(Click Here for the Latest Online Poker News Stories)
Copyright © 2006 Digital Chicago
& Sun-Times News Group
HEADLINE: Be careful what you learn from televised
poker
Body:
While watching televised poker
is an excellent way to learn
how to play the game, you really need to be careful about
how you interpret what you're seeing.
The key point to remember is that you're watching an edited-down
poker show. You're not seeing all the hands played, and that can
give you a skewed version of what is really happening.
For example, you might have seen me make a bluff in a certain
situation that looked foolish because my opponent called. What
you might not have seen, however, is how that silly bluff paid
off later in the game.
There is always more to the story than what you see on television.
ESPN's coverage is fantastic, but the product is basically a
highlight reel of an all day final table. It would be impossible
to tell the whole story in the amount of airtime that they have,
so you're left seeing crowd-pleasing confrontations like A-K against
a pair of jacks.
You might be wondering how these players get so many great hands.
Well, they don't. You're seeing the most exciting hands from a
nine-hour final.
The Travel Channel's poker show, "World Poker Tour,"
is a little closer to reality. Two hours are dedicated to each
WPT broadcast, and the final table generally lasts between four
to five hours. However, there are also inherent problems with
learning from this show.
Although you're seeing a much higher percentage of hands, play
is distorted by the fact that the blinds escalate so quickly that
the element of skill is reduced. As a result, you'll see players
going all-in with K-5 and other players calling with hands like
K-10.
That's not real poker, and if you operate this way in a normal
tournament setting, you're playing far too recklessly and aggressively.
Television's best teaching tool is undoubtedly GSN's "High
Stakes Poker." This program brings together professionals
and amateurs, including the likes of Jerry Buss and Bob Stupak,
in an actual cash game setting. The blinds don't escalate and
the goal isn't necessarily to get all the money.
Players compete for cash that they put up themselves. I actually
plopped down a million bucks to play in this game. Sure, I was
paid $1,250 per hour to be on the show, but if the cards didn't
go my way, I could have lost my entire investment.
"High Stakes Poker" takes 24 hours of footage and breaks
it down into a 13-week series. The play is very sophisticated
and as close to watching high stakes live poker as you're going
to get. Even with this show, I'd add the following caution at
the bottom of the screen: Viewer discretion is advised. Do not
try these plays at home!
Why? Again, the play is very advanced. Copying these moves and
trying them on your buddies at your home game might not work so
well. Yes, some of these plays can be deadly in the right hands,
but they can also ruin an inexperienced player who attempts them.
Having said all that, watching poker on television is still the
best way to learn how to play No
Limit Hold'em -- short of actually sitting down at a real
table. The key is to understand what you're watching and take
everything with a grain of salt.
It's important to understand that players on ESPN don't get better
cards than those on The Travel Channel. On top of that, television
likes to show the craziest hands. Going all-in with J-6 isn't
such a great idea, even if you've seen Gus Hansen try it on the
World Poker Tour.
By all means, learn what you can from the professionals on television,
but understand you're seeing only the tip of the proverbial poker
iceberg.
Visit www.fullcontactpoker.com/news to submit your questions
and comments to poker champion Daniel Negreanu
Exclusive PokerRoom
Bonus - 40% up to $200
Article
downloaded from the World Wide Web on June 24, 2006:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/couriernews
/sports/3_2_EL24_C4POKER_S10624.asp |
(Click Here for the Latest Online Poker News Stories)
|