Live Poker?

If you read my introductory sports blog, you'll remember that I'm a fan of televised poker, specifically ESPN's coverage of the World Series of Poker's "Main Event." A 7-day event whittled down to 2-hours of coverage a week that takes one through the late summer and early fall. Thankfully, these broadcasts are edited heavily, as these matches typically go on for a long time, and there's a lot of non-action during the action. Well, this is all about to change.

I thought it was a bit early for ESPN to start running ads for this year's coverage, since it usually doesn't pick up until late August. However, this is the actual week of the blessed Main Event, and there was the first ad. For the first broadcast. Thursday night. Live.

Wait, what? Live? We have the opportunity to see these guys fold around the table again and again LIVE? As a fan of the broadcast, let me be the first to say "um, hmmmmmmmmmmm."

I love the comedic commentary of Norm Chad during the event, he makes it bearable, and actually does know his poker. But if he's having to vamp live for 2 hours at a time for several days, I don't know how he's going to hold up. You've got to figure his work has been edited in the past, as well, so it's likely he won't even be as funny now.

Let's go back to the folding around the table. From my own experience playing poker, you could go 10 minutes at a time without a real bet happening at all. What if all the tables that have cameras are experiencing this problem. It's going to make for some good "well, let's show when Johnny Chan repeated as champion in 1990" time. Rain delay theater, as it were. That's what I like about poker, there's no need for that.

Look, it's not a real sport. I get it, and 99% of rational America gets it. It's not like Game 7 of the World Series, the Super Bowl, or even the Masters. If I don't know what' s happening live, that's okay. It's not like I'm betting on this (Ironically, I've never heard of an official betting line on a tournament based on betting). I just want to be entertained, and learn different ways to take my friends' money when we finally decide to have another poker night. I'll be watching, but I'll be skeptical.

Suddenly, I'm a snob over poker coverage. I need to go lie down.