NBC Schedules New Game Show Face the Ace

NBC has a new game show coming up this summer, and it's sort of like a cross between High Stakes Poker and Let's Make a Deal. Called Face the Ace, the show will pit contestants against professional poker players for the chance to win up to one million dollars.

The host for Face the Ace will be Steve Schrippa (pictured), who you probably know from The Sopranos. Schrippa has played a few game shows himself, including Wheel of Fortune and Million Dollar Password, so at least he's familiar with the genre.

The game is set up with four professional poker players hidden behind smoky windows. The contestant chooses a window, the poker player is revealed, and then the two face off in a game of heads-up no limit Hold'Em. If the contestant wins, he or she can then walk away with his or her winnings, or choose another window to continue. Contestants can win a million by beating three consecutive pros, but if a game is lost then the prize money is zilch.

NBC isn't showing a lot of confidence in this one from the outset, scheduling it for two consecutive Saturday nights, beginning August 1st at 9pm Eastern, before moving it to a Saturday afternoon slot. Regardless, if you're good at poker and want to take a stab at becoming a contestant, head over to FacetheAce.com or FullTiltPoker.net to play for a chance to be on the show. Face the Ace will tape in Las Vegas.

Photo by Ethan Miller, courtesy Getty Images