Short review of "Lucky" from tonight

[Easy E]

Hope this holds you over, since there is no WPT show this week.

I have to say that I do like this quirky little series, even with its problems, the main one being character/plot development. They need to go to an hour format.

Some comments from the two shows tonight (new episode, then last week's replay)

- The scene with Lucky trying to find his tell, using the mirrors and talking to himself, was HILARIOUS!

- The $20K bankroll thread with the Bumbling Twins was an interesting dark touch… though the end was stupid (I DID laugh at the "RUN, MA!" closing, I have to admit)

- Who was the smartass player in the black cowboy hat supposed to be- a Phil Darden takeoff? (well, if it had been fuzzy….) Or was THAT the Tiger Woods of Poker?

- The ring setup was entertaining, if obvious when they discussed it while watching the computer. Have to admit that I didn't see the partnership angle. But, can't Lucky come up with this stuff on his own?

- I like the dynamic sparks between Lucky and "Amy"- interesting back and forth between them has been going on. She should take the place of Theresa?, whose voice and mannerisms are starting to get on my nerves.

- Has Lucky, along with the B.T boys, pretty much dumped G.A.? Seems strange to go with such a complete rejection, after the way the series started. AND WHERE IS LUCKY'S SUPPOSED DEGENERATIVE GAMBLING PROBLEM???

- Last week, I almost gave up on the show, when I saw Lucky with the all-in move with nut quads and then he FOLDS to chase Needy Girl. There is NO POKER PLAYER ALIVE WHO WOULD PULL THAT MOVE!!! Their mother could be getting mugged in the casino, and the player would call for time and send security over. What the HELL was that about?


Easy "Roger" E, TV critic

[justus]

I posted on the internet forum about last weeks episode. I swear my husband was mildly interested until that move with the quads, and then just left the room. What a crock. They really need to get some decent consultants. And again tonight in the tournament, Both guys using racks. NO WAY! I would really like to see this show develop. They advertise here. Maybe they should read here as well.

[Easy E]

1) Looks more dramatic (stacks are "taller" due to the rack stacking

2) They probably shoot the scene numerous times. Who wants to shove in and pull out all of those chips?

2 1/2) Faster- The all-in is the important part, not waiting for each player to either carefully move the stacks one by one in, or send them flying into the middle (THAT would be good dramatic TV, though...)

[mrbaseball]

But Lucky get quads all the time so he can afford to fold them once in a while /forums/images/icons/smile.gif This week it was just quad Aces. He played them well too! I always wait until I have quad aces over a full house to use my "fake" tell to get my opponent all in. It has to be something the typical audience can understand. Non-poker players understand 4 of a kind is good.

I like the show myself. But the hands have to always be big to interest the commonmers out there. So we see quad Kings and quad Aces and fullhouse over fullhouse because the average viewer can understand that. Someone drawing to an openender against top pair would have less dramatic impact and be lost on the average viewers.

Lucky the show could be a lot better. But it's better than nothing and it's nice to see a weekly show about Vegas, poker and gambling even if it has obvious flaws. It's better than nothing.

[sucka]

It's better than nothing

I disagree. /forums/images/icons/smirk.gif

This show is horrible.

The whole quad A's thing last night might have been the last straw for me. Just awful. First off, they are apparently playing no limit but they are raising each other in increments of 3 or 4 chips - the same color and type of chips that he was just using to play in some ring game a short while ago, no less. Then he flicks his ring a few times and goes all-in. Total crap.

I understand that they are trying to make this show appealing to all folks - even non-gambling types, but let's look at this. It's a show about a champion poker player and Vegas. Who's REALLY going to be watching this show? People that like to gamble, love going to Vegas and finally those of us that play poker. The least they could do is make the poker scenes more authentic.

I think I'm done with this show. I've hung in there for awhile hoping it gets better but it isn't.

[puppydog_ct]

The other person watching the show is my mother, who already thought that poker was going to ruin my life and gets mad anytime I tell anyone she knows that I play. This show has not helped! I tried to get her to watch the WPT instead, but it's more fun for her to think I'm a loser.

[Easy E]

.. which can't seem to print a hand unless it is a royal flush or some other rarely-seen hand that has little impact on real play.

At least 2+2 bucks the trend.... but by using some of the silliest hand confrontations you could imagine (I've carped about THAT in the past)....

As you said, i'll take the show over the wasteland that's out there....

[Easy E]

[marbles]

"Who's REALLY going to be watching this show? People that like to gamble, love going to Vegas and finally those of us that play poker."

--Of those three groups, we (those that play poker) are an almost undetectably small minority.

[TimTimSalabim]

I think it's a pretty good show, despite the problems with the unrealistic poker. Lucky is an interesting, likable, character, as are "Fat" and "Black", and there's always some good dialogue ("How can we have backers? We don't do anything" "That's the beauty of it").

[snakehead]

I didn't think that playing out of a rack was that big a deal, since I always play out of a rack. I noticed yesterday that two other players at my table also keep their chips in a rack.

what I really hated was the pot-splashing during the raising war. the shift from limit to no-limit was also a lapse, but so is having a poker table right next to the bar.