Making televised poker better

[NYCNative]

If you were in charge of one of the networks that televise poker, what would you do to make it better? By better I mean as a way that is more representative of what poker is since many (myself invluded) say that TV presents the game as a giant bluff-heavy push-fest which is unrealistic and, by now, is getting tedious.

I would get the commentators I like (I am partial to Lederer and Gabe Kaplan) and I would have them reference past plays at the table - maybe even cut away to brief snippets of those hands - when comenting on a current play as this would better show how past plays can "set up" a big hand later in the day.

I would have them speculate more on what the player are thinking. I am sick of seeing players with KT against pocket 7s see a flop that comes AJT and having the announcers say how KT is way ahead. I want them to get into the throughts of the players and how they put each other on a hand. Show the logical, mathematical and psychological sides of the game better. Those facets are what makes poker great to play; why wouldn't they make it great to watch?

I also would like to see more hands where they don't show the hole cards of one player in a hand. They do this on Bravo's with the celebrities but not for the pros and I would like to see Lederer play along with someone and guess what the best moves are and then see his reaction when the hole cards reveal him right or wrong.

I would also make sure that I showed at least 1-2 hands per show where the blinds are simply stolen. Sure, showing this all day makes bad TV (even if it's the bulk of tournament poker), but showing it just once or twice will allow the commentators to discuss steals, position and other nuances that are often overlooked and not bog down the broadcast since those hands only last a short time.

I think that poker could still attract viewership and be broadcast more intelligently.