Phil Ivey Wins

Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York, recently hosted the first live television broadcast of a tournament final table in the United States. I was excited when I heard this news, because it was the first time that everyone could see on TV all the hands that were played at a final table. What an incredible learning experience it was to be able to watch every raise, call, and laydown of the eventual winner. FoxSportsNet took a gamble that four hours of live poker would work on national television. They used new technology, which enabled viewers to see the holecards at the same time that the players did. Each player had to put his two holecards over a scanner that immediately relayed the information to the viewers.

I was thrilled when I heard the lineup of the final six players. Five of the six players were well-known pros. They were John Juanda, Phil Ivey, Paul Phillips, Robert Williamson III, and Randy Jensen. The unknown was youngster John D'Agostino. Eventually, John was the chip leader when playing heads up with Phil. They battled back and forth, and John even had a chance to win the tournament with a slightly favored hand over Phil's, but Phil made his hand.

After Phil's minor stroke of luck, he went on a tear. Hand after hand, he made the right decision. It was great watching Phil play in a situation in which he was the favorite to win, and seeing what it takes to put a player away. Even though Phil had a few big hands when others also did, he was able to capitalize and follow up by winning the event and his first $10,000 no-limit hold'em championship. Congratulations, Phil. We have watched you take many bad beats at crucial times in championship events, and walk out like a gentleman. So, it was fitting that you walked out as the winner of the first final table ever broadcast live throughout America – with a cool half-million dollars in hand.

Now that a few weeks have passed, I have thought about some improvements that can be made for live broadcasts to work better. First, make sure the technology is ready. There was a 15-minute span during the telecast when viewers couldn't see the holecards. Also, it seemed like the same deck was used throughout the four hours of play. As a viewer, I could see that the deck was warped. Other than that, it was an enjoyable viewing experience – especially for students of the game.