Poker fans with a penchant for fast and professional action will be tuning into the Travel Channel over the next 24 weeks as the Professional Poker Tour gets into its stride.

The 24-week series pits a select group of pro poker players against one another in invitational freeroll tournaments with $500 000 pots and big action.

Players are chosen using strict qualifications and guidelines to ensure that they're the cream of the crop of the professional poker playing world. Entry to the league is through the World Poker Tour (WPT), the World Series of Poker or other top venues including the Poker Hall of Fame.

This first season will feature 250 players and take viewers through the tournament from start to conclusion focusing on one featured table each day of the event. Viewers will get to see other action too, because every time a player goes all-in anywhere in the room, cameras will go to the table to catch the action.

To keep things interesting and keep players on their toes, players who make it to the final table of the tournament will have to beat a 90-second clock in making their play or surrender their hand. They will have a "time bank allowance" to extend that 90-second period, but it can be used only once.

Some of the famous poker faces playing in the PPT are Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Men Nguyen, Chris Moneymaker, Antonio Esfandiari, Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, T.J. Cloutier, Erick Lindgren, David Ulliott, Scotty Nguyen, Phil Laak, Huck Seed, Carlos Mortensen and more.