The greatest thing the WPT offers...HOPE

[Rushmore]

The TWO greatest things the WPT provide are:

2.) The ability to see some damned great play.
WITNESS, if you will, Paul Darden's mastery of the table. MARVEL, as I'm sure you did, at that one kid having his way with Phil Hellmuth.
Be MYSTIFIED, as we all were, at Phil Ivey's card sense. GASP in disbelief as Howard Lederer comes back over the top with...nothing, taking down the pot.

This is great stuff. Really.

But the BEST stuff is...drum roll, please....

1.) The ability to see some damned BAD play.
SEE Kathy Leibert reraise a LOT of chips allin with AK preflop, early at the final table.
OBSERVE that guy in Costa Rica call off a big bunch of chips preflop with J/9.
WATCH Mr. Deeb play big hands ALL WRONG (and then complain).

See? The fact is, these folks are all pretty damned decent players. But they make bad plays.

And so do I.

See you at the final table.

[rkiray]

Anyone know if the ratings have been any good?

[TimTimSalabim]

The best thing about the WPT (other than the fact of being able to watch some great poker on TV), is that it is creating the impression, among some non-players I've talked to, that poker is easy. This is probably because the hole cards are shown. They don't realize how difficult poker is when you can't actually see your opponent's cards. A lot of these folks are getting interested in poker as a result and will soon be populating a cardroom or internet site near you.

[Rushmore]

You're right.

I think another reason it looks so much easier is because on TV it looks like the game takes no patience at all; it looks like action galore. One would think AQ vs. 88 happens pretty much every other hand.

We all know different. A good player can get freakin carpal tunnel syndrome mucking hand after hand.

But that doesn't make for great TV, so...

NEW BLOOD.

[ResidentParanoid]

I have already met at least one player online who said he was there explicitly because of these broadcasts. He was a half decent poker player.

[Bob T.]

I played with one guy in a live game that had been watching and thought that the whole game was about bluffing, and making big moves. No dust on his chips, while they were his chips.