Creating the perfect table...
By Dan Gati
Each week on Poker After Dark, we have a new cast of characters. Some weeks the players talk incessantly (Week 1 with Hellmuth, Annie Duke, Sheiky); other weeks, the game of poker is the focus (Week 3 with the WSOP champs). What is the perfect combination? Would the audience rather see blowups, a la Hellmuth in Week 1? Or would the audience rather see disciplined, smart poker play with little interaction between the players (Week 3)?
There is no easy answer to this question, and, like most issues, there's probably a common ground to be had. Ideally, the players would be entertaining most of the time, and, while all the theatrics are going on, they'd play solid poker. And from time to time, you get that perfect storm.
Week 4 (Matusow, Tony G, Ivey, Farha, Bloch, Hellmuth) is pretty close to that perfect storm, and I think the audience will agree that this has been one of the best weeks of Poker After Dark.
And the good news is, Week 4 is just the beginning. Next week, Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari join Poker After Dark, and it's always entertaining when those two are at the table. Plus, you have the added benefit that both of those guys are exceptional poker players who really enjoy the nuances of the game.
Back to the original question: what's the best table possible? You definitely need two or three "talkers." Guys who are entertaining. But you also need guys like Phil Ivey who are insanely good players and will chime in from time to time with a witty one-liner.
The process of selecting a group of six will evolve over time, and eventually, it will be down to a near science. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of Week 4 and all of Week 5. It doesn't get much better than this in the poker world.
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Creating the perfect table....
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://blogs.nbcsports.com/system/mt-tb.cgi/4717
13 Comments
Leave a comment
About this blog
NBC Sports breaks down the biggest news, bluffs, table talk and more during Poker After Dark and the Heads-Up Championship.
First off, I have to say that Poker After Dark is by far the best Poker show to watch on TV... And let me say, that I've watched them all... Sure WSOP is the king of poker shows by default, and there are several other good ones - did i mention I DVR them all? - but purely on a hand-by-hand basis with the least commentray and hand editing, for a poker lover and player, Poker After Dark wins hands down.
Now, as for the best players to watch? Who cares. Honestly, it's a 6-handed game - you can only fit so many at at time... and you've been doing a great job tinkering the line-ups and having some of my favorites sprinkled throughout. (Gus, Tony G, Ivey, Jesus, Chan, Farha and others) What matters most is that you have a show with new material 5 DAYS A WEEK!
Ok.. Well, I do have one suggestion... Bring Andrew Black to the table! Funny, good hearted, and probably one of the most under-rated players in the game.
Another suggestion... Don't invite Phil Helmuth back. He proved just how poorly he understands the Sit-N-Go format... and no one at home needs his egotistical, yet insecure, self-aggrandizing comments, when any number of online players would have made it much farther than him in Week #4... And he makes Da Mouth sound like a philosophy scholar each time he opens his mouth.
Keep up the great show... Oh, and of course... you guys added Shana Hiatt, the ultimate poker honey... touche! Or should I say.. tushy! (ouch!)
GL.
Ok, I thought about "the perfect table" dynamic some more, and I have come up with a couple suggestions.
I liked the "Champions table" (Week #3) as a theme and pure historic value but yes, of course you need the two-three "talkers" too for table dynamics, which the the Champions table lacked (it also lacked Huck Seed).
Therefore, I suggest two table line-ups based loosely around "themes", but they also include "talkers".
Line up #1: Players who bluff a lot and use a "loose-aggresive" style of play. This should include:
Andrew Black
Todo Leonidas
Scott Fishman
Michal Misrachi
Lane Flack
Carlos Mortensen (give him another chance!)
Plus, as back-ups: Tuan Li, Devil Fish Ulliot, Huck Seed - I blanked on a few others, but there are plenty who make their living by running over other players... Let's see what happens when you put 6 of them together!
Line up #2: The original young guns, or the original "crew", made up of:
Daniel Negraunu
Allen Cunningham
John Juanda
Phil Ivey
Then add:
Eric Lindgren
and Jennifer Harman and as a sixth.
As back-ups, either Scott Fishman, Carlos Mortensen, Huck Seed or some other young winner to make up an interesting challenge of players who all have played together for a long time, but are "realtively" new bloods (compared to Doyle and Slim).
That's enough gems, I think to make a couple good shows... 'Nuff said!
This weeks show was great. Reminded me of the friday night pocket change games we played in college. The casual chatter among the players seemed to be just right to be entertaining and still provide good strategy instruction for us home players.
Thanks for putting on a great program. Keep em coming.
This is, as the above have stated, an amazing program! It really feels like you're there with the players. A nice casual chatty feel. The 'show people' are unintrusive and helps really let the players play, bs, and trashtalk amongst themselves.
My only complaint is that the Seattle station won't run this until after 3:30! I know it's meant to be a DVR'd program but for those night owls among us it would be nice not to have to wait through paid programming and reruns of the local fluff news magazine show to get to this gem! So I'm ordering an ATSC tuner and turning one of my linux boxen into a DVR...
... but as I said, great program!
Any chance of seeing less of Phil Hellmuth? He really spoils any program he is in for me. He is a pathetic creature in need of so much attention - how sad.
Phil hellmuth is awesome one of the,if not the most talented player out there and also one the most entertaining for sure. I would have him there every week. Poker after Dark is sweet, the commentary is solid ( i can only imagine how good it would be if you guys had Ben kaplan in there), and wow what can i say about Shana, one of the most beautiful women in the world no doubt (You could have six guys playing monopoly out there and as long as Shana was there i would watch the show daily)
My perfect table would be : Hellmuth (of course), Ivey, Cunningham, Lindgren, Gold and Esfandiari. That show would be sick!!!!
YOU NEED MORE HELLMUTH,EVERY WEEK SO ENTERTAINING TO SEE HIM PLAY LOSE AND LISTENT O HIM TALK,MY SUGGESTION,ALSO RAISE STAKES THEY SEEM NOT TO CARE ABOUT THE MONEY,SOME SEEM LIKE THEY DONT WANNA BE THERE,NEED MORE INCENTIVE TO WIN
Perfect table? The analysts is awful close. The whole table is solid and touch on all aspects of poker. The stories are priceless from Ivey to the ol' rounders. Golf, sportbook and humor! They entertain without "performing" like some of the other "personalities.
mmm.. nice design, I must say..
i'am really impressed!!
luogo grande:) nessun osservazioni!
Chi ha fatto questo? E un buon posto per trovare le informazioni importanti!:)
cory z was great tonight on the show he put phill h in his spot