The first series was hosted by actor/comedian Kevin Pollak; the episodes of that run were an hour in length, except for the Championship telecast, which was two hours in length. In 2004, the show expanded all episodes to two hours in length and Dave Foley took over hosting duties. Most episodes of his run were two hours in length, and only one episode (the Championship telecast of the fifth tournament) was an hour in length. Professional poker player Phil Gordon provided the color commentary for the first seven tournaments. Phil Hellmuth took over the commentary spot in the eighth tournament.