Making HSP the ONLY Poker Show?

[theman]

Would anyone object (hypothetically) to making HSP the only poker show on TV? What if we simply got rid of all the other shows and put HSP on every week all year round (except maybe during the summer during WSOP)...

I've personally lost all interest in poker on TV, except HSP and the WSOP Main Event...just seeing if anyone has similar thoughts?

-TheMan

[JackTenOffSuit]

Yes, let's have less poker on TV because you've lost interest. That's smart.

I think what we'd actually prefer is if HSP would simply REPLACE all the other poker shows. Or better yet: Bobby's Room should add hole card cams and broadcast on a tape delay 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Honestly, who wouldn't watch that?

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

I object. IMO, of all televised poker, HSP has the least beneficial impact on poker in general

[RichGangi]

[ QUOTE ]
Or better yet: Bobby's Room should add hole card cams and broadcast on a tape delay 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Honestly, who wouldn't watch that?

[/ QUOTE ]
This will NEVER happen.

[yimyammer]

No way, while every show has its faults, I think more programming is better for the game, not less.

The WPT is great because fish like me aspire to make the "big time" without ever really having a chance. I think the pros would all agree they love people like myself entering into their arena making their game deeper with dead money.

The game needs fish and I think these shows bring them in.

What we need desperately is for online poker to be legalized so the advertising and sponsorship money can support these shows.

Nascar is on tv because of the wide array of sponsorship money available. Golf, NFL, NBA, etc all have these revenue streams to support their games.

Poker is severely crippled because one of it's largest revenue streams cannot buy ad time and therefore support additional and possibly better poker programming.

Additional programming as a result of more advertising revenue trickles down to everyone who plays online because more people will play who will be fish that feed the poker economy.

The UIGA has crushed (and continues to crush) American online poker and that is pretty evident to everyone who is still playing online.

You don't have to watch the shows you don't like. I can't see how you could have a problem with them airing more poker TV if it resulted in more profitable games.

[NickMPK]

I haven't had much chance to watch HSP because my cable company doesn't carry GSN. But I've seen a couple episodes, and I really have no desire to watch more. It just doesn't seem important.

Do you think people would rather watch the Superbowl, or a pick-up football game of NFL all-stars? I would much rather watch the Superbowl, because there is history and prestige attached to it, creating much more inherent drama.
Unless people are chasing titles and history, you're not going to attract a mainstream audience. Why would most people care if one poker pro wins some money from another?

Maybe if HSP actually published some sort of "standings" and awarded a "Player of the Year" or something, I would find it more compelling, but there just seems to be no continuity between episodes or anything at stake besides the result of the current hand.

[Jzo19]

[ QUOTE ]

I haven't had much chance to watch HSP because my cable company doesn't carry GSN. But I've seen a couple episodes, and I really have no desire to watch more. It just doesn't seem important.

Do you think people would rather watch the Superbowl, or a pick-up football game of NFL all-stars? I would much rather watch the Superbowl, because there is history and prestige attached to it, creating much more inherent drama.
Unless people are chasing titles and history, you're not going to attract a mainstream audience. Why would most people care if one poker pro wins some money from another?

Maybe if HSP actually published some sort of "standings" and awarded a "Player of the Year" or something, I would find it more compelling, but there just seems to be no continuity between episodes or anything at stake besides the result of the current hand.

[/ QUOTE ]

watching daniel negreanu get crushed is fun IMO...the table talk and general feel of HSP is what makes it much better than most of poker shows ...

[olivert]

There are two distinctly different segments of TV poker audiences:

1. The "casual" viewers who are driven by BIG EVENTS, such as the WSOP on ESPN and NBC Heads-Up.

2. The die-hard poker players, many of whom want to watch niche and micro-niche shows such as High Stakes Poker on a digital channel such as GSN. The die-hard audience also consume the "time buys" such as FullTiltPoker.net Aussie Millions on FSN.

There is room for both types of shows in the marketplace.

The "middle" market, which the likes of WPT occupied in the past 2 years, was squeezed by the change in the marketplace.
WPT ended up having to go to GSN for a 40% cut in rights fee because WPT wouldn't have gotten a rights fee from FSN, ESPN, or The Travel Channel.

[JackTenOffSuit]

Wow. You sir, are why the term LOL DONKAMENTS was created. Do you have any idea how infinitely more interesting a cash game is then a tournament, at least strategically? You do realize that tournaments are played with imaginary money, right?

I took the liberty of correcting your post below...

[ QUOTE ]

I haven't had much chance to watch HSP because my cable company doesn't carry GSN. But I've seen a couple episodes, and I really have no desire to watch more. It just doesn't seem important. Because I think Jamie Gold and Chris Moneymaker's victories are very important .

Do you think people would rather watch the Superbowl, or a pick-up football game of NFL all-stars? I would much rather watch the Superbowl, even if everyone playing in the Superbowl weren't actual football players but lucky amateurs off the street because there is history and prestige attached to it, creating much more inherent drama. I mean, the drama involved in a brilliant player like Dmitri Nobles bluffing with fake chips against another genius like George Danzer can't be matched by million dollar pots being played by Barry Greenstein and Doyle Brunson.
Unless people are chasing titles and history, you're not going to attract a mainstream audience of morons who know nothing about poker and just want to see an all-on on every hand . Why would most people care if one poker pro wins some money from another? I'd much rather watch two overly aggressive nobodies battle it out for fake money.

Maybe if HSP actually published some sort of "standings" and awarded a "Player of the Year" or something, I would find it more compelling, because when Tom Schneider finally won Player of the Year in 2007, I nearly shed a tear from how compelling it was but there just seems to be no continuity between episodes or anything at stake besides the result of the current hand. And this last statement shows how much I know about live poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

[olivert]

[ QUOTE ]
Wow. You sir, are why the term LOL DONKAMENTS was created. Do you have any idea how infinitely more interesting a cash game is then a tournament, at least strategically? You do realize that tournaments are played with imaginary money, right?

[/ QUOTE ]

You are assuming that the high-stakes "cash" games on High Stakes Poker were actually played with each player's OWN money.

I am aware of at least two instances in which players were allegedly "staked" into High Stakes Poker, with those two players playing with OPM (other people's money).

In one of the two cases, the player (P. H.) actually wrote on his blog that he was being staked.

In the other cash, this particular player, allegedly playing with OPM he was allegedly being staked, was able to execute a stone bluff with nothing more than a gutshot straight draw against another player who was holding a big overpair, forcing the player with the big overpair to lay down the best hand.

High Stakes Poker may have a cash game format, but it is still ultimately a TV show. The cash games on High Stakes Poker are not the same as the cash games played at Bobby's Room at the Bellagio each weekend.