We Need New Poker Shows For TV
I sat down yesterday evening eager to watch some poker. I did not want to play, simply because I had sat on my computer for much of the day writing about it and playing the odd Sit and Go when the urge took me. I finished the day about even (which in poker player terms means I was down a little) but nothing that suggested I played particularly badly or tilted in any way. I felt that watching some moves from the professionals would help me learn in a non-computer environment.
We are truly blessed in the UK that we have the Sky poker channel and Information TV which are pretty much based on poker shows. There are also other intermittent appearances by shows such as the World Series of Poker Europe, WPT and other major tours. My personal favourite is the World Poker Tour, because they get down to the final six then the show is all about the television coverage and you get a great production. Other networks are a little reluctant with TV coverage with the cameras almost in the way it seems but the WPT you get a show, because that is what it is all about.
I have one major gripe with the poker coverage. There are too many repeats! Whilst I enjoyed the coverage of the Aussie Millions of 2006 where Gus Hansen beat the likes of Andy Black, Jimmy Fricke and Paul Wasicka but if I have to watch it again I shall soon be calling each and every play before it happens. I hear you ask, if you do not want to watch it why not just switch it off and play online poker instead? My answer to that is there was nothing else on and watching poker, even if it is the Aussie Millions repeat, is better than watching a cookery show or documentary! WSOPE 2008 is also doing the rounds over and over at the moment too.
I recall some of the better shows that due to dwindling popularity or a lack of funding for more shows to be recorded fell by the wayside. The Poker Godfather was a classic in my opinion. The “expert” usually Paul “Action Jack” Jackson or someone like him visited the home of an amateur player and guided them through a tournament offering tips and advice. The show was fundamentally flawed in that every poker player thinks they know best so the amateur players featured on the show were more eager to show they were already brilliant (they were not brilliant) rather than listen to the advice of someone who had made, in most cases, hundreds of thousands if not millions from poker. I would love that show to still be running.
Another of the lost Poker TV shows was the Poker Den which had professional poker players playing a cash game but the twist was that they played with real cash rather than chips with the winner walking away £50,000 richer. There was something alluring about watching the professionals bet with cold hard cash. Professional snooker player Steve Davis also featured in this event. This is another show I would love to see on television.
It seems a shame that these themed shows seem lost now that the Poker Channel no longer transmits and the tournament shows seem to be renewed once a year then repeated over and over. There is such a good opportunity for poker in the mainstream that capitalising on cult classics such as Late Night Poker seems the right thing to do. I just hope it is sooner rather than later because I desperately would like to see quality poker grace our TV screens once again. I must go now; a showing of the Aussie Millions from 2006 is starting in ten minutes….
By Malcolm Clarke
Related posts:
- Get Ready for the 2009 WSOP!
- Australia is the emerging Hotbed of Poker
- Where to Find The Top Poker Podcasts
Tags: bwin.com, poker blog, poker strategy, poker tv, tv shows