Desperate times call for desperate measures. The Flynn-ster has resorted to watching poker on TV. Of course, there is no new poker on TV, so this means watching what is available on YouTube or various network TV channels. It’s all old stuff. We’ve seen a lot of it already, so yeah, we already know who won. Actually, Twitter takes care of that for us when it is live either way, so even under normal circumstances it is a a challenge to avoid spoilers while waiting for the broadcast to sweat our picks. All of this brings us to the watch-ability of poker that was previously recorded.
Let the editors remind you that we are not currently editorializing about Cozen (on-line poker). This is strictly about watching real humans sitting around a table playing poker. There are ESPN broadcasts of the WSOP, there is whatever channel airs WPT and a smattering of other ‘big’ tournaments on network. There is Poker After Dark (our fav), Celebrity Poker, High Stakes Poker, and Poker Night In America. There is a poker channel, PokerGo, to which we do not currently subscribe. On YouTube there are all kinds of oddball broadcasts, including Live at the Bike et. al.
Our take: there is good commentary, and there is bad commentary. The commentary MAKES the broadcast watchable. Secondary to the commentary are the players. Third comes filming set, quality, and edit.
Both Flynn and Ollie have been playing poker for a long time. They have studied poker. They have played in many venues. F & O understand math, tells, and the importance of position. Believe it or not they can calculate pot odds, hand percentages and they know what blockers are. F&O actually own poker books! They also know what the edge is if you play a perfect game, which is why they do not play professionally.
Poker shows that dissect hands ad-nauseum, throw out a bunch of self-important made up terms and use the terms “GTO”, “EV’ and state chip stacks by the number of big blinds more than once not only turn us off, they also turn most humans off. Let us say that again: spending time listening to two or more egos discussing what-ifs couched in pseudo-technical terminology is not fun, even if you love the game and understand every word. Similarly, rude loud narrative (Limon) is flat out immature and not worth our time. Flynn and Ollie hit stop and find another show to watch.
“Watch” is the key word as we are really listening more than watching. Face it, just watching poker is like watching paint dry. Ask anyone who has suffered through the endless hours of the final table of the WSOP main event ~ a real snorer most of the time. Due to the nature of the sport (much like golf), there are long periods of inactivity. Add to that, the activity itself is not entertaining to spectators (also much like golf). The results are what matter, and the best production to fill the tanking time wins. Whether the production chooses to make the commentary entertaining (Norman Chad or Stapes) or educational (Mike and Vince), it should be comfortable to listen to.
For the experienced poker player, educational commentary can be a tad ‘duh’ worthy. Narrative about hand-rankings, position, & how betting rounds work is 1+1 to the experienced player. Narrative about hand-rankings, position, & how betting rounds work interspersed with comedy, short backstories, or random trivia is far more interesting, to both the novice, the experienced, and the channel surfer who has never played in his/her life.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have more interesting players to watch? It is so fun for Flynn to watch the old WPT shows on YouTube, with JJ Liu, Laak, Doyle and other ‘characters’. Now serious poker is all hoodies and headphones. We all know what the 2-3 predominate demographics are sitting at the tables, and they are in no mood to have fun. They want to think long and hard about every move, even with their 7-2 off suit in early position. Shout out to PNIA for taking a stab at casting your shows. Of course, this also turns the sport into a game – as in less ‘professional’. It’s like choosing between CSPAN or USA networks. The random poker viewer is most certainly going to enjoy USA Network far more.
Get a show with Jennifer Tilly (bright, fun, and human), Daniel Negreanu (talkative professional), Kevin Hart (straight up entertainment) , Phil Ivey (the straight guy, serious) and James Woods (the antagonist). Throw in some other characters – no matter if by appearance, talent, or patter- and you have a winner. We really miss Gavin.
But we digress. Granted, if you have that line up, a poker broadcast would not need stellar commentary, as the players would carry the show. We know this is not possible or sustainable (who would play with James Woods without massive compensation?). Therefore, lets take the real games with the boring players and turn them into a creative outlet for the narrative and commentators. Use pop up bubbles for what a player is thinking, speak in character voices, make ridic side-bets between commentators, list one bad thing and one good thing about each players personal life, and generally make it interesting and fun. If it’s not fun, why would anyone want to play?
Why would anyone watch? Desperation, obviously.
Fin
Flynn