Poker at Pechanga Casino
James Woods Gang vs Unabombers
The Poker Room set at Pechanga Casino
Twenty years ago the Crystal Pyramid Productions crew traveled to Pechanga Casino. While there, we videotaped interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of a very interesting poker game that was nationally televised. It was called Poker Royale. And it featured James Woods Gang versus Unabombers.
The celebrity roster included James Woods, Jennifer Tilly, Nicole Sullivan, Gail O’Grady, Danny Masterson, who played “Hyde” on “That 70’s Show” and several others.
Jennifer Tilly Plays Poker at Pechanga
Jennifer Tilly, Poker maven, with Sound Technician, Patty Mooney
We learned that Jennifer Tilly had become so successful at playing poker that she didn’t really need to do much acting anymore. Except for voicing the sexy character on “Family Guy” who is married to the wheelchair-bound cop.
Jennifer and Nicole were both kind enough to pose for photos with the video crew. James Woods was a bit too busy with running the show.
Live Event Videographers Cover Poker at Pechanga
A lot goes behind the scenes when televising something live. What you don’t see is sometimes much more interesting than what you do see on the television screen. For instance, at this particular poker game, there were several broadcast cameras set up strategically to get several angles of the table and participants without seeing a camera or camera operator in the shot.
It took several hours for the crew to set up their equipment and lighting. There was a camera on a jib that could go back and forth, up and down. It was quite an elaborate set and anyone walking around “behind the scenes” had to be very careful about tripping over cables. One wrong move, and you could conceivably power down the whole event!
In conclusion, the game was televised as part of a Poker series on GSN – Game Show Network and is re-aired from time to time.
