Explaining the rules on TV

[JoeyT]

When do you think poker will reach the point where they don't explain the betting structure and rules of NLHE every episode of every show? I can't remember the last time I turned into Sunday Night Baseball and had ESPN teach me how to play. I realize that poker is still growing and there are a ton of new people that tune in every week... but I sorta feel like poker will have really hit the next level when they are able to stop doing this. Every year you have millions of americans that tune into the super bowl and don't have a clue what the rules of football are... yet they never go over those (albeit most just tune in for the commercials).

Thoughts?

[rheaume]

baseball, football, etc rules are so complex that it's much more impractical to go over them before every broadcast. due to the (relatively) non-manstream status (yes, there are still people who have never heard of texas hold em somewhere) of poker, i think they will probably always have those annoying little segments at the beginning of every tournament broadcast.

and they will probably always be sponsored by a crappy beer company or an anti-impotency drug. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[MicroBob]

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baseball, football, etc rules are so complex that it's much more impractical to go over them before every broadcast.

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the rules are not that much more complex then poker.
the poker explanation is VERY simple. They just explain that you see 3 cards, and then there is a round of betting, etc etc.
Extremely vague.

They could easily just explain football as 'you get 4 plays to move the ball forward 10 yards and if you get to the end of the field you get a touchdown for 6 points and get to kick for an extra-point or try to run or pass it in for 2 points'
something like that anyway.


i'm not sure how i feel about the rules-explanation thing. I think it's pretty worthless now....but I know people who still think the players are betting 'real' money like it was some gigantic cash-game.

Friend of mine who has played poker at his home with his friends a couple of times was talking with me.
I asked him if he was playing limit or no-limit and he wasn't sure so I had to explain the difference.
Then I was talking somewhere about 'stealing the blinds' when I started to learn that they didn't seem to be using blinds.


My Dad doesn't really know the rules but he 'enjoys watching the different personalities'.
but I think he's probably seen enough to know that AA is what you want at the start....and he's probably heard enough pocket-pair vs. over-card 'races' to know that they are all virtually 50/50.


but I'm not sure that the 'rules' segment is really doing very much.
If they also went out of their to explain that they 'aren't betting real money....it's just chips and last-man standing wins' that might help alleviate some confusion amongst the masses.


Also - The 'rules' segment on ESPN coverage is sponsored (by Milwaukee's Best this year) so it's not going away at all anytime soon. If a sponsor is paying money for that segment then it's here to stay.

[illini43]

I just change the channel when this part comes up, I can tell you how every hand goes on that stupid lesson thing.

2003: QQ loses to AK
2004: K-10 beats AJ (full house to flush)
2005: K-10 beats QJ (full house to two pair)

Most of the people that watch the show who are new probably don't even see the lesson since it is at the beginning of the episode.

[Matt24]

Vince Burgio wrote about this in one of his cardplayer articles. He is ready for it to be stopped.

[Slim Pickens]

I think "I love you TiVo," as I zip past it. Then I hug the TiVo.

[illunious]

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I think "I love you TiVo," as I zip past it. Then I hug the TiVo.

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Yup.. takes 20 minutes to watch an hour long poker show. DVRs rule.

Also fast forward when someone gets caught and decides to "hollywood" it, when there's a preflop all in and every street takes 15 seconds to deal, player profiles, cheesy segments like "poker corner", etc..

[rheaume]

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I think "I love you TiVo," as I zip past it. Then I hug the TiVo.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol



best i've read today, anyway

[VegasVixen]

[ QUOTE ]
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I think "I love you TiVo," as I zip past it. Then I hug the TiVo.

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lol



best i've read today, anyway

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If this is the best you've read tody, you missed this one from the Inetrnet forum... absolutely hilarious!!!

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[DyessMan89]

It is getting a bit frustrating.