With all the ruckus around the holidays I forgot to mention that NBC's new late night poker show, Poker After Dark, was starting up this week. I'm not sure of the scheduling everywhere, but we are getting it at 3AM up in the pacific northwest. That's mighty late for most folks, but with DVRs, VCRs, and the like, time doesn't matter much anymore.

I've been checking out the show in the morning before heading off to work, and I have to say, it's not bad. I think the most popular poker show going right now is probably GSN's High Stakes Poker, and Poker After Dark has taken a lot of clues from that show's success. They've brought in a a great group of pro players. This week features Phil Hellmuth, Gus Hansen, Shawn Sheikhan, Annie Duke, Huck Seed and Steve Zolotow. Because of all those great personalities, the commentators mostly stay out of the way and let the interactions of the players power the show.

For the first time ever, ESPN is going to show The World Series of Poker while the event is still going on. It won't be live or even same day, but it's a big change from previous years, when they would show the event a few months after it was over. Coverage starts Tuesday night at 8.

I'm a big poker fan. Not playing it (I'd love to but don't have any friends who are into it and I don't have the balls to enter a tournament), but watching it on television. I would have thought the poker craze would have died out by now, but if anything, the TV coverage is increasing. FOX Sports even has a new show coming up where the players will be housed in some dome, with special cameras set up around the table and heart monitors hooked up to the players.

For its next season, Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown gets a new co-host and a new location. In support of the people affected by Hurricane Katrina, the poker contest will film at Harrah's Casino in New Orleans. The building was damaged in the hurricane and just reopened in February. All the celebrities involved with be playing for Hurricane Katrina-related charities. Also, Phil Gordon is out. His replacement is poker champ Phil Hellmuth. Don't worry, Dave Foley is still the other co-host. No word yet on which celebs will participate, but I'd love it if they invite Bonnie Hunt back. She was hilarious.