Poker players have tried, with varying degrees of success, to bring the poker world to a more mainstream audience but Ho learned a thing or two from her television experience.
“People watch reality television because they care about the characters,” Ho told PokerListings.com.
“But they also want to live vicariously through them and experience a lifestyle that's exciting and compelling.”
And according to Ho, the poker world encompasses all those elements.
“The show's really about the characters and their relationships but it's set in this exciting world where we might be in Monte Carlo one week and the Bahamas the next week,” she said.
“It's about us trying to find a balance between the lifestyle and everything else that's going on in our lives.
“Not everyone can relate to the poker lifestyle stuff, which I think they'll find interesting, but they can definitely relate to the stuff that we're all going through.”
Ho Hopes New Project Will Do Poker Reality Right
From GSN's one-season run of 2 Months 2 Million to the short-lived Travel Channel project I Bet My Life starring Liv Boeree and Kevin MacPhee, poker reality shows have traditionally fared poorly with mainstream audiences.
Reuters.com recently reported that Ho's new project is called Queens are Wild, and follows four top female poker pros.
Ho chose to remain tight-lipped on the details when speaking to PokerListings.com, but she did say they're making progress finding the right network for the show to call home.
“We've been working hard on it and it's going in a really good direction but you never know until they give you the final green light,” she said.
Maria Ho has earned over $1.2 million playing live poker tournaments and graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Communications.
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