The 2011 World Championship of Online Poker, or WCOOP, is in full swing on PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site. A colossal slate of 62 events is on tap and at least $30 million in prize money will be dished out. This year, PokerStars is upping the ante by rolling out Radio WCOOP, which will be beamed into homes around the world six days per week in four different languages.

The radio show begins today, runs through September 27th, and you can find a handy player for it on the top right of most pages of PocketFives. Nick Wealthall and Joe Stapleton (pictured above) will serve as the hosts of the program, and they’ll also be the front men of a special WCOOP TV series that will air on three consecutive Tuesdays starting September 13th.

PocketFives.com caught up with Stapleton to talk about his newest endeavor, which will allow poker fans to stay up to date on the latest and greatest WCOOP news.

PocketFives.com: Thanks for joining us, Joe. Are you excited for the English WCOOP Radio show to begin airing on Wednesday?

Joe Stapleton: I am very excited. I’ve done a lot of radio and web series, but PokerStars and the production company behind WCOOP Radio have put a lot of effort into this one and it’ll have very good production value. It’s the most legitimate radio studio I’ve ever worked with in my entire life. PokerStars has said, more so than ever before, that they’re going to be hands-off in terms of keeping me caged.

PocketFives.com: Can you talk about the challenges of reporting on an online poker tournaments series as opposed to a live series?

Joe Stapleton: The sheer amount of information and results is a huge challenge. You could spend a whole show talking about today’s winners and chip leaders, but they’ve properly staffed us with people to pare down that information to make sure only the most interesting stuff gets through to air. It’s a WCOOP edition of PokerStars Radio, but the show won’t just be about the WCOOP. We’re going to give $60,000 in prizes away to make it even more interesting for listeners.

PocketFives.com: What have you learned from your work on the “Big Game” and PokerRoad that can carry over?

Joe Stapleton: All I can do is continue doing what I have been, which is acting how I would want someone else to act. I’d like to put out a show that I would want to listen to.

PocketFives.com: Preview the WCOOP radio and television shows for us.

Joe Stapleton: We’ll have some discussion points, but the show is interactive. For example, we’ll be able to take live phone calls. We’ll have big guests on the show because PokerStars is putting a lot of effort into it. We have the PokerStars pros at our disposal and we can also get non-PokerStars pros on the show. We will discuss some of the issues going on in poker and some of the big news stories.

PocketFives.com: You’re co-hosting with Nick Wealthall. For those of us who aren’t familiar with Nick, tell us about him. What has it been like working with him so far?

Joe Stapleton: Nick has been around a while, mostly doing European stuff. He hosts a poker tournament series in the U.K., the UKIPT, and he’s also done EPT Live. I have a hard time admitting when other people are funny, but when I met Nick, I genuinely found him to be hysterical. He cracks me up. I’m really excited for the show because we’ll have free reign.

PocketFives.com: How do you adjust to working with so many different people over the years like Chris Rose (pictured), Scott Huff, James Hartigan, and now Wealthall?

Joe Stapleton: I’ve been lucky in that the people I’ve worked with, while they’ve been different and had their own approaches, they’re gracious people and hard workers. That translates into it being easier for me. Chris Rose was the most selfless co-host ever. If there was ever a spot for an extra line or anything, it went to me. I worked with James Hartigan on the EPT. He’s the same and is a super hard worker. I worked with Huff for years. I’ve been fortunate to work with people who are very talented.

PocketFives.com: Has it been a whirlwind last few years for you given Black Friday and all of the changes in the online poker industry?

Joe Stapleton: The night before Black Friday, I was living life on the high. I was on a date with a girl and there was a guy making airbrush t-shirts where we were. I got a t-shirt made that had a couple of spades on it and it was pretty obnoxious. I wore it to work the next day and thought I was badass. Then, all of online poker got destroyed and I thought there was a little humility to the situation.

It’s been a roller coaster overall. All I can say is that I started off lucky in the industry, worked hard, and even when I’ve gotten unlucky, things haven’t gotten that bad for me. I’m very thankful.