of Poker is about, but it seems one entrepreneur has found an altogether different direction to take the game, a novel approach that you might describe as out of the box and into the ring.

Citing the loss of poker themed television in the United States, following the US Department of Justice’s action against major online poker companies, one man seeks to fill the gap with a show promoting the eclectic skills of pool, poker and mixed martial arts (MMA), packaging it together for a television audience in a show called Pool, Poker & Pain (PPP).

For poker players who might think a bad beat is pain enough, Blair Thein, a veteran of the MMA world, has been the developing the concept of this more literal bad beat for nearly a decade. That work is now paying off, a broadcast partnership in the process of forming to beam this unlikely combination to a TV screen near you.

“I have been working on PPP for eight years, but officially partnered with two-time Emmy award winner Doug Stanley from Deadliest Catch just seven weeks ago,” Thein told PokerNews recently.

“PPP got created when I was talking about how the pool world is one of the most untapped sports on the planet, and me being a high stakes nine-ball player and fighter, and poker being on fire, it just made sense to combine all three sports.”

The concept of PPP is quite simple. Contestants compete in all three disciplines, but secure victory only by thriving in each. The expert poker player who also knows their way around a pool table is unlikely to win if beaten to a pulp once they step into the ring.

It’s the kind of “Jeux Sans Frontières” format that might evoke a tinge of ridicule from some quarters, the notion of our beloved mind sport being reduced to a contest between those still able to think straight after walking (or being carried) from a round of MMA.

Thein, though, is adamant that PPP will be a serious and unique contest, adding that the 16 contestants will receive training from world class experts in each discipline, as they travel between Las Vegas and Florida, to ensure credibility.

For those who prefer their poker a little more “traditional” let’s say, you can always try the IFP world Championships later this year.