Next week's World Poker Tour show is the Bellagio Cup III. It's the first one with the improved TV table structure (see World Poker Tour To Improve TV-Table Structure? and World Poker Tour To Test New TV Table Blind Structure). It runs over two weeks. The players that made the TV table are Mike Matusow, Kevin Saul (BeL0WaB0Ve), Shane Schleger (Shaniac), Danny Wong, Eric Panayiotou, and Konstantin Puchkov.
Next week's Poker After Dark features Gus Hansen, Vanessa Rousso, J.J. Liu, Clonie Gowen, Beth Shak, and Erica Schoenberg.
EPT Live will be airing San Remo next Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th.
Fox Sports is airing the Celerity Poker Challenge on Friday, April 4th at 4:00 PM and Wednesday the 9th at 4 PM (always check your local listings for Fox Sports times on your regional affiliate). It's a celebrity poker tournament, sponsored by Celerity Investments, that ran at the Sundance Film Festival. John Salley and Kato Kaelin are the most well-known celebrities to me that showed up.
Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes, sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed, and contact me with any suggestions or corrections.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
World Series of Poker Europe Available
World Series of Poker Europe torrents have started to appear (read about downloading torrents).
Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes, sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed, and contact me with any suggestions or corrections.
Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes, sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed, and contact me with any suggestions or corrections.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
World Poker Tour and Aussie Millions Air This Week
The Aussie Millions cash game and tournament start airing on Fox Sports Saturday at 11 PM. As always with Fox Sports, the time may be different on your local affiliate so check a programming guide. They'll reportedly start with four episodes of the cash game, which I rated **** last year. It features some of the world's greatest players: Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Niki Jedlicka (KaiBuxxe), Gus Hansen, Tony G., Tom Dwan (Durrr), Brian Townsend (sbrugby), Chris Ferguson, and John Juanda. The Aussie Millions tournament, which I rated ** last year, will follow in later weeks.
The World Poker Tour returns for season six Monday night at 9 PM on GSN. This week we'll see the Mirage Poker Showdown. The TV table features Phil Ivey, Jonathan Little (FieryJustice), Amnon Filippi, Darrell Dicken (Gigabet), Cory Carroll, and Richard Kirsch. Reruns include midnight Monday and Sunday at 7 PM.
Poker After Dark is also new next week. They have a terrific lineup: Barry Greenstein, Mike Matusow, Antonio Esfandiari, Howard Lederer, Eli Elezra, and David Williams.
Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes, sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed, and contact me with any suggestions or corrections.
The World Poker Tour returns for season six Monday night at 9 PM on GSN. This week we'll see the Mirage Poker Showdown. The TV table features Phil Ivey, Jonathan Little (FieryJustice), Amnon Filippi, Darrell Dicken (Gigabet), Cory Carroll, and Richard Kirsch. Reruns include midnight Monday and Sunday at 7 PM.
Poker After Dark is also new next week. They have a terrific lineup: Barry Greenstein, Mike Matusow, Antonio Esfandiari, Howard Lederer, Eli Elezra, and David Williams.
Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes, sign up for our weekly newsletter or subscribe to our feed, and contact me with any suggestions or corrections.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Black Poker Stars Invitational, WSOP Live
On Saturday WSOP Live airs the Caesars Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Event, starting at about 3 PM.
The Black Poker Stars Invitational starts airing on BET Tuesday at 10:30 PM. It's a charitable celebrity tournament. David Williams plays some role in it. Various reruns include Wednesday at 10:30 PM.
Poker After Dark is still in rerun.
After watching some more episodes of The Game, I've decided to give it a five star rating. I don't normally rate foreign shows, but I think its quality deserves to be recognized.
Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes, sign up for our weekly newsletter, and contact me with any suggestions or corrections.
The Black Poker Stars Invitational starts airing on BET Tuesday at 10:30 PM. It's a charitable celebrity tournament. David Williams plays some role in it. Various reruns include Wednesday at 10:30 PM.
Poker After Dark is still in rerun.
After watching some more episodes of The Game, I've decided to give it a five star rating. I don't normally rate foreign shows, but I think its quality deserves to be recognized.
Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes, sign up for our weekly newsletter, and contact me with any suggestions or corrections.
Jeffrey Pollack: Here's How To Fix The World Series Of Poker Broadcasts
Regular readers know that I consider ESPN to be the worst major poker broadcaster on US TV. I'd almost given up hope for the World Series of Poker broadcasts till I read a month ago that WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack had said "I think we need to be focused on quality more than quantity." In this archive review, Jeffrey, you can find everything you need to know to make the WSOP broadcasts great.
My first reviews of ESPN's broadcasts, the 2005 US Poker Championship and 2006 WSOP, were just one paragraph long each, but they summarized the basic problems with ESPN's broadcasts well. I said ESPN's "poker coverage is by people who aren't interested in poker, for people who aren't interested in poker." The Wall Street Journal wrote one of my best articles for me. It was an article about fans' criticism of ESPN's soccer coverage, but I found that the problems were so similar to ESPN's poker broadcasts that I quoted the article extensively to create Fans Say ESPN's (poker) Coverage Deserves Penalty. I started my most thorough review of an ESPN poker show, ESPN Presents Short-Attention-Span TV (A US Poker Championship Review) with "the 2006 US Poker Championship may be the worst poker broadcast I've ever seen." I expressed disappointment that ESPN still seemed to be unreformed in Changes For ESPN's 2007 World Series of Poker Broadcasts. I did like one WSOP broadcast (see World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table Live Review)... but it wasn't done by ESPN. Unfortunately, the other non-ESPN production (see World Series of Poker Live Review) was dreadful. I had another article written for me when Norman Chad said "the viewers don't care," which perfectly summed up ESPN's attitude towards poker on TV. By the time I reviewed the 2007 WSOP (A Few Yuks For the Channel Surfer (A Review of ESPN's WSOP Coverage)), I had given up writing serious reviews of ESPN's broadcasts and, instead, mocked ESPN executives mercilessly. I continued in a similar vein with what I consider to be my best article: ESPN/ABC To Apply Poker Model To Football Broadcasts. I thought that if ESPN executives imagined butchering football broadcasts in the way that they butcher poker broadcasts they might finally see the light. The article was a parody, but some people believed it was real and were mortified.
Now we have a potential savior, and it turns out it's not even someone in ESPN. Don't disappoint me Jeffrey.
My first reviews of ESPN's broadcasts, the 2005 US Poker Championship and 2006 WSOP, were just one paragraph long each, but they summarized the basic problems with ESPN's broadcasts well. I said ESPN's "poker coverage is by people who aren't interested in poker, for people who aren't interested in poker." The Wall Street Journal wrote one of my best articles for me. It was an article about fans' criticism of ESPN's soccer coverage, but I found that the problems were so similar to ESPN's poker broadcasts that I quoted the article extensively to create Fans Say ESPN's (poker) Coverage Deserves Penalty. I started my most thorough review of an ESPN poker show, ESPN Presents Short-Attention-Span TV (A US Poker Championship Review) with "the 2006 US Poker Championship may be the worst poker broadcast I've ever seen." I expressed disappointment that ESPN still seemed to be unreformed in Changes For ESPN's 2007 World Series of Poker Broadcasts. I did like one WSOP broadcast (see World Series of Poker Main Event Final Table Live Review)... but it wasn't done by ESPN. Unfortunately, the other non-ESPN production (see World Series of Poker Live Review) was dreadful. I had another article written for me when Norman Chad said "the viewers don't care," which perfectly summed up ESPN's attitude towards poker on TV. By the time I reviewed the 2007 WSOP (A Few Yuks For the Channel Surfer (A Review of ESPN's WSOP Coverage)), I had given up writing serious reviews of ESPN's broadcasts and, instead, mocked ESPN executives mercilessly. I continued in a similar vein with what I consider to be my best article: ESPN/ABC To Apply Poker Model To Football Broadcasts. I thought that if ESPN executives imagined butchering football broadcasts in the way that they butcher poker broadcasts they might finally see the light. The article was a parody, but some people believed it was real and were mortified.
Now we have a potential savior, and it turns out it's not even someone in ESPN. Don't disappoint me Jeffrey.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
National Poker League Looking for Broadcasters
The National Poker League has renamed themselves the International Poker League, and is looking for outlets to air their second series. I'd previously reported that they were expected to air on WGN this month. There's a new video promoting the show on their old site. Their new site, IPLTour.com current just hosts sales material, revealing that they've produced 52 episodes. As far as I can tell the show is similar to their last series: shorthanded tournament tables filmed in HD.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
More Cash Poker on TV Please: Some More Arguments
A couple of days ago I argued that producers should air more cash poker on TV, and Barry Carter of UK Poker News added his own arguments today. Some excerpts:
But I must admit that my love of shows like the WPT waned for some time.... The reason I stopped watching was that they became samey. There is only so many times you need to see ace-king v pocket queens.
...
I would urge TV producers to take note of the increasing popularity of cash game poker...
...
Sicker Hands
By the end of a tournament, even the craziest of players is more solid with their hand selection. Big cards and big pairs will usually win you the title when the blinds get high. But in a cash game the flexibility to play a mediocre hand and turn it into a monster is there. You'll often see an 8-way pot with everyone happy to play 8-2 out of position; as a result, you see some crazy action.
Skill
If there is one negative point about TV poker, is that it can wrongly imply that a poker tournament is a series of coinflips and the champion is the person that wins the most 50/50s. High blind poker can often make very skilful players look average when they are shoving their chips in the middle with king high. By contrast, a cash game should never get in that situation and the deep structure allows the players to make big moves and even bigger lay downs, to prove why they are the world elite.
But I must admit that my love of shows like the WPT waned for some time.... The reason I stopped watching was that they became samey. There is only so many times you need to see ace-king v pocket queens.
...
I would urge TV producers to take note of the increasing popularity of cash game poker...
...
Sicker Hands
By the end of a tournament, even the craziest of players is more solid with their hand selection. Big cards and big pairs will usually win you the title when the blinds get high. But in a cash game the flexibility to play a mediocre hand and turn it into a monster is there. You'll often see an 8-way pot with everyone happy to play 8-2 out of position; as a result, you see some crazy action.
Skill
If there is one negative point about TV poker, is that it can wrongly imply that a poker tournament is a series of coinflips and the champion is the person that wins the most 50/50s. High blind poker can often make very skilful players look average when they are shoving their chips in the middle with king high. By contrast, a cash game should never get in that situation and the deep structure allows the players to make big moves and even bigger lay downs, to prove why they are the world elite.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Poker After Dark In Rerun
Poker After Dark is showing reruns for the next three weeks, until March 25th.
Those of you who download or stream poker shows may want to check out Poker Den - The Big Game II. It's gotten some good reviews, but I find its poor production hard to take (I highly recommend The Game instead).
Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes, sign up for our weekly newsletter, and contact me with any suggestions or corrections.
Those of you who download or stream poker shows may want to check out Poker Den - The Big Game II. It's gotten some good reviews, but I find its poor production hard to take (I highly recommend The Game instead).
Check our poker on TV schedule for the list of shows regularly running new episodes, sign up for our weekly newsletter, and contact me with any suggestions or corrections.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
The Case For Running Poker After Dark as a Cash Game
A recent poll on the 2+2 forums asked would Poker After Dark be better as a cash game? Better as a cash game won by a 2.6 to 1 margin.
In comparison to High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark would have several advantages as a cash game: they show all the hole cards, the announcer talks over the table talk less, and they show most of the hands. Tournaments naturally vary in length, making them difficult to fit into fixed time slots. A Poker After Dark cash game could easily film just enough hands to show every one (or perhaps film a few extra for safety margin), however.
Cash games have a lot of advantages over tournaments. It's clear the producers recognize that, as they pretend Poker After Dark is a cash game by putting those bundles of cash on the table (I've always encouraged the players to use them as cash, e.g. by tipping the cocktail waitresses with them). Tournaments, on the other hand, are boring a lot of the time because players are finished if they bust out, so they play more conservatively early on. That's reflected on Poker After Dark where it seems like people raise and fold most of the time for four episodes then go all in and coinflip for the win on the last episode.
Cash games, on the other hand, can have a lot more action, especially when played shorthanded. Anyone who's seen the shorthanded Swedish cash game The Game can confirm that it's an amazing show. It's probably what Poker After Dark would be like if it were a cash game, and it may well be the best poker show in the world right now.
I've heard a lot of people say they'd like to see High Stakes Poker played shorthanded. Shorthanded cash games are a common format online. Poker After Dark's current format, on the other hand, is damn near obscure. I've never played a shootout, and wouldn't be surprised if I never do. Personally I'd like to see Poker After Dark as a full ring (9- or 10-handed) cash game, since that's what I play, but I'd be happy if it were any type of cash game.
Cash games are hugely underrepresented on US TV. Only one of the five major US poker TV shows is a cash game. For cash games to be fairly represented on TV, they should be more like three of five. Doyle Brunson once said on Poker After Dark that he preferred real poker, by which he meant the traditional form: cash games. I do too. Let us see another cash game on the next season of Poker After Dark.
In comparison to High Stakes Poker, Poker After Dark would have several advantages as a cash game: they show all the hole cards, the announcer talks over the table talk less, and they show most of the hands. Tournaments naturally vary in length, making them difficult to fit into fixed time slots. A Poker After Dark cash game could easily film just enough hands to show every one (or perhaps film a few extra for safety margin), however.
Cash games have a lot of advantages over tournaments. It's clear the producers recognize that, as they pretend Poker After Dark is a cash game by putting those bundles of cash on the table (I've always encouraged the players to use them as cash, e.g. by tipping the cocktail waitresses with them). Tournaments, on the other hand, are boring a lot of the time because players are finished if they bust out, so they play more conservatively early on. That's reflected on Poker After Dark where it seems like people raise and fold most of the time for four episodes then go all in and coinflip for the win on the last episode.
Cash games, on the other hand, can have a lot more action, especially when played shorthanded. Anyone who's seen the shorthanded Swedish cash game The Game can confirm that it's an amazing show. It's probably what Poker After Dark would be like if it were a cash game, and it may well be the best poker show in the world right now.
I've heard a lot of people say they'd like to see High Stakes Poker played shorthanded. Shorthanded cash games are a common format online. Poker After Dark's current format, on the other hand, is damn near obscure. I've never played a shootout, and wouldn't be surprised if I never do. Personally I'd like to see Poker After Dark as a full ring (9- or 10-handed) cash game, since that's what I play, but I'd be happy if it were any type of cash game.
Cash games are hugely underrepresented on US TV. Only one of the five major US poker TV shows is a cash game. For cash games to be fairly represented on TV, they should be more like three of five. Doyle Brunson once said on Poker After Dark that he preferred real poker, by which he meant the traditional form: cash games. I do too. Let us see another cash game on the next season of Poker After Dark.
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