TV currentley ruining poker! What can we do?

Hi all,

First ov all il start with the question...

Who thinks TV poker is ruining the depth of the game and removing some of the most fun elements.

Recentley its realey started annoying me. The game has been changed to suit a faster paced, supposedley more interesting (to the ignorant) game. But the down side is a shallow game usualy decided by luck more than skill. In most cases the higher level elements of the game have removed. Tells are all but eliminated. I cant remember the last time when a comentator remarked on a players tell tale signs that give away there hand. And to be honest they are completley lost on the internet players anyway.
This isnt the only thing though. My main gripe comes fromt he fact that now all the tables are usualy 6 seater. And the online community of poker rooms is following... Look on everest poker.com (where i play now) the number of 10 seater stt's is rubbish. But 6 seater there are loads.

It simpley no fun to play 6 seater. its the same all the time.
1 race earley on leaves five left. Theres one loose player one tight player and two in the middle. the game structure usualy forces it this way.
But themain problem is its basically a game of high card. Flushes and streights become unplayable becuase there are rarley inuf preflop callers to justify a call with a suited connector.

In a 10 seater table the first 30mins (down to 6 left) the games based around flushes streight and full houses and trips. And its a lot more difficult to keep track of individual playing styles. Then when you get down to 6 left it become more like high card untill 3 are left then int becomes a game of bluff or be bluffed.

Without those extra 4 players 1/2 the game is gone... and its simpley to make it look better for tv where the audience wouldnt apricate the complexitys of implied pot odds etc.

More TV = Interesting to the ignorant viewers and ore boaring for those who like to play the game.

any one else feel as strongley about this as i?

You're an angry guy aren't you LOL. I like this post (thought your prima one was a bit off target) - personally i've never seen the fascination with watching poker on tv, but I agree that a full 10 player game would be mightily boring to watch. People want to see action, and when they want to play they want to experience the same level of action. Some sites (the ipoker - cdpoker, noble, titan etc) are heavily biased towards 6 seater games, but there are plenty of others (party poker, full tilt, pokerstars) where 9 or 10 player tables are the norm. If you don't like playing 6 players games, simply switch to a different site that doesn't have them - simple as that!

I think if the TV programmes provide a constant string of wannabe Phil Ivey's who think they can play any cards in any position, then so much the better for more capable players.

I dont really watch that much TV poker. Seen one on SKY last night, the play was so bad it was bordering on the comical. I say let them off, the more donks it encourages to the game the better for the rest of us.

i dont think it makes it better for me.

i perfer to loose an interesting high level game incorperating all the elements. (ie- have a challenging fun game)

rather than winning something where its high cards and lucky races all the time. - something the 6 seaters encourage.

-lol

i do play other places, but i just dont li ke the way its going...

if you compair a televised game from 15 years ago to now it used to be far more complex.

O, i dont watch much on tv either. (lol) i just dont like how tv said we like 6 seater andnow thats what all the poker rooms cater too.

I blame ESPN (Evil Sports Propaganda Network). They have turned any 3 hr game into 20 seconds clips and has make the individual superior to the team. It no longer matter if your team win or loses, as long as you make a highlight quality play you get your face on TV.

Poker is the same way, heaven forbit you show all the final tables, no, you just get the interesting hands. You never get to see the hands that set players up, push them towards tilt or make them shortstacked. You only see when someone gets pushed all in, etc. Why do you think you will never see a poker game live. Only about 5% of the people would want to see it and it would take 3-4 hrs for the final 8 players to finish it out.

TV brings producers into the games.......... Which is a good thing

Sorry Topp I'm going to have to disagree here. The games on T.V. are still the exciting games they always have been, but like gfpokerfan said "They have turned any 3 hr game into 20 seconds clips and has made the individual superior to the team." So you're not seeing the boring stuff. Do you really want to see all the hands that are checked and folded?
If you watch the WSOP you would see that luck is a factor but skill is still the mark.
"Tells are all but eliminated. I cant remember the last time when a commentator remarked on a players tell tale signs that give away there hand."
Once again if you watch the WSOP there are several instances of tells coming out. Some are noticeable by the public and some are pointed out by commentators. These commentators are the people that are trying to teach a generation how to play poker. That's why they pound the shit out of sayings and hand ranks that you or I think is stupid.

On to the six handed scuffle. I don't like these either, but there popping up at every site. You simply have to stay away from them.

"In a 10 seater table the first 30mins (down to 6 left) the games based around flushes straight and full houses and trips. And its a lot more difficult to keep track of individual playing styles. Then when you get down to 6 left it become more like high card until 3 are left then int becomes a game of bluff or be bluffed. "
The ten seater loses 4 in 30 mins. on T.V. They have to make it fit somehow. Without those 4 people you still get pot odds and all the other goodies, but you seldom here about them because the commentators are trying to teach an audience of newbies that are ignorant to the game. Why stuff there heads to full before they learn basic play? As for the six that are left, what do you mean hi card? I've seen plenty of boats,flushes, and straits when it gets down to six. When it gets to the final 3 and it's bluff or be bluffed, what's wrong? Isn't bluffing part of the game?

This was an excellent thread there Topp44. Keep posting the good stuff. But stay away from the conspiracy theories.

i just mean that to justify a minimum raise call with sooted connecters id need 4 callers. In a game with only 5 players (one is gone at 5mins @ lower levels i play ) it rarley happens. I say minimum raise because it has to be raised to make a turn call on the openended (at less than 1/3 pot size with 3 callers on the turn.). Even then its borderline pot odds for a 1/2 pot size call with 1 caller on the river.

with 9 peaople seated you simpley get more callers making the pot odd easier. although the odds of competetors outs increases, this doesnt usualy matter becuase id only call openended or flush runner if the odds added up and i was going for the nuts.

id like the option for 12 seaters. The first 25mins would be very interesting, and would get rid of a lot of the fishes as they rarley imply pot odds etc. more complicated as well.

dont think any sites even run 12 seaters. ?

anyone know.?

Are you for real? I thought this was a good post until I realized you don't even realize what you posted.
I take back my comment in the last post. I think you should stick to the conspiracy theories.

A twelve seater?
Where would I put my beer?

i just mean that to justify a minimum raise call with sooted connecters id need 4 callers.

You have the choice to re-raise with connectors.. Me personally I don't call with low suited connectors with 6 players. You need justification to the meens

I would have to say when they took Benny Hill off the air over here in the states a little part of me died. That was an hour of very very funny stuff. But if I go all-in in a twelve handed STT and take out 14 people then my toenails will fall off.
Damn Henrietta got out of her cage I'll be back.

Ask your cable or satellite company for the "BBC America" channel. They still play old Benny Hill re-runs at many different hours. Brings back memories.

Topps, if you want to play 12 seater games, why dont you just play 2 six player games at the same time?

its hardley the same....

im going to e-mail all the poker rooms i use and request some 12 seaters.
they might build soe in a year or two.

Please keep us informed on these new e-mails. Can't wait to see how many of these change for you.

I put in a call to the Pope and he said he was going to tell the Vatican that their weekly poker game was going to become a 12 seater. If the Pope can do it you can to.

Let us know. We have faith in you because you're on Topp of it.

Dennis, I've changed my mind about seeding you with Buckster in the "Nice Guy" catagory of your flame war. You got a bite to you don't ya?

12 seater sounds like a Cornhole Pirate porn title........