TV Show "Tilt": Bad for Poker?

[rdu $teve]

[ QUOTE ]
How exciting would a show be about whether a 12 outer merited calling a pot bet on the turn vis a vis respective stack sizes/implied odds?

[/ QUOTE ]

Isnt that why the WSOP and WPT shows have become so popular? Their results have shown that the poker, in itself, is dramatic enough to draw large amounts of veiwers.

[Cleveland Guy]

The big difference between the "cheating" here, and the "cheating" that will go on in the "real world" is that most of the people who will try and cheat in real life will either get caught, or be so bad at it, that they will just donate even more money.

[LuckYou777]

[ QUOTE ]
The big difference between the "cheating" here, and the "cheating" that will go on in the "real world" is that most of the people who will try and cheat in real life will either get caught, or be so bad at it, that they will just donate even more money.

[/ QUOTE ]

well said. i think that the effect of this show is going to be somewhat difficult to explain- i think it will be bad for the image of the game, but i also think that alot more fish will be contributing money to the game because of watching this show and adding more pipedreams to their mind.

[wall_st]

I think one thing that everyone is forgetting is that Rounders by and far was about cheating, but I think most people would agree that overall the movie was good for the game.

When I show Rounders to my friends they generally want to learn/play more poker. This can only be a good thing. Also it seems like the whole show may not end up being about some cheaters. Maybe some of the characters will take the Mike Mcdermott route and beat the game straight up , since it is coming from the same writers I would not be surprised.

[bholdr]

Any press is good press. poker will be popular for the same reasons that middle age dentists buy harleys and go to Sturgis.

it's just sexy. and it's an escape from reality for the majority of players. that's the image that they're paying for (poker is a little seedy, a little bit dangerous and above all, a safe risk, if that makes any sense).

[randomchamp]

It was worse than calling with jack high.

[man]

This is such a vague question it makes my head ache.

What is good for poker? What is bad for poker? I have no idea what makes a game "good" or "bad," let alone what makes it better or worse. But let's start with me.

If you ask my bankroll, anything that brings more fish into the game will ultimately be good. (Of course, more talent will be brought in as well, but I think it's safe to say that the bad players will outweigh the good.) If you ask my ego, anything that portrays the game as riddled with swindles and cheats is bad. Fundamentally, the only thing I *should* care about is how much money I'm making, but I can't help but feel annoyed when someone casts a skeptical eye on me when I tell them about my favorite hobby.

But what about the bigger picture? How will "the game" be affected? Personally, I have trouble talking about poker as a living, breathing entity that can be made better or worse. But as far as we're concerned, we can expect two changes in our ring games and tournaments: (1) More fish will be sitting down. (2) More talented players will be sitting down. For every ten newbies, you'll get one person who will be really good. You just have to be able to change your play to stay ahead of them.

Good or bad, for better or for worse, the game is changing, and "Tilt" is just one straw in the haystack. The only thing it should mean for us is how we should adjust our play to stay (or climb) on top. It's survival of the fittest.

[Rook80]

Although I don't think it will stop new player from coming in, I think it put poker in a bad light. As someone who would like to see poker legalize thru out the US, I can't believe this is a good thing.

[SoftcoreRevolt]

[ QUOTE ]
Ive been saying this since I first saw the TV adds. They're sticking with the old image of poker with cowboys and barfights, where poker only results in some poor sap losing the farm or getting shot.

This can not help poker grow, and these portrayals are what prevent poker from becoming legalized in many states.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is actually a better point than it seems at first. While often there is no such thing as bad publicity, sometimes there is. Just look at the hysteria that came up around Ultimate fighting in America. It was shown in a totally negative light by every media piece done on it, and eventually gave John McCain an excuse to go after it at the behest of the Boxing lobby.

Will this happen to poker? Of course not, not on that level. But in borderline situations it could possibly make things worse if this increases the idea of poker being full of cheats, liars and murderers. Crusaders for the public good already have their excuses to hate poker, and I doubt Tilt will provide more, but there is a chance that it may.

Since Poker is pretty much overexposed at this point anyway, I doubt that Tilt is increasing that exposure at all, so maybe the bad press tips the scales to it being "bad" for poker.

But ANYTHING that gets more people to raise preflop with 22 or 67 is good for us.

[TStoneMBD]

this show blows, but anything media related to poker is a good thing for sure.