Vive Le Vince!

[Rushmore]

The poker was a bore. So let us now partake of our second-favorite pasttime. Let us analyze the color commentary.

OK. THIRD-favorite pasttime. Fine.

"He's out on the champs Elysses looking for some crepes." (That's right, Vince, crepes are French. Good one.)

"He's overheating like a cheap foreign car." (Foreign to whom, my Dutch-American friend? I was picturing a smoking, burping LeCar on the side of the road, Vince behind the wheel, Danny Bonaduce and Kato Kaelin in the back.)

George's last name "sounds like some sort of Hebrew board game." (Yep. And Scotty Nguyen sounds like he played the lead in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Barry Greenstein in How Stella Got Her Groove Back? I dunno.)

Tony G is "the Osama bin Laden of the poker world. He is the Poker Terrorist." (OK. What? Let's see. Well...I, uh--never mind. It's just too baffling.)

And it rubbed off on Sexton this week, too: "He's on an uphill slide." (Apparently, gravity doesn't exist in France).

But on the good side...

They show a clip of Hellmuth, followed by T.J. saying, "I don't feel bad for the bad losers at all." (I love it.)

Daniel Negreanu, after leading the tournament, and cracking out quickly: "Oh. well. You have to look at the bright side, etc." (Classy. Well done.)

Now, was it my imagination, or did Sexton and Van Patten seem to be making more of an effort to appear as if they were actually there, live, for the event? Odd camera angle, new gestures, etc. made it seem so to me, at least.

And who dressed them? Regis Philbin?

[MaxPower]

The must have writers, there is no way VVP could think of all those stupid jokes by himself.

What did you think of Shana Hiatt's piece on Poker etiquitte? Pretty hard hitting huh?

[iash]

I like Shana Hiatt's piece of anything..

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]
The poker was a bore.



Now, was it my imagination, or did Sexton and Van Patten seem to be making more of an effort to appear as if they were actually there, live, for the event? Odd camera angle, new gestures, etc. made it seem so to me, at least.

[/ QUOTE ]

Definitely boring. No real strategy. Flip them over and play showdown. I tape these shows, but this tape will be reused.

My understanding is that they are there, live for each event, but that much of their commentary is edited in later, including any discussion of the hands, which they can't see live. Every once in a while, you will see a player talking to them between hands. I believe George said something directly to them last night.

Vince Van Patten is to poker what Dennis Miller is to Monday Night Football.

[southerndog]

I'm glad you guys thought the poker was boring too.

I really thought Vince and Mike were there. They showed them all at the end. So, you think this was trick photography or something?

That Greek guy was a dweeb, but he seemed like a good guy.
I was happy to see him win a pile of money. I also thought the guy who won was pretty cool. Happy to see him win too.

DOG

[ohkanada]

They are there commentating.

After the fact they edit in the audio about the specific hands and then they need to merge the live commentary with the after the fact commentary.

Ken Poklitar

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
I really thought Vince and Mike were there. They showed them all at the end. So, you think this was trick photography or something?


[/ QUOTE ]

Just to clarify, yes, I know they are actually there. My point was that in the parts that must have been edited in after the fact, where they are talking about the actual play of the hands, and the hole cards involved, it appeared--at least in my addled recollection--that they were making more of an effort to "act."

Now, I suppose it is possible that the production is so good and so seamless that I simply overlooked the fact that they are never discussing hole cards/hands while actually on camera, but I don't think so.

Now y'all got me thinking.

[cferejohn]

I agree the poker was boring, but my *god* it was nice to see the WPT show without the insanely irritating lights and music. I get the feeling the aviation club told them to stuff it, and good for them...

Oh, there was something about that Greek fellow, name escaping me just now. He had a 'look' that I see in local tournament regualars, and it was a look that almost invariably means "overplays small pairs". I'm honestly not sure what it was about him, but when I first saw him I said to myself "I bet this guy will overplay small pairs", and sure enough, he limp re-raised all-in with 44.

Oh, and the "Osama Bin-laden" of poker comment...ugh, I'm surprised that wasn't taken out. Made me cringe.

What's next? "Here's Phil Helmuth, the Adolf Hitler of poker." Calling Phil Ivey the "Tiger Woods of Poker" just because he is a) good and b) black is pretty bad too. Frankly wish he'd just can the analogies unless someone really *is* known as the "so-and-so of poker"; they are reaching at best and boderline offensive at worst.

[jbslow]

I don't think the Aviation club room is big enough for all the lights. I really liked it without the lights also.

[rjc199]

How about that Greek guy getting all riled up and yelling "THE ISLAND OF CRETE" all the time. Then I thought he was going to get into a fight with the crowd when somebody said to him "diamonds are forever" when he was all-in against a 4 flush. He stood up and started yelling at the guy who said it. I actually thought he was going to go push through the crowd and get in the guy's face. That was comical. It almost sounded to me like VVP and Sexton were making fun of him.

[Blindfolk]

If someone is going to be loud, I would rather be it in a display of national pride rather than the gloating of Hellmuth and 'The Poker Crew'.

[astroglide]

dude you missed the best one! he husks down to a whisper mid-hand and says, "i'll tell you one thing........this guy does not riffle his chips very well!" i totally lost it over that one. crepes line was good times too, though.

[jdl22]

I want someone that taped it to watch again and tell me if I'm right, but I think at the beginning when they do the normal "here is how no limit holdem is played" bit or sometime around there I think Vince said something like "Hold'em or as the French call it give me all your money " with what apparently was an impression of a French accent.

That was my favorite. Crepes line was good too.

[tewall]

[ QUOTE ]
Vince Van Patten is to poker what Dennis Miller is to Monday Night Football.

[/ QUOTE ]

Wayyy to much credit to Vince here. Miller actually knows something about football.

[B Dids]

Plus when he's on, Miller is funny. (of course, he hasn't been "on" for years now).

VVP is just painfully corny. He's made Norman Chad downright enjoyable for me.

[astroglide]

seriously, i like the guy

[B Dids]

"Cocaine is a hell of a drug"

[cferejohn]

[ QUOTE ]
dude you missed the best one! he husks down to a whisper mid-hand and says, "i'll tell you one thing........this guy does not riffle his chips very well!" i totally lost it over that one. crepes line was good times too, though.

[/ QUOTE ]

That was pretty damned funny. Why do I get the feeling that VVP has sat at home for hours doing chip tricks.

Btw, does anyone know anyone who plays with VVP in these alleged "hollywood home games"? He seems like he would be terrible, but then again if the quality of "hollywood home game" play is similar to that shown on the celebrity shows (Mimi Rodgers notwithstanding), he might run them over...

[Rushmore]

What he said was "His chip riffling--it's like amateur hour!"

But I thought we had gone all over that on previous episodes, I mean Vince's neverending fascination with the digital dexterity necessary to riffle, shuffle, or otherwise manipulate the chips.

He likes shiny things, too.

[astroglide]

he said roughly what i quoted before that as well. when he began, it sounded like he was about to say something insightful.

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
when he began, it sounded like he was about to say something insightful.

[/ QUOTE ]

The statement was the Vince-equivalent of Emmanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.

[Army Eye]

[ QUOTE ]


Btw, does anyone know anyone who plays with VVP in these alleged "hollywood home games"? He seems like he would be terrible, but then again if the quality of "hollywood home game" play is similar to that shown on the celebrity shows (Mimi Rodgers notwithstanding), he might run them over...

[/ QUOTE ]

Figure that at the home games, the celebs don't even get the booklet of tips that they got to consult on the TV show. I bet VVP cleans up. He at least understands you can't pick off an all-in 'bluff' calling with jack high and stuff like that.

Plus his love of suited hands maybe comes from playing in these loose Hollywood games where they are probably profitable holdings.

[scotnt73]

my favorite ones are when somebody looks at 55 and VVP states "uh oh! so and so has a real hand". cracks me up.

[RiverMel]

What's funny about the "tiger woods of poker" comment is that Tiger Woods isn't black. (He's part Asian).

[CrisBrown]

Hi River,

[ QUOTE ]
What's funny about the "tiger woods of poker" comment is that Tiger Woods isn't black. (He's part Asian).

[/ QUOTE ]

If I recall correctly, Tiger Woods is 1/4 African-American, 1/4 Native American (his dad is half/half), and 1/2 Thai.

And all that makes me think is: if this young man is what we have to look forward to with increasing interracial marriage, we will be a beautiful species, because he is one of the most handsome men I've ever seen.

Cris

[jdl22]

Did you see the Chappelle show where the various races had a draft to determine who could claim people like Tiger Woods? If my memory is correct the blacks drafted tiger with the first overall pick. Later whites tried to draft Colin Powell and had to make an agreement where if white people took Colin Powell they had to take Condoleeza Rice also. It was hilarious.

[Edge34]

The term he USED to use (don't know if anybody still does) is "Cablinasian" - Caucasian, Black, Indian, and Asian (yeah, his mom's Thai, you got that part). Close enough, just figured I'd throw that in as a useless little bit of sports trivia for the best golfer in the world.

-Edge

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

[ QUOTE ]
Calling Phil Ivey the "Tiger Woods of Poker" just because he is a) good and b) black is pretty bad too. Frankly wish he'd just can the analogies unless someone really *is* known as the "so-and-so of poker"; they are reaching at best and boderline offensive at worst.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Tiger Woods of Poker thing really ticks me off. Its like, "hey everyone! Look, A Black Guy!" How about if he is just, "Phil Ivey, damn good poker player with creepy eyes that dart back and forth a lot." Of course, that would make him the "Mike Singletary of Poker," which just gets us started all over again...

[Rushmore]

[ QUOTE ]
The Tiger Woods of Poker thing really ticks me off. Its like, "hey everyone! Look, A Black Guy!" How about if he is just, "Phil Ivey, damn good poker player with creepy eyes that dart back and forth a lot." Of course, that would make him the "Mike Singletary of Poker," which just gets us started all over again...

[/ QUOTE ]

Perfect. The Marty Feldman of Poker.

But what does that make Paul Magriel?

Fish in a barrel. Let's not.

[Gamblor]

I'd like a piece of Shan...

oh, nevermind.

[Nottom]

I realy think all you people who are offended by the "Tiger Woods of Poker" comments are way too uptight. Get over it already.

Do we really have to discuss this after every WPT episode?

There are usually more posts about whatever stupid thing Vince said this week than about the actual poker that was being played.

[ClemsonAce]

"I'm Rick James"

[MicroBob]

i think it's a pretty stupid comment....but i also think that Phil Ivey does somewhat resemble Tiger Woods....regardless of race.

[ExoByte]

While waiting for a seat in a ring game i watched VVP play in the shootout tournament that was going on friday morning on the PPM3 cruise. Granted i couldn't see his cards but as far as i could tell he was playing sensible enough, and won his initial table. He was one of the first players out once the 'winners' combined at the final tables, however.

[italianstang]

I think that Vince should start referring to poker players as other poker players, for example, Gus Hansen could be the Kiril Garasamov of poker, or TJ could be the Doyle Brunson of poker, you just wait, VVP will make it happen.

[italianstang]

I wonder how many poker dorks have typed "Shauna Hiatt nude pictures" into Google? Besides me I mean.

[Vee Quiva]

I don't think we should criticize VVP's poker commentary too strongly. If he actually knew what he was doing, average joe might actually get better at the game. I'm all for the schmucks going into the casinos saying, "I've never played before but I never miss an epsiode of the World Poker Tour". The more bad information they get from his commentary, the more money all of us "in the know" make.

[Army Eye]

[ QUOTE ]
I realy think all you people who are offended by the "Tiger Woods of Poker" comments are way too uptight. Get over it already.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed. And besides, netiher Vince nor Mike made up the 'Tiger Woods of poker' business.