Joker Poker
Encyclopedia
Joker Poker was a late night Australia
n poker
program on Network Ten
which aired in 2005 and 2006. Series one was hosted by Adam Spencer
, with series two hosted by Mike Goldman
. Both series were co-hosted by New Zealand
poker pro Lee Nelson and Australian model Laura Weston acted as hostess. The show was produced by Australian Production Company Freehand Group
.
The show featured Australian comedians playing no-limit Texas hold'em poker
. Four comedians compete in each episode on behalf of their chosen charity. It was recorded in the high rollers' room of Sydney
's Star City Casino
for the first season and in a studio at Fox Studios in Sydney for the second. The weekly winner donates $5,000 to charity, while the series winner donates $25,000.
A New Zealand
version also aired in 2007.
Andy Lee
won the first series. The final players were Andy Lee, Doctor Turf, Simon Kennedy and Jackie Loeb.
Celebrities who appeared on the Celebrity Joker Poker, Sporting Joker Poker and Lee Nelson Invitational specials included:
provided the $140,000 series prize pool that was distributed by the winners of each round and the two final tables to the following charities:
version of the show was hosted by Brooke Howard-Smith
and co-hosted by Lee Nelson. The two series of the New Zealand version of Joker Poker (consisting of 12 episodes) began screening on TV3 Sunday nights at 10:30pm from 10 February 2007. The series was repeated on C4 with great results, airing on the following Wednesday nights at 8:30pm beginning 13 February 2007.
Sponsors for the series were Pokerstars.net, Sky City Casino and Wild Turkey
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
program on Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
which aired in 2005 and 2006. Series one was hosted by Adam Spencer
Adam Spencer
Adam Barrington Spencer is an Australian radio presenter, comedian, and media personality. He first came to fame when he won his round of the comedic talent search Raw Comedy in the mid-1990s...
, with series two hosted by Mike Goldman
Mike Goldman
Mike Goldman is an Australian television and radio host, probably best known for his various roles in Big Brother Australia series.-Television:...
. Both series were co-hosted by New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
poker pro Lee Nelson and Australian model Laura Weston acted as hostess. The show was produced by Australian Production Company Freehand Group
Freehand Group
Freehand is an Australian Television production and content creation company, founded in 2004 by John Gregory, Peter Abbott and Chris O’Mara....
.
The show featured Australian comedians playing no-limit Texas hold'em poker
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
. Four comedians compete in each episode on behalf of their chosen charity. It was recorded in the high rollers' room of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's Star City Casino
Star City Casino
The Star Sydney Casino & Hotel in Pyrmont, Sydney, is the second largest casino in Australia after rival Melbourne's Crown Casino. Overlooking Darling Harbour, The Star Sydney Casino features two gaming floors, eight bars, seven restaurants, 351 hotel rooms and 130 serviced and privately owned...
for the first season and in a studio at Fox Studios in Sydney for the second. The weekly winner donates $5,000 to charity, while the series winner donates $25,000.
A New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
version also aired in 2007.
Series one
Joker Poker was the first locally produced poker program to go to air in Australia. Hosted by Adam Spencer and Lee Nelson, it featured 40 local comedians during the course of the series. It aired on Saturday nights at 10:30pm.Andy Lee
Andy Lee (comedian)
Andrew Thomas "Andy" Lee is an Australian comedian. He usually works alongside Hamish Blake as part of the comedy duo Hamish & Andy.-Personal background:...
won the first series. The final players were Andy Lee, Doctor Turf, Simon Kennedy and Jackie Loeb.
Charities
Star City Casino provided the $100,000 prize pool that was distributed by the winners of each round and the two final tables to the following charities:- The Westmead Hospital
- The Heart Foundation
- Prince of Wales Foundation
- Canteen
- The Australian Red Cross
- Barnardos Australia
- The Mirrabel Foundation
- The Fred Hollows Foundation
- The Aids Trust of Australia
- Amnesty International
Series two
Joker Poker returned in 2006, with Lee Nelson being joined by Mike Goldman in place of Spencer. Series two consisted of 12 late night Joker Poker shows (airing on Wednesday nights at 11:15pm), Sporting Joker Poker and Lee Nelson Invitational specials, and four Celebrity Joker Poker specials (airing Tuesday nights at 9.30pm).Contestants
Comedians who appeared in series two included:- Episode 1: Jean Kittson, Steve Bedwall, Rusty Berther, Greg Fleet
- Episode 2: Anh DoAnh DoAnh Do is a Vietnamese Australian author, actor and stand-up comedian.He has appeared on many Australian TV shows such as Thank God You're Here and Good News Week, and was runner-up on Dancing With The Stars in 2007. He studied a combined Business Law degree at the University of Technology, Sydney...
, George KapiniarisGeorge KapiniarisGeorge Kapiniaris is Greek Australian television actor, stage actor and comedian.-Career:Kapiniaris broke through in the stage show Wogs Out of Work with Nick Giannopoulos. He then starred in the Melbourne based television sitcom Acropolis Now with Giannopoulos, Simon Palomares and Mary Coustas...
, Lisa Ricketts, Josh LawsonJosh LawsonJoshua Lawson is an Australian actor. He grew up in Brisbane and attended St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. He graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 2001. He also spent one year studying improvisation techniques in Los Angeles at The Second City, The Groundlings, ACME... - Episode 3: Ben Hewett, Akmal SalehAkmal SalehAkmal Saleh is an Australian comedian and actor. He was born in Egypt and arrived in Sydney, Australia with his family in 1975 at the age of 11. He has been performing stand-up comedy since the early 1990s and his live shows have toured comedy festivals both within Australia and internationally...
, Fitzy, Mick Meredith - Episode 4: Subby Valentine, Tommy Dean, Simon Kennedy, Bev Killick
- Episode 5: Brendon Jones, Anthony Mir, Pommy Johnson, Rash Ryder
- Episode 6: Chris Wainhouse, Russell Fletcher, Cindy Pan, Kip Wightman
- Episode 7: Tahir Bilgic, Jason Gann, Bruno Lucia, Adam Saunders
- Episode 8: Tim Smith, Cal Wilson, Damian Callinan, Ewan Campbell
- Episode 9: Julian Schiller, Tony Moclair, Tanya Bulmer, Marty Fields
- Episode 10: Gabby Milgate, Chris FranklinChris FranklinChris Franklin is an Australian stand up comedian and former sailor for the Royal Australian Navy. He is most famous for writing the song "Bloke" , which reached #1 on the ARIA Charts in 2000...
, Jackie Loeb, Mario Dorio - Final Table 1: Rusty Berther, Josh Lawson, Akmal Saleh, Subby Valentine, Pommy Johnson
- Final Table 2: Chris Wainhouse, Julian Schiller, Damian Callinan, Tahir Bilgic, Mario Doria
Celebrities who appeared on the Celebrity Joker Poker, Sporting Joker Poker and Lee Nelson Invitational specials included:
- Celebrity Joker Poker 1: Julia Zemiro, Nick Giannopoulos, Mikey Robins, Tim Ferguson
- Celebrity Joker Poker 2: Brigitte Duclos, Daniel McPherson, John Jarratt, Bree Amer
- Celebrity Joker Poker 3: Hamish Blake, Andy Lee, Andrew G., Arj Barker
- Celebrity Joker Poker 4: Akmal Saleh, Kimberley Davies, Ajay Rochester, Tim Ferguson
- Sporting Joker Poker Special: Shane Heal, Matt Rogers, Robert Dipierdomenico, Ryan Phelan, Steven Bradbury
- Lee Nelson Invitational: Lisa Ricketts, Fitzy, George Kapiniaris, Cal Wilson, Erin McNaughtErin McNaughtErin McNaught is an Australian television personality and former beauty pageant titleholder who won 2006 Miss Australia and represented Australia in the Miss Universe 2006 competition...
Charities
Wild TurkeyWild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
provided the $140,000 series prize pool that was distributed by the winners of each round and the two final tables to the following charities:
- Clown Doctors
- Amnesty International
- Matthew Talbot
- Variety Club
- Surf Life Saving Association
- Motor Neurone Disease
- Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne - specifically the Genetics Department
- Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
- Trisha & The Reach Broadridge Fund
- Kids Help Line
- Bonnie Babes Foundation
- Challenge Kids with Cancer
New Zealand version
The New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
version of the show was hosted by Brooke Howard-Smith
Brooke Howard-Smith
Brooke Howard-Smith is a New Zealand broadcaster. He is currently married to Amber Peebles who is a former Miss New Zealand and presents for MTV.Brooke owned a bar in Auckland, New Zealand called The Pony Club...
and co-hosted by Lee Nelson. The two series of the New Zealand version of Joker Poker (consisting of 12 episodes) began screening on TV3 Sunday nights at 10:30pm from 10 February 2007. The series was repeated on C4 with great results, airing on the following Wednesday nights at 8:30pm beginning 13 February 2007.
Sponsors for the series were Pokerstars.net, Sky City Casino and Wild Turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
.
Series one
- Episode 1: Jamie Linehan, Angus MacDonald, Ali Williams, Ben Boyce
- Episode 2: Craig Parker, Mark Ferguson, Che Fu, Pam Corkery
- Episode 3: Tim Shadbolt, Raybon Kan, Aja Rock, Steve Devine
- Episode 4: Peter Urlich, Hayley Holt, Elizabeth Gray, Monty Betham
- Episode 5: John Afoa, Daniel Braid, George Pisi, Jeremy Corbett
Series two
- Episode 1: Amber Peebles, Dave Gibson, Nick Dwyer, Jamie Carroll
- Episode 2: Dai Henwood, Teuila Blakely, Jessie Gurunathan, Phil Bostwick
- Episode 3: Mark Williams, Dallas Tamaira, Mu (Chris Faiumu), Devin Abrams
- Episode 4: Anna Scarlett, Temepara George, Sione Faumuina, Joe Cotton
- Episode 5: Mikey Havoc, Simon Doull, Will Wallace, Chris Belbin
Charities
- NZ Breast Cancer Foundation
- Kidz First Children's Hospital
- Starship Children's Hospital
- Starship Foundation
- Special Olympics NZ
- SPCA