From July 14-19, ESPN will offer six consecutive days of coverage of the WSOP Main Event, where every hand will be shown unedited and hole cards will be available post-flop (for all players still in the hand).  Coverage will shift between two feature tables approximately every 30 minutes and will show all “all-in” and “call” situations at both tables when possible.

Lon McEachern and David Tuchman will handle the play-by-play for the live coverage with a rotation of professional poker players providing analysis. ESPN will also use a sideline reporter for the first time with Kara Scott making her WSOP debut.

The 2011 World Series of Poker presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky Tuesday night telecasts with McEachern, Norman Chad and sideline reporter Scott will begin Tuesday, July 26 on ESPN for 16 consecutive weeks leading up to the November Nine final table on Nov. 8 (ESPN, 9-11p.m.).

ESPN’s coverage of the 42^nd annual WSOP is being handled by executive producer Mori Eskandani and POKER PROductions for the first time, which has been widely praised for producing top-level poker telecasts, including Poker After Dark and WSOP-Europe. Together, ESPN and POKER PROductions will offer a new vision for this year’s WSOP that will bring a major sports event feel to the telecasts. In addition to live hole cards, planned highlights include:

“From unprecedented live coverage to a greater emphasis on analysis and a stunning poker arena, we are introducing a variety of new elements to ESPN’s presentation of the World Series of Poker that will enhance our multiplatform coverage and bring fans even closer to the action at poker’s premier event,” said Doug White, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions.

ESPN’s 2011 WSOP Coverage by the Numbers:

4.5 – Miles of cable

10 – Number of days to build the WSOP bracelet-themed lighting truss structure

40 – Number of live hours of Main Event coverage – a first

55 – Number of ESPN cameras (18 Hole Card cams, 14 feature cams, 9 secondary table cams + others)

85 – Number of LED video panels throughout the room

150 – Number of people involved in the WSOP telecasts

700 – Number of lights used on-set

1,000 – Number of man hours needed to go from an empty room to final set for the telecast

ESPN.com poker editor and blogger Andrew Feldman and other experts will provide complete coverage on location with blogs, podcasts, videos, interviews with the games’ top players and more. Fans can also follow @ESPN_Poker on Twitter for instant updates and tournament coverage.

2011 WSOP Live Main Event Telecast Schedule: