RDS's l'Antichambre to host regular Poker Nights

– Panelists from the number one sports talk show in Québec will gather at the poker table to talk hockey in new PokerStars.net integration –

MONTREAL, Oct. 15, 2014 /CNW/ - Sports – hockey in particular - has always been a popular topic when Quebecers gather for poker night. Now RDS is upping the ante, taking that table talk beyond the friendly home game, and incorporating it into regular segments on l'Antichambre, the number one sports talk show in Québec, as part of a new partnership with PokerStars.net.

"Incorporating poker and PokerStars into the show seemed like a natural fit," said Alexandre Lauzon, senior director of sales at RDS. "I imagine most of our viewers have sat around a poker table and analyzed hockey with their buddies. We're just recreating those conversations in our studio."

Twice weekly, L'Antichambre panelists and guests will film a segment at a PokerStars.net poker table and put a poker spin on their analysis of hockey games. During the segments, participants will have playing cards with images of players and will try to convince the "house", represented by Stéphane Langdeau, why the cards they are holding make a "winning hand."

The first of these segments aired on Thursday, October 9, following the airing of the first game of the 2014-2015 season to air on RDS. To view a recent segment featuring the PokerStars integration on l'Antichambre, click here.  

The PokerStars integration features several interactive elements. Viewers have the opportunity to vote for which panelist had the "winning hand" on the RDS social TV platform at RDS.ca and results of the vote are aired during the show. Additionally, throughout the season, passwords will be revealed to RDS viewers to give them access to free poker tournaments hosted at PokerStars.net, where they will have the opportunity to play for unique prizes and experiences.

About RDS
RDS is Canada's French-language sports broadcasting leader and Quebec's #1 specialty network. In addition to its world-class content delivered across multiple platforms, including the RDS, RDS2 and RDS Info channels, RDS.ca website, RDS Mobile, the RDS GO app and RDS' TV Everywhere service, RDS offers the broadest portfolio of French-language sports programming in the world. Official broadcaster of the Montreal Canadiens, CFL and Grey Cup, NFL and Super Bowl, MLS and MLS Cup, MLB and World Series, FIFA World Cup soccer from 2015 to 2022 and Euro 2016 and exclusive French-language broadcaster of the Montreal Alouettes, F1®, and the Tour de France, RDS' various channels present almost 4,000 hours of live programming each year, including Montreal Impact soccer, the IIHF World Junior Championship, NASCAR, PGA Tour golf including all four majors, ATP tennis including all four Grand Slam tournaments, Barclays Premier League soccer, NCAA March Madness basketball, Seasons of Champions Curling and the Skate Canada events. RDS is a division of Bell Media, which is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company.

About PokerStars
PokerStars operates the world's most popular online poker sites, serving a global poker community of more than 66 million registered members. Since it launched in 2001, PokerStars has become the first choice of players all over the world, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else and with the best security online.

PokerStars is a member of The Rational Group, which operates gaming-related businesses and brands, including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and the European Poker Tour. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, Rational Group companies in the UK and Isle of Man won recognition as one of the best workplaces in the UK being awarded a top 25 position by the Great Place to Work Institute's Best Workplaces – Large category rankings. Rational Group entities in Costa Rica and Dublin also achieved the same accolade in their respective local rankings in 2014.

SOURCE PokerStars.net