Shana Hiatt on Her Way Back to Poker TV?

Many poker fans have felt a void in the televised poker world since the beautiful Shana Hiatt left her post as the World Poker Tour’s hostess. That void may be on its way to disappearing.

Friday morning, California Superior State Court Judge Linda K. Lefkowitz granted Hiatt an injunction against the World Poker Tour (WPT), saying that the WPT could not prevent her from pursuing other job opportunities in the world of televised poker. Hiatt was quite possibly on her way to securing two shows with NBC -- National Heads-Up Poker Championship and a yet-to-be-aired show, Poker After Dark – until the WPT spoke up. WPT CEO, Steve Lipscomb, said in August that because of a “non-compete” clause in Hiatt’s contract, she could not work for NBC.

Judge Lefkowitz shot down Lipscomb, however, allowing Hiatt to continue to pursue the projects with the network. It is now up to the WPT to prove in court why Hiatt should not be allowed to seek other poker television work if they still want to do something about it.

Originally published September 25, 2006