The spanking new, $250 million Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California has been tapped to host Fox Sports Network's (FSN) second annual Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament, where 24 of the world's top players will compete.
Among those anteing up are poker legend Doyle Brunson, 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Champion Chris Moneymaker, two-time WSOP Champion Johnny Chan and numerous other WSOP bracelet winners.
Starting with a special two-hour premiere on March 13, 2005, the series will air weekly on Sundays at 8:00 p.m. for 34 episodes, culminating in the final hand being dealt during a two-hour on Oct. 30, 2005.
In order to qualify for the invitation-only tournament, players must have a history of successful cash game play for at least 10 years or been involved in a string of final tables at major poker tournaments in the last three years. These top players will compete in a five-day, $40,000-buy-in, no limit, Hold'em tournament, beginning at 10:00 AM PST on Thursday, December 2.
The field will be narrowed down to sixteen after three days of competition and eight after the fourth day. On the fifth day, the eight quarter finalists will compete in two groups of four and the winners along with the runner ups from each group will advance to the semi-finals. The semi-final will be two head-to-head matches with a best two-out-of-three format to determine the finalists. The two finalists will again engage in a heads-up match with best two-out-of-three winner capturing the championship of the Poker Superstars Invitational II.
The tournament will be held under the direction of Mori Eskandani and Eric Drache.