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Wed 23 Nov, 2005 02:25 pm
Many years ago I saw Alfred Hitchcock interviewed. He was discussing suspense. He said that you could have two people sitting at a table talking when a bomb explodes under the table. This would generate some excitement in the viewers, but there's no suspense.
Or you could have the same two people sitting at the table talking. The viewers know there's a bomb under the table that could explode any minute. The suspense results from the viewers knowing about the bomb.
In a similar vein, watching people play cards on tv could generate occasional excitement. But enabling the viewers to see eveyone's hand creates suspense. Hence the rise in popularity of poker games on cable TV.
It's exciting to see whether the bluff will be called. Whether the pair of kings will be folded. Whether the flush will materialize.
And it's interesting to see how different players react to different situations. How different players play the game. Does aggression will out over playing tight? Sometimes.
Is anyone else watching?
My wife loves it (the real version, not the celeb version).
But then she's a psychologist which makes her a little weird.
I don't play poker. I self-diagnosed myself with ADD, so sitting at a table for hours playing cards is as much fun to me as slipping in a puddle of AIDS.
Therefore, watching it on TV is even more useless to me.
I do understand why people like it though.
I just saw it for the first time the other night.
I was kinda intrigued.
Enough so that I stopped on that channel the next night.
Of course, I fell asleep both nights watching - but I enjoyed it while I was awake.
I have seen poker games on television in passing a few times but it just does not hold my interest. Come to think of it card games and gambling don't grab my interest, I don't even care about lottery tickets.
People probably watch card games when they can't find a good golf match.
Looks like DrewDad's weird wife and weirdo me are the only ones watching. 'Cept of course for ehBeth, if she can manage to stay awake.
roger wrote:People probably watch card games when they can't find a good golf match.
I'd rather watch the test pattern!
Or a load of colored clothes tumbling in the dryer. More action.
I love to watch poker on TV!
I don't get much time to see TV but it seems that I can always catch some poker when I just need to chill.
Liquor upfront, poker in the rear.
boomer, Glad to know you're enjoying the tv poker. Did you watch the World Series?
I like watching poker on tv also but I really don't like the cover-ups that so many players resort to. Being able to keep a straight face, a poker face, without hiding behind low-riding baseball caps and dark sunglasses, is a part of the game and resorting to such devices, to me, seems like cheating.
I've been following poker on tv and really enjoy it. I just can't get the hang of the strategy. I thought Reymer was a great champion and was rooting for him this year.
I'm never sure which game I'm watching. I got hooked because you can watch for just a few minutes at at time but you get a whole, complete little story with each hand.
Has anyone read "Positively Fifth Street"? It's an interesting book about Ted Binyon's murder, playing in the World Series and the whole subculture of Vegas poker.
eoe, I don't know that I'd categorize dark glasses and hats as cheating. People are looking for help where they can find it. However, few of the real pros need such assistance. If I were playing, I'd have to wear a veil or put a bag over my head. My face is an open book.
panzade, I agree with you about Raimer. And I was rooting for him. He got pretty far, but not far enough. As for the strategy, I think each player has a different approach to the game. Some players are wildly aggressive; others are patient and conservative. But let's face it. Skill is a factor, but without luck, nobody's gonna win nuttin'.
boomer, I'll look for the book. It sounds intriguiging. Thanks for the tip.
I don't watch Tv. If I did, it sure wouldn't be poker.
Now, I have a question. In my younger days I used to love playing poker. I thought I knew all the rules of the 'draw' games and the 'stud' games. But I have no idea what the hell 'Texas hold 'em' is. I keep seeing the words and they are meaningless to me. What is it, a new kind of poker? Don't draw, play the hand cold? What?
we had a hold 'em thread last winter
<mutter mutter>
who posted to that?
hmmmmmm, Roberta must be on dial-up
http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1185685#1185685
a couple of us signed up at a few different sites and played <some quite regularly>
the easiest one for learning how to play texas hold'em is at Nabisco
nabiscoworld.com
That nabisco site still doesn't tell me how this game is played, Beth. It assumes one already knows.
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