Lights, Camera, Action

"Shuffle up and deal" used to be the first thing you heard at poker tournaments. You still hear that, but now it's the second thing you hear after, "Lights, camera, action." Poker tournament TV shows are the greatest thing since sports broadcasting was introduced. Many people who know how to play poker but don't play themselves tell me they're regular watchers of the poker shows. What's even more interesting are the people who don't really know how to play poker who tell me they're also mesmerized by the poker shows. Olga and I enjoy watching the televised events, but …

People who know how to play poker ask me questions like, "Why did that great player go all in at that moment?" "Why did he fold that hand?" "Did you really get a pair of aces on your first two hands in the 2003 World Series of Poker?" When people have specific poker situation questions, my answer is usually a big fat, "It depends." It depends on what he thinks the other guy has, it depends on his position, it depends on his stack size, and so on. There's a lot of information and many players on the TV screen at one time, along with a couple of commentators talking up a storm. However, there's one missing component. That component is some indication of time passage.

Of course, it's impossible to show (or watch) every hand in a poker tournament or at a final table. It's also desirable that the show producers choose the most interesting and entertaining hands and moments for us to see. However, it would be useful to show a clock and/or hand number for the day. This would give us more perspective by making us aware of time passage and providing an understanding that other things transpired between the hands we get to see.

Do the hands and banter we don't see on TV really matter? You bet they do. They create the total context of the actions we do see. For example, I was surprised to see a top player go all in preflop with one of the worst possible starting hands. I started speculating on all the possible reasons and excuses. There was a multitude of possibilities. Some possible reasons were that the other players had been running over him, his stack was getting too low, he hadn't played his share of hands, he hadn't won his share of hands, he sensed weakness in his opponents, and so on.

The list of excuses was even longer: It was 2 a.m., he was sleepy, he was exhausted, he was hungry, he misread somebody, he had to go to the bathroom, he realized that he forgot to pay the rent, and so on. You get the idea.

As for my two pairs of aces in the 2003 WSOP, although they were the first two hands shown on TV, they were not my first two hands. The first one took place several hours into the WSOP and the second one occurred an hour or two later. I was very fortunate to get the hands and get some action on them, and have them hold up. However, I played each of them uniquely, taking into account the specific circumstances at my table each time. The complete analysis of those hands will have to wait for another time and place – when I reveal my WSOP Game Plan and Play Book.

The next time you see your favorite poker celebrities doing something dubious on a TV poker show, don't judge them too harshly. Remember, you're not necessarily seeing the entire picture and full context of their actions. They usually have a good reason, and sometimes an undesirable excuse, and other times they're just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Stick the popcorn in the microwave and turn on the TV. It's time to watch some poker!

Lights, camera, action! Shuffle up and deal!

Editor's note: Robert was the 2002 World Series of Poker champion and is the instructor on the "WiseGuys on Texas Hold'em" videos, starring some famous actors from the Sopranos. The videos are very informative, as well as entertaining, and are available at wiseguyson.com.