In a tweet from Wednesday October 29, WSOP created quite a buzz, announcing that it will start airing a new poker series named NO LIMIT. The series was filmed during last year’s WSOP Bahamas Super Main Event, and the first episode will become available on the operator’s YouTube channel on Tuesday, November 4.
According to the statement, the eight-part series follows some of the biggest names in the game as they are battling their way through the prestigious tournament, showcasing true emotions and real rivalries.
The short video announcing the series features the likes of GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu, Maria Ho, Scott Seiver, Phil Hellmuth, Faraz Jaka, Alan Keating, Kristen Foxen, and more. The star-studded lineup certainly helps build up expectations, especially as NO LIMIT is supposed to stand out from other poker shows, bringing back the kind of excitement that led to a poker boom over two decades ago.
Stories & Characters Instead of Hand Analysis
The man behind the series is Dustin Iannotti, whose post on X/Twitter from a few months back generated a lot of attention and led to quite a discussion regarding the poker content in general. Iannotti called the poker content industry “creatively bankrupt,” stating that it “recycles formulas for the shrinking pool of viewers.”
The long post made it very clear that he’s not happy about the current state of affairs, suggesting that the industry needs to go back to its roots and remember that it was an actual human story that made the game explode twenty-odd years ago.
Unlike those who only criticize, Iannotti decided to do something about it, and that something is NO LIMIT, a new poker show that he made for those “who don’t play poker.”
The idea behind the show is to demonstrate the human stories behind the game. Some of the stories he mentions in his most recent post are how poker saved Jesse Lonis from poverty, why it’s important for Maria Ho to try and change how the world perceives poker, and how Phil Hellmuth’s childhood shaped him into the person he is today.
So, it’s a show about people and their stories, where “the cards are just the beginning.”
One of a Kind Passion
It is clear that Dustin Iannotti is a man on a mission who stands firmly behind his words. Filming NO LIMIT was clearly a huge undertaking, as he mentions approximately 700 hours of raw footage that were eventually edited down to just eight 30-minute episodes.
He wants to make viewers care about humans first, and the game second, and it’s certainly more of an “old school” approach. Could it potentially alienate the most hardcore fans who want detailed hand breakdowns and solver-like commentary? Possibly, but it’s the risk he was willing to take to potentially make the game more appealing and approachable to the masses.
One sentence from his recent post sums the whole idea quite nicely: I’d call this show a success if your spouse watches it and tells you she “finally gets why you love this game.”
In addition to many big names, the show also follows two online qualifiers, providing a somewhat different take from people who aren’t used to playing on the world’s biggest stages.
The concept certainly sounds interesting. It looks to take the game of poker outside of its usual confines and take it out to the world, much like what Queen’s Gambit did for chess. The question that remains is, can it all be done in a span of just four hours?
We’ll just have to wait and see. WSOP and Iannotti have managed to build up some big expectations ahead of the November 4 premiere, and hopefully, the new show can live up to these expectations. Either way, with the 2025 WSOP Paradise just around the corner, NO LIMIT comes at the perfect moment to help build up hype for the upcoming series.
