World Series of Poker 2003 (ESPN) (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

I know it's late in the game since the finale was shown last night, but just some comments on how things unfolded:

Well, the second to last hand that was shown on last night's finale of the WSOP 2003 was a great bluff by Moneymaker. If Sam pushes his chips in on that hand at the end, he wins and could have been on his way to put the hurt on Moneymaker and picking up the big $2.5 million prize.

And then Moneymaker stumbles into a great hand on the flop on the final hand and thoroughly trounces on Sam Farha. But Moneymaker was lucky in that another Jack or 10 didn't show up on the turn or the river.

Moneymaker took so many big time player down this tournament, he took down each and every guy at the last table in the final 5 in last night's episode.

 

[LarryDavenport]

I missed the final but I am sure it will be repeated, AND repeated. I was suprised how hooked I got on this and the World Poker Tour on TLC. My friends and I have added Texas Hold Em to our Poker repetoire.

 

[Patrick Sun]

No Limit Holdem is the more entertaining game to play among friends and strangers. Having played 1-4-8-8 Texas Holdem in Biloxi a few weekends ago, No limit holdem really puts the screws to you in a way that makes you really consider how badly you want to see the flop, the turn, or the river.

If you play the limit holdem games, many people just keep betting to see the river card and luck into a good hand (this killed me 4 times in Biloxi), and the psychological aspect of the bluffing game is amplified in the No Limit version of the game.

 

[LarryDavenport]

No Limit Hold Em sounds great, but we usually play nickel ante, with a 50 cent limit on raises (but unlimited raises).

The games we play the most are 5-card draw (something wild), 7-card stud (sometimes Hi Spade down gets half the pot, sometimes last down card and all matching cards in your hand Wild), 7-27 (a couple guys repeatedly make us play this, if you play right you can make a lot of $$), and my choice is 5 card no peak (nothing wild).

My friends and I get together for cards about once a month and over a 5-8 hour game no one loses more than $10 but one or two guys usually walk away with around $20. In the end it's pretty cheap entertainment.

 

[Peter Kim]

I've never gambled, much less played poker. But once I stumbled on a showing of the World Poker Tour on TLC, I've been hooked since. As I flip through the channels, I'll invariably stop on TLC or ESPN if a card tournament in play.

Since it's been on, I've tried to catch all showings of the WSOP...too bad I missed the final show.

Should have read Pat's first post.

 

[Peter Kim]

What my wife and I find so interesting is the perspective the audience gains by seeing each hand while in play - while we initially gasp at a seemingly shocking or braindead play, we catch ourselves when quickly realizing that the players don't enjoy the same vantage point...hence the whole notion of risk and gambling.

One of my favorite hands occurred on WPT - 4 of a kind (forgot which) showed up on the flop. One guy was dealt a pair of Kings (?) while the other had an Ace and something else (not a pair). So, while the 4 of a kind gradually materialized in the flop, the pair of kings was looking pretty damn good, while the Ace high looked despondent. However, once the 4 of a kind finished showing, the guy that started with the king pair ended up losing.

Fun and addicting stuff...good that I've caught the bug as only a spectator.

 

[Rob Willey]

I too have gotten hooked on the WPT and WSOP over the last few months. It's given me the itch to try a casino or card club. Has anybody considered (or tried) online poker?

Rob

 

[Patrick Sun]

Believe me, when you are playing, and don't know what the other person is holding, the game takes on a whole new dimension. I re-watched the older WSOP, and it was very interesting to be "in the dark" and try to guess who had the better hand, and who was bluffing or had miscalculated in their decision to either fold or stay in the hand.

Being able to see what each other is playing is entertaining, but the game is really going on when you don't quite know what every else is holding, and you have to make decisions based on demeanor and betting patterns of the other players.

Currently, these televised poker tournaments have a video game quality to them now.

I do like to see what hands the pros do play and what they throw away, but you have to be careful for those who are already in the big/small blind and no one raises too much to see the flop, those folks can be holding little hands that turn into monster hands on the flop (a la Moneymaker's 5-4 suited hand in the final showdown of the tournament - there's no way Farha could have anticipated that Moneymaker flopped 2 pair based on the J-5-4 flop, while he had the top pair of Jacks on the table at that time). So percentage-wise, Sam had to go all in at that point, and got blind-sided by an improbable flop.

 

[Brad Porter]

While I like the fact that Chris Moneymaker was a complete amateur and his only investment was $40 in an on-line tournament, I absolutely hated the way he played. He was very loose and he bluffed on way too many hands. The only reason this worked for him is because he was an amateur and nobody had a reason not to believe him. After they watch the televised replay of the event, anybody who faces him in the future will be calling him on everything (or watching for him to put his hand over his mouth).

It was the same with Robert Varkonyi, last year's winner. He got knocked out on day 1 of the tournament this year because everybody knew his bets were full of shit.

I came up with an event that combines poker and home theater. Everbody comes to the game with one or more DVDs. Each DVD can be exchanged for $10 worth of chips. A no-limit hold 'em tournament is held, and the order that players bust out is recorded. The last player standing gets all of the DVDs. He keeps whichever ones he wants and gives the rest to the guy in second place. That guy keeps what he wants and passes the rest on to the guy in third place. And so on. The last place player may get nothing or may get a copy of Battlefield Earth. Nobody loses any actual money, and somebody has a chance of increasing their DVD collection for free. I haven't been able to try this yet, but I'd be interested to hear how it goes if anyone does.

Brad

 

[Peter Kim]

I have to admit, after watching months of WPT and WSOP, I've been lulled into a false sense of supremacy - I've never wanted to play poker before. Now, not only do I want to play, but even thought about doing it online.

But then sanity sinks in (somewhat), and my itchy fingers retract from typing in PartyPoker.com or whatever online outfit is currently advertised (I especially like the one where the Fin is sitting in a set, pampered by a babe, and proclaims that with nothing initial, he's won over a million dollars...and then asks who's Cinderella).

Perhaps my wife and I will start playing for fun against each other. Brad's setup sounds fun though, and if I were in Boulder,...

 

[Peter Kim]

Oh, also love the jargon that I've picked up...tilted, bad beat, 4th street, Big Slick, The River, etc. In the beginning, I was really fumbling along as the commentators called each game, but now, it seems all natural.

Anyway, no one brought this up yet, but what the hell happened with TLC and sponsoring the WPT??!! I new that in the past, they would occassionally broadcast some racy, human sexuality stuff, but not an entire poker tour. Although I've learned a lot.

and you have to make decisions based on demeanor and betting patterns of the other players.

Indeed, as I've seen players fold with an opening pair of kings...against a guy who goes all in with garbage!!

BTW...Shana Hiatt makes watching WPT on TLC very easy.

 

[Patrick Sun]

OMG! Shana Hiatt is simply adorable, what a find for the WPT on the Travel Channel.

 

[TimDav]

Am I crazy or is WPT on the Travel Channel not TLC.


TD

 

[Peter Kim]

You're not crazy...I just took the baton without realizing the error.

 

[LarryDavenport]

Sorry. I meant The Travel Channel.