Face The Ace Finishes Last in Timeslot for Second Straight Week

After premiering to last place ratings last week, the new NBC poker show “Face The Ace” failed to increase viewers in its second run over the weekend, again finishing last in its timeslot on Saturday night.

According to the website TV By The Numbers, the August 8th broadcast of “Face The Ace” drew just 1.46 million viewers for a 0.3/1 (rating/share) with adults aged 18 to 49, the prime demographic for television advertisers and the basis for ratings. This was well short of its premiere on August 1st, when the show drew 1.59 million viewers and a 0.4/2 (rating/share). Airing in the 9:00pm ET hour on Saturday night, the perennially popular FOX program “America’s Most Wanted” again won the time slot, with repeat showings of the Disney film “Finding Nemo” and the CBS mystery program “48 Hours Mystery” surpassing NBC’s “Face the Ace” broadcast.

After the two episode tryout in the primetime arena, “Face The Ace” now will move to what could be a more ratings-friendly timeframe during weekend afternoons. From the start, the plan by NBC was to expose the program and test the waters for future poker programming in the primetime slot. The show will go on hiatus for over a month, returning on September 12th at 2:00pm ET.

After the September broadcast, there will be one broadcast per month of “Face The Ace,” which may not enable a following to build for the program; October 31st, November 14th, December 12th, and January 2nd are the scheduled dates. Even with the schedule set, local stations ultimately determine if they want to broadcast poker programming. This has been done in the past with NBC’s presentations of “Poker After Dark” and even the National Heads Up Championship.

Arguments on how to improve the show on Poker News Daily have ranged widely. Some readers asked why it wasn’t shown at all in the Houston and Detroit markets on August 1st, while others debated about what type of viewer it was targeting (a poker aficionado versus the casual player). What has been consistent is that many agree that host Steve Schrippa (formerly of “The Sopranos”) did little to add to the festivities. Some also thought that sending a losing player away with nothing was a bit harsh for what many view as a game show. This week, the show did not air in the Salt Lake City market.

On the episode shown this weekend, contestant Don Topel was stopped short of his $1 million dream when he chose to play Full Tilt Poker’s Gavin Smith for the final round. After jousting for several hands, the former World Poker Tour (WPT) Player of the Year ground Topel down and defeated the challenger, forcing him to walk away with nothing for his efforts. Marcia Owens, the third contestant ever on “Face The Ace” and its first female player, was eliminated by Gus “The Great Dane” Hansen in the first match she played.

Episodes can be seen online at NBC.com.

Related Poker News:

Wild Cherry 200% Bonus worth up to $1200 with No Max Cashout!

Fast play, fast payouts and unrivalled customer support.

Poker slang:

WHEEL - A-2-3-4-5. Usually discussed in the context of lowball where it is the best possible hand. Can also refer to a 5-high straight in high games. Also: BICYCLE.
PAY OFF - Calling a bet with little expectation of winning, unless the opponent is bluffing.
ANTE - A small bet all players are required to make before a hand is dealt. Not all games have an ante. Related terms: BLIND, FORCED BET.
THIRD STREET - In Stud, the third card dealt to each player.
WHITE BLACKBIRD - A hand so astonishingly rare as to be unworthy of the opponents' consideration, e.g., being dealt a pat royal flush in 5-card draw.
UNDERDOG - Before all the cards are dealt, a hand that does not figure to be the winner. Ant: FAVORITE.

♥ Bookmark Us! ♠

Poker Information