Late night poker is back on our TV screens and makers of the hit Channel 4 programme say the new series will be better than ever.

Last night at 11.50pm the show was re-launched for another series with a special one-off celebrity tournament, with coverage of the main tournament, sponsored by PartyPoker.com, beginning next week.

Players who will take to the felt are comedian Dave Gorman, actor John Thomson, Green Wing's Stephen Mangan, TV personality Cleo Rocos, Howard Marks and presenter Hardeep Singh Kohli.

Late Night Poker has had some of the best European players on the show before, including the likes of Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott, Padraig Parkinson and Simon Trumper, and the tradition is set to continue.
 
Late Night Poker producers have decided to take the show back to its original format of showing hole cards at certain times to build suspense.

“The convention for every poker show these days is to show all the player's cards as soon as they enter a pot,' explained producer Rob Thomas. 'When Late Night Poker started the style was very different. Player's cards were revealed at appropriate moments during the hand to create more drama as the hand progressed. Twice in each show we will see the hand from one player's perspective. We'll only see their particular hole cards which gives the viewer a different perspective as the hand develops.”

“TV poker is about creating drama and tension and in these instances the commentators will have great fun guessing what the opponent might be holding. There's also the excitement of the 'reveal' moment at the end of the hand. We believe this will enhance the viewer's enjoyment”, concluded Thomas.