10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

If you were an ESPN producer/exec, who are the 10 (preferably in order) players that you'd want to slot TV time for the most? This isn't really how entertaining you think they are, but what people will want to watch.

This may be simple but I'm a little bored. Offhand, I would say:

Hellmuth
Brunson
Matusow
Hachem
Ivey
Negreanu
Luske (?)
Farha
Moneymaker (?)
Chan

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

Dont know about hachem.

Right now he is, but come 4 weeks from now he'll be the "former" or "ex" champion which will lower marketability, unless he starts showing up on winners podiums more regularly.

Like it or Not, you should add jennifer tilly to that list. She's proven herself one of the better woman players, is a oscar winning hollywood star, has a boistrous personality, and a great rack.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

I seriously do not think Jennifer Tilly > these guys in terms of ratings draws. Maybe Hachem shouldn't be on the list though, who knows.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
is a oscar winning hollywood star

[/ QUOTE ]

Also, no, lol.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

interesting thread.

heres my picks:

phil ivey
phil hellmuth
mike matusow
doyle brunson
jennifer harman
chris moneymaker
daniel negreanu
phil laak
sam farha
greg raymer

i think any top pro is good for marketability, so honorable mentions are people like chris ferguson, howard lederer, john juanda, etc.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

Laak is good one imo. Raymer, maybe top 15 for me, but not top 10.

Ferguson is probably top 10. Any time he plays ESPN focuses on him.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

I think if you surveyed the 75 million or whatever people that play poker in the US, the most recognizable players would come out something like this:


Phil Hellmuth
Doyle Brunson
Phil Ivey
Chris Moneymaker
Chris Ferguson
Gus Hansen
Johnny Chan
Daniel Negreanu
Annie Duke
Mike Matusow

Negreanu is hard to define - he is loved by more serious poker players/fans, but not as known as some of the others when it comes to the poker mainstream.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
Laak is good one imo. Raymer, maybe top 15 for me, but not top 10.

Ferguson is probably top 10. Any time he plays ESPN focuses on him.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah I don't see why Raymer should be on there. Great guy, accomplished MTT player obviously, but I don't know that he has a huge draw.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

1.) Phil Hellmuth
2.) Daniel Negreanu
3.) Chris Ferguson
4.) Annie Duke
5.) Mike Matusow
6.) Johnny Chan
7.) Jennifer Tilly
8.) Phil Laak
9.) Sam Farha
10.) David Williams

I disagree with those who put Brunson and Ivey on this list. Poker is not a game where skill can really be discerned by the audience, unless the player really does something to show it; personality is much more important. Ivey doesn't really do anything to draw attention to himself away from the poker table, and at the table he is basically an android.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

Wow. Grinder didn't make anybody's list.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

There's no way Brunson is not on the list. Ivey you can debate, maybe, but I think he's on there.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
There's no way Brunson is not on the list. Ivey you can debate, maybe, but I think he's on there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Old people are not marketable on TV. That's just the truth.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There's no way Brunson is not on the list. Ivey you can debate, maybe, but I think he's on there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Old people are not marketable on TV. That's just the truth.

[/ QUOTE ]

Brunson is probably the most famous person in poker. Everyone knows who he is. Both all 2+2ers and everyone who's ever seen Super/System will tune in when he's on, esp. with Chad verbally fellating him at every opportunity.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
Wow. Grinder didn't make anybody's list.

[/ QUOTE ]

Who???

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

Phil Hellmuth
Mike Matusow
Marcel Luske
Tony G
Jennifer Harman
Doyle Brunson
Phil Laak
Chris Ferguson
Johnny Chan
The Crew

Note that my list isn't necessarily the people I would want to watch, or even the people who I LIKE watching -- but they are whom I think the general public, most of whom are not serious players, would most likely watch.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

The Crew is a good answer. Less so lately since before Boyd's win, they didn't do much for a little while. Who do you think is more deserving of being on the list, Fischman or Boyd?

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

Harman?

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
Harman?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd put Duke ahead of Harman.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

This may be a little off topic, but if I were trying to get put together an entertaining poker table to watch I would want to get a good balance of talkative villains, talkative non-villains and not so talkative players. A 30-30-40 split would be ideal:

Talkative villains ranked in order of preference:

1) Hellmuth
2) Matusow
3) Tony G
4) Devilfish
5) Sheiky

Talkative non-villains:

1) Negreanu
2) Farha
3) Laak
4) Luske
5) Esferandri

Not-so talkative players:

1) Ivey
2) Brunson
3) Forrest
4) Greenstein
5) Ferguson

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Harman?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd put Duke ahead of Harman.

[/ QUOTE ]

Duke still plays poker?

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Harman?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd put Duke ahead of Harman.

[/ QUOTE ]

Duke still plays poker?

[/ QUOTE ]

Duke played poker ever?

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

1. Phil hellmuth 2. Doyle Brunson 3.Daniel Negranu
4. Phil Ivey 5. Annie Duke 6. Scotty nyugen
7. Farha 8.Dan harrington 9. Greg Raymer 10. matusow

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]

1.) Phil Hellmuth
2.) Daniel Negreanu
3.) Chris Ferguson
4.) Annie Duke
5.) Mike Matusow
6.) Johnny Chan
7.) Jennifer Tilly
8.) Phil Laak
9.) Sam Farha
10.) David Williams

I disagree with those who put Brunson and Ivey on this list. Poker is not a game where skill can really be discerned by the audience, unless the player really does something to show it; personality is much more important. Ivey doesn't really do anything to draw attention to himself away from the poker table, and at the table he is basically an android.

[/ QUOTE ]

i agree with jackie-ivey maybe you can debate, but there's no way about brunson. he's the godfather of poker, the texas dolly, etc. etc. everyone who watches poker even casually most likely knows who he is. just the fact that he's been playing for so long and is so respected in the poker world makes him a marketable figure.

also, don't forget that "marketable" doesnt necessarily mean someone who is unique or stands out. phil ivey makes the list just because he is so popular among people who play poker; so many people think hes the best all-around player in the world (i'm not sure if i would disagree) including pros that he's hard to ignore. and his presence at the table is somewhat intimidating too, at least in my opinion raymer is maybe questionable, but the fact that he won the ME in 2004 off a satellite on stars (i think, correct me if i'm wrong) and that he went so deep in 2005, plus his sort of nice-guy/every-man image could make him a fan favorite.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

Alot of people enjoy watching Gus Hansen play as well because of his unconventional poker style and the fact that alot of women find him attractive!!!

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
This may be a little off topic, but if I were trying to get put together an entertaining poker table to watch I would want to get a good balance of talkative villains, talkative non-villains and not so talkative players. A 30-30-40 split would be ideal:

Talkative villains ranked in order of preference:

1) Hellmuth
2) Matusow
3) Tony G
4) Devilfish
5) Sheiky

Talkative non-villains:

1) Negreanu
2) Farha
3) Laak
4) Luske
5) Esferandri

Not-so talkative players:

1) Ivey
2) Brunson
3) Forrest
4) Greenstein
5) Ferguson

[/ QUOTE ]

this is a very accurate post

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

kenna james?

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

Looking over other responses, I probably should have included Scotty Nguyen and Devilfish on my list. So knock off Farha and Williams and put them on there. I'm standing firm on Brunson, though. He's just never struck me as that charismatic, and someone his age needs a lot more than poker skill to be a marketable personality.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
ivey maybe you can debate

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't see how. He's the only player in existence with an army of fanboys (Negreanu a distant second). On every site that has customizable avatars, Ivey avatars outnumber the rest of the poker world put together.

He's young, better looking than just about anyone else on the list (mind you, that isn't hard) and he's on TV a ton.

If he were to win the ME, the media would get the world's biggest woody.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ivey maybe you can debate

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't see how. He's the only player in existence with an army of fanboys (Negreanu a distant second). On every site that has customizable avatars, Ivey avatars outnumber the rest of the poker world put together.

He's young, better looking than just about anyone else on the list (mind you, that isn't hard) and he's on TV a ton.

If he were to win the ME, the media would get the world's biggest woody.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ivey has been on TV a lot because he does well in a lot of televised tournaments. However, he has never shown any interest in actually marketing himself. Phil Ivey is a big celebrity within the poker community, where skill is actually important, and if he wanted to be celebrity in the mainstream, he certainly could be. But I don't think he wants it. Ivey seems happy to win millions playing poker and keeping as low a profile as possible for someone with his talents.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

Here's my list (not my personal favorite list, but simply those that I think the unwashed masses most want to see):

Doyle Brunson
Phil Hellmuth
Chris Moneymaker
T.J. Cloutier
Johnny Chan
Phil Ivey
Chris Ferguson
Annie Duke
Gus Hanson
Joe Hachem

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
ivey maybe you can debate

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't see how. He's the only player in existence with an army of fanboys (Negreanu a distant second). On every site that has customizable avatars, Ivey avatars outnumber the rest of the poker world put together.

He's young, better looking than just about anyone else on the list (mind you, that isn't hard) and he's on TV a ton.

If he were to win the ME, the media would get the world's biggest woody.

[/ QUOTE ]

Quoted for truth. My list would be:

1. Phil Ivey
2. Daniel Negreanu
3. Phil Helmuth
4. Gus Hansen
5. Anthony Esfandari (sp?)
6. Chris Ferguson
ummmm....

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

I'd probably add Arieh to the mix.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

TV producers would wet themselves if an atractive caucasian woman were to make the final table.

They couldn't give a damn about Brunson or Chan, because decades of solid play doesn't make for great TV.

Hellmuth and Matusow are always good for some trash talk, and Marcel has his wacky Dutch guy act.

Sammy and Daniel are great TV because of their personalities and table talk.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

Greenstein gets my vote as the best player who makes terrible TV.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

I'm surprised that no one even mentioned Phil Gordon

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

1. Chipp Reese
2. Doyle Brunson
3. Andy Bloch
4. Phil Ivey
5. Jim Bechtel
6. David Singer
7. Dewey Tomko
8. T.J. Cloutier
9. Patrik Antonius
The order yet to be determined.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

List:

Phil Hellmuth
Mike Matusow
Phil Ivey
Daniel Negreanu
Gus Hansen
Patrik Antonius
Liz Lieu
Sam Farha
Phil Laak
Doyle Brunson

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

Doyle Brunson
Phil Hellmuth
Johnny Chan
Chris Moneymaker
Annie Duke
Jennifer Tilly
Gus Hansen
Chris Ferguson
Phil Ivey
Mike Matusow

Can't find room for Negreanu. Several of these players are somewhat known in popular culture: Hansen has been in "People" magazine on a sexiest men list. Ferguson is on TV a lot, as is Ivey, and that's his voice on some Full Tilt commercials. Plus, two women, including the famous actress, one black guy/great player...that stuff probably matters.

It's also hard to leave off Slim...the trouble he had flies under the radar, and he was immensely well known before.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

I absolutely cannot understand how someone could exclude Negreanu from this list. The most important attribute a poker player has to have to be marketable is that he has to want to be marketable, and has to be willing to market himself. You also need to have skill and personality, but many players have both of these.

Hellmuth and Negreanu are number one and number two on this list by a wide margin because they have both shown themselves willing to put in tireless time and effort marketing themselves as a brand, even to the exclusion of playing poker. Some TV producer trying to force Phil Ivey into this role when he is unwilling just isn't going to have the same effect.

Notice that during both Heads-Up Championships on NBC, Hellmuth and Negreanu were the featured table during every match they played? It's not because they are the best players or even the most charismatic. Its because those two went out and made themselves famous beyond the poker table. They are celebrities and not just poker players, and that is what makes you marketable.

Re: 10 Most MarketableTV Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
Here's my list (not my personal favorite list, but simply those that I think the unwashed masses most want to see):

Doyle Brunson
Phil Hellmuth
Chris Moneymaker
T.J. Cloutier
Johnny Chan
Phil Ivey
Chris Ferguson
Annie Duke
Gus Hanson
Joe Hachem

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is the first list including Gus Hansen. Gus makes great television and cannot be excluded from this list. I think everyone is interested in watching him play.