Making televised poker better

[freekobe]

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And this is the type of audience that the networks are trying to grab.

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Bob, your posts are always good, and this one was dead-on.

The posters on this board represent .0001 of the poker audience. Poker TV shows are made for the casual fan.

Would more stats make it more interesting for us? Of course. And perhaps a few wrinkles will be added in to new shows. But for now, the networks are doing what's best for them.

Advanced theory/commentary and/or live shows would alienate the vast majority of the audience. If John Madden's commentary was aimed at high school football coaches, 99% of us would be completely lost. Madden's genius is that he can talk down to us, those who don't know the names of formations or when to use three WRs instead of two.

I am in no way apologizng for Sexton/Van Patten/Chad/McEachern. Those guys are horrendous. But they're closer to where they should be than most of you think. Most of the audience doesn't know that a flush beats a straight. Realize that, and then re-evaluate what you think about network TV and poker.

Live shows will exist, but they'll NEVER make it on national TV. Ever. As someone who worked on the NBC Heads-Up Poker Championship, I feel confident in saying that. It is WAY too boring and the technology isn't quite there yet (cards aren't always right).

Whenever you criticize TV for how they broadcast poker, remember who the audience is. Once you understand that, most of it makes sense.