What is
it about poker that has everyone glued to the
TV? It's not really the action. It's all about the
drama! The head games.
The viewer knows what the other players have and can watch the
drama unfold. The intriguing part is when a player gives up on a
hand when he had the best cards and we can yell and call him an
idiot. Like we would have done any better, right?
And the cast of characters who play these poker games is fantastic.
You have the fat, beer belly slobs who look like they can't wait
for the hand to end so they can grab another drink.
You have the guys wearing Members Only jackets circa 1985 Kmart
men's department.
You have the smokers who take turns flipping chips and sucking
nicotine.
And of course, let's not forget the array of sunglasses to hide
the eyes. Something about that
doesn't seem right. Poker is all about reading your opponent, and
here you have some players masking their emotions with accessories.
That should be outlawed, especially in these "professional"
world series of poker tournaments. That's like putting a partition
between the Quarterback and the defense in football until the ball
is snapped and the QB can't read the defense.
In online poker, there is no body language to read, at least not
yet. Someday, when we all have webcams, that could be different.
Until then online poker players need to rely on other methods to
"read" their opponents. If you play someone enough, you
can learn to read their hand, even online. Perhaps it's when they
they bet or fold or raise the stakes. Maybe it's how quickly they
respond to a dealer. Maybe certain cards always make them raise
the stakes.
Most old-timers hate the concept of online poker. Not being able
to see your opponent seems ludicrous to them. And they have a valid
point indeed. Others love the anonymity of online gambling and wouldn't
even be playing if it wasn't for the internet.
I think old-timers and new-comers can all agree that poker has
been taken to a level of popularity never
before seen thanks to both the internet casinos and the television
coverage. The question is, can it go
higher or will it fade away only to make another comeback somewhere
down the line.
Our prediction:
The TV ratings will start dropping soon. The appeal will wear off
for the casual viewer. It really starts
to get repetitive. Kind of like Nascar and watching cars go around
and around. The hardcore fans will
continue to watch, but the casual viewer is like, enough is enough.
Online poker, on the other hand will
just continue to rise in popularity. It's the future of the game.
- OGP Staff
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