unions and exploitation in the poker tournament world(long and winded)

[J.R.]

Lakes Gaming took on some big risks in putting this up, so they deserve a fair return on their investment. Players receive an indirect benefit in that increased popularity means more dead money. The WPT does add 200K to the WPT invitational and I believe some of the member casinos add money to the prize pools as well. Either way, the WPT is still in its infancy and I would suspect the money isn't big yet so I would guess the time to boost the money the WPT kicks back into the tourneys has not come yet.

[jayadd]

[ QUOTE ]

I have to disagree with this statement. New watchers of golf who don't know Tiger Woods from Joe Smith won't care that it's Tiger Woods on TV until he hears the commentators, reads the articles, studies the sport, etc...

[/ QUOTE ]
The majority of new watchers of golf are coming because of tiger woods. Tiger has made more people pickup a golf club then any human being has done for a sport. People will come along cause of the WPT to take a shot against the likes of phil hellmuth and gus Hansen and they will become dead money which helps the likes of pro's.
You guys are forgetting one big thing about the WPT its still Gambling. Unionizing this would be near impossible. The only thing players of the tourneys can look foward to interms of endorsements has to go through the WPT and travel channel itself.

[WEASEL45]

the travel channel only charges $25 for a 30 second add during the wpt. there is not a lot of money left to give to the players

[BradleyT]

My mom and dad couldn't tell you Howard Lederer from Layne Flaak(sp?) but yet they religiously watched every WPT last year and all episodes this year. Often watching both broadcasts and repeats.

I think you're 100% wrong. It's all about the fantasy and illusion that is created. The average joe can make it in. Celebrity poker wasn't popular because 99% of us know we'd never be at that table because we're not celebrities. Yet with the WPT, we do have a chance to make it in and nearly every week there is a nobody at the final table. This person is someone we can relate with. The average guy (or gal) off the street who took his chance and got lucky.


Why do you think Roseanne was one of the highest rated shows of all time? Because it was about your average family and people could relate to it. And reality TV in the beginning was hugely popular simply because people could see themselves in the same position.

[Greg (FossilMan)]

$25? I find that really hard to believe.

If it's true, I think I'll borrow a camcorder, make a mini-movie of myself doing something stupid, and pay $25 to see it on TV next Wednesday night.

C'mon. It costs $25 to put in a small classified ad in the tiny local newspaper.

Later, Greg Raymer (FossilMan)

[WEASEL45]

my friend just got an add to sell poker chips and it was $25

[Wake up CALL]

Greg I can offer you a better deal than that. On Unity Broadcasting Network you may purchase prime time at $160 per hour and off hours at $70 per hour. Heck you can afford a both mini-documentary on fossils and poker at those rates. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

UBN

[Easy E]

That was Ash, but I'm still not sold on the feasibility of a union.

Are they going to represent the vast majority of players who won't be union members?

Will the union have enough power to accomplish anything?

Will poker gain or lose by this?

Personally, I don't know if it's a good idea for players to bite the hands of those that they'd like to feed them (via prize pool add-ons and sponsorships)

[Easy E]

someone I know said last year it was $15K-$30 for 6 30 seconds spots.

25 DOLLARS for an ad sounds like a local PBS station and THEY aren't even that low

[nothumb]

This reminds me of the 'union' proposed by Dan Akroyd in Grosse Pointe Blank... a union of hit men? Dude, you're killing the image! Good thing he got snuffed.

Seriously. I think a lot of poker players will be really skeptical of a union, especially for lower-profile pros and guys who are not big earners. Also, what are the requirements for joining a poker union? If I cough up ten bucks a month as a 25/hrs a month player, do I get a cut of WPT profits? The logistics would be a nightmare. You'd have to start clocking time in casinos, which would hurt guys who make money in private clubs or home games, etc. To form a union it would be necessary to have a more well-defined 'workplace' and a better way to track earnings.

That said, I agree with Andy that, if the poker buzz currently flying around was ever going to become a long-term boom, the current watchers would need to become familiar with the top players. For people to become 'poker fans' they would need to develop some trackable, ongoing attachment to the game, such as recognizing regular players or enjoying some other features of the show. I think the particular nature of poker dictates that there could be other ways of attracting people to the show - more sophisticated hand analysis on air comes to mind, as your average watcher gets more sophisticated - but I think recognizable players are the best way to do this. If this is going to be more than a fad it needs to have a plot with recognizable characters. I'm not saying rig the game - I'm just saying that people will get more attached if they can follow events.

I think players could pursue advertising on air, but there will be logistical nightmares to this as well. It will be interesting to see how people proceed. I think most of the guys you'll see on TV are already stable enough earners that they won't be frothing at the mouth for any extra angles.