I just read a news piece about how the World Poker Tour (WPT) is trimming the number of televised events they’ll be offering this season. Citing player feedback and industry trends, Steve Lipscomb (founder, president, etc.) said the WPT’s focus is on creating large fields and correspondingly juicy prize pools and increased media for players. Apparently the WPT will also provide live coverage, first ever sports-style analysis, and a running strategic breakdown of  what’s going on.

 

I’m so happy to see this! This is the poker industry getting into fighting shape: getting lean and badass. I can’t stress this enough: We don’t need more televised events, we need better ones. Think about it from a football perspective. Ever watched the NFL Europe (which folded this year because it sucked) or Arena Football? Compared to the NFL, these programs are complete duds. The players are terrible and so is every other aspect of the program including commentary, footage, coaching, etc.

In order for televised poker to succeed, the shows have to be popular. It’s not enough anymore to just see a group of guys sitting around a table playing cards for money. The stale old poker shows are basically just a Sportscenter-like compilation of all-ins. Just a bunch of coolers. Even with large amounts of money at stake, believe me, the viewing novelty wears off.

 

The public is ready for the real game and they want intelligent analysis, not just old jokes about a commentator’s ex-wife. This game has been televised now for a while and the viewing public wants to see actual poker being played, not just a bunch of all-ins. Now people want drama, back-stories, strategic analysis, good commentary, and good poker.

What we have now is a population explosion of poker shows. Too many deer in the forest means that none of them get enough to eat. That’s how it is in the poker world. We have too many shows. I’m all for new ideas but if televised poker is going to continue to capture America’s attention it’s time to take some of the better poker shows and make em great.

That’s what the WPT is doing. They already have Mike Sexton, definitely one of the best poker commentators (and players) out there. They always have a hot hostess, which is good I guess, but there are enough attractive women who also are knowledgeable about poker. What about getting one of them? Think the Rachel Nichols of poker.

But this blog isn’t one of my rants, it’s a celebration. Seriously, nice job WPT. You guys trimmed a little fat off the TV circuit while at the same time upgrading the meat of the show. This is a big step in the right direction. Coming on the heels of the WPT’s recent structure improvements, in my opinion this program is clearly leading the way in the quality revolution. First there was poker. Then there was too much poker. Now we’re heading where we need to go: Great Poker.

 

Well played, guys. Paul