Home game with cameras/youtube

[BrookTrout]

It can be alot of fun to record the game, but you'll need to do some more work:

-Editing is huge, you'll end up with hours and hours of footage, and will require a fairly powerful Mac/PC with HD space to work with

-In addition to the hole cameras, you'll need at least 2 or 3 cameras capturing the board and players... If you only use hole cameras, there will be no way for someone watching the video to have any clue what is happening.

-Lighting is key - you'll want to make sure that both the table top and card cameras have adequate visibility. Take a look at how the English poker shows are done - those cameras are easier to setup than the lipstick cameras used in North America.

-Putting in percentages and card graphics sounds nice, but realize a 4 hour tournament will take you 30 hrs to edit (at least at the start) and putting up graphics will make it that much more time-intensive. What I'd suggest if you're just starting, is getting a commentator in post to do voice-overs with the relevant information such as %'s.

In terms of cameras, look at CCTV or lipstick cameras in addition to the network cameras mentioned before.

Oh and don't have the cameras playing in the next room - there are no benefits to this, only drawbacks.

Post the YouTube link if you ever do this, would be interesting.

[cardshark]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
lol Cardshark - I'm not sure why, people think it'd be cool to be able to watch what's going on during say the final table of a big tournament. Not sure how we'd use it for the cash game we play, because I wouldn't want people going in and out, and it'd have to be pretty secure (no cell phones, etc)

[/ QUOTE ]

This could go bad very quickly. Think about this very carefully before you decide to allow live viewing.

[/ QUOTE ]

That was precisely my point. Just look what happened to those guys that got arrested for rigging a high-stakes game in AC. It would only take one of the players getting upset at losing a big pot to accuse you of rigging the game wit cameras. The evidence (the cameras) would be right there and you may have a hard tome proving the game was on the square.

The TV tournaments are (supposedly) regulated by all the appropriate agencies. Weather or not their games are subject to rigging is a totally different discussion. What is important is the difference between these games and a home-game version. If anyone accuses them of rigging the games, they can always point the finger at the regulatory agencies. However, in the event that anyone accuses you of rigging your games, you are trapped, and in your jurisdiction you are probably running an illegal game, anyway. If anyone makes an official report to the cops, the authorities would have a lot of evidence against you.

Since it seems like you are doing this for fun, you may want to consider doing this with play-money games, just for bragging rights, and the opportunity to be featured on YouTube.

Just my 2 cents. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[82Steve]

a time-delay of around 5 mins when streaming live could work wonders in terms of game integrity.

[Taso]

Brooktrout, thanks for the tips, will take it all into consideration.

Cardshark, it's a very friendly game. And a completly legal one too, no rake. No one would think I was rigging it, we're all very good friends since maybe Freshmen year of High school. Obviously I will have to check with everyone and make sure no one has a problem with it, or inform everyone before they play, but so far everyone thinks this will be very cool.

The time delay that 82 mentioned would also help, not sure how I would go about doing this, but as of now it's all sort of extra. Gotta buy all the cameras first :P

[Befolder]

I'd watch something like this if done well enough.

[cardshark]

[ QUOTE ]
Cardshark, it's a very friendly game. And a completly legal one too, no rake.

[/ QUOTE ]

I do understand that you are all friends. But I am just saying that if done incorrectly it may become a mess. Of course, I do not want to give the wrong impression that I am discouraging you form doing a creative project. I would most likely watch it on YouTube, if it was done nicely.

You also have to be careful when you say that a game is completely legal, just based on the fact that there is no rake. I do not know what state you live in, so I don't really know your local laws. But I do know for a fact that many people are greatly misinformed about their local laws and their usual source of information is from other players that are all equally misinformed.

My source of information, in my own local jurisdiction, comes from reading (and studying) the actual penal law (section on gambling violations), and from talking to a friend of mine who is a high ranking gambling regulator in the very state I live in.

In my state if you host a poker game without a rake, you are breaking the law because you are "advancing gambling". That is a class A misdemeanor and can carry up to 1 year in prison.

Finally, me quoting my local law has absolutely no relevance with weather or not I agree with it. I am simply stating what it says.

Back on topic, now...

I was thinking about how you could possibly organize your game and minimize the possibility of being accused for rigging it. You could build your table with the hole cams and wire up the whole thing to a multi-channel DVR. You keep the DVR in the same room where the game is being played and you make a short demo before the tournament starts. You explain that everything will be recorded for future editing. Then you turn the monitor off, and you start playing.

Of course, someone could still say that there is some additional equipment that sends wireless signals to some secret receiver. But I think that would be very unlikely, especially if you allow your guest to examine all the equipment, if they desire to do so.

Good luck with your project.

[Dangeresque]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd Love to help commentate something like this if done well enough.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Taso]

thanks cardshark, that's good advice, definitly.

Dangeresque, if this ever gets off the ground, that'd be great. I was going to do it myself but I think it'd be better with a 3rd party. Also, I will be muting any player conversations, because they will most likely revolve around bad sounding stuff. So we'll need something to fill the silence.

[crookedlink]

just throwing this out there...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DhLVTEf3tYE

[Dangeresque]

[ QUOTE ]
thanks cardshark, that's good advice, definitly.

Dangeresque, if this ever gets off the ground, that'd be great. I was going to do it myself but I think it'd be better with a 3rd party. Also, I will be muting any player conversations, because they will most likely revolve around bad sounding stuff. So we'll need something to fill the silence.

[/ QUOTE ]

Heck, I have audacity. I can bleep out any bad stuff if it's funnier that way. Anyway, feel free to PM me if this happens.