10 reasons why The PokerStars Big Game will save televised poker

 

After watching the first episode I was a bit surprised to find myself looking forward to the next two episodes I had stored on my computer! I was actually interested in poker show for the first time in a long time. I’ve been saying that televised poker needed a new ‘Hole-Card Cam’ type innovation to further progress the game, and I think The Big Game may be just the telecast to accomplish this. Despite no game-changing innovation, The Big Game did everything perfectly, so let me list why the 10 reasons I felt the show will be the next step in poker’s progression:

1.       The set was perfect! A very sophisticated but clutter free stage made it easy to focus on the participants and follow the action. Audio was spot on, with the players clearly being heard and very little background noise. It was also nice to see the players all on one side of the table, so the cameras could pick up all players in the wide shots.

2.       The show moved along at a normal poker pace, there was no dramatic music or cutaways to commercial in big spots, the show simply progressed in the same way a poker game does.

3.       The 6-Man format made it easy to follow the conversation, and the players were all involved in a single conversation, unlike the seemingly chaotic nature on High Stakes Poker where half the table is talking about one thing, and the other half is discussing something else. Or even worse the non-existent table talk on straight tournament broadcasts.

4.       The addition of online poker statistics like PFR and VPIP is long overdue, and Joe Stapleton did a fantastic job of clearly explaining what these statistics mean, and how they can be used to get a read on a player’s style.

5.       The interviews by Amanda Leatherman are sparse, and actually focused on hands during the game, or how people were playing. The few cutaways to Leatherman were also done well.

6.       The “rules” of the game –Pot Limit pre-flop, No Limit Post-Flop—eliminated the huge all-in fests and put an emphasis on post-flop play.

7.       Stapleton and Chris Rose were perfect at keeping the viewer informed, and killing dead air.

8.       FINALLY, a hand count! The Big Game shows virtually every hand that has any impact on the game, so you’re never left wondering how someone’s stack changed so dramatically. Plus they regularly put up the hand count (each session consists of 150 hands).

9.       Solid dress code. Phil Laak wore tinted glasses, Doyle wore his Cowboy hat, and Hellmuth wore a baseball hat; you could literally see every player’s eyes, and nobody looked like a frightened turtle!

10.   Unlike other pro vs. amateur shows, in The Big Game, the amateur is pitted against pros playing with their own money, while the amateur is being staked. So, in order to win anything, the amateur had to win, and the pros were risking their own money, not some seed money put up by the show. It was also refreshing to see professional poker players in their normal roles as players. The addition of a lesser skilled player brought about the usual chatter and behavior designed to make the online qualifier feel comfortable, and willing to gamble.