Televised Professional Poker Games

In addition to professional and college football games, my television watching time over the holiday period was increasingly expended on televised professional poker games (not to be confused with Celebrity Poker, which is a waste of time). Several channels carried the professional poker games and during halftime, commercials, and lulls in football action, I anxiously clicked over to see some Texas Hold 'Em. I admit it. I can't help myself. I'm addicted to watching professional poker played on television. Seeing someone win a pot worth over $600,000 with only a seven high in the hole (and the worst hand) is pretty dramatic.

Bossrabbit broached this subject at Blogger Rabbit and I wanted to add to his observations. One aspect of some programs which was unique was the installation of tiny video cameras showing the hole cards of all the gamblers. This made for interesting viewing. However, if I were a player in the game, I would have preferred not to have that information broadcast nor recorded. It is entirely possible to build a video database which documents how an individual player plays different card combinations. Everybody would know when a player bluffed in winning a hand. Even body kinetics could be studied and correlated to the game.

I personally think that the television viewer should have no more information about the game than would an individual standing by and watching. That wouldn't include a look at all the players' hole cards.