Television Poker Myths

With the World Poker Tour about to debut season three on March 2, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss some of the things that you will see on television that you definitely should not try to emulate in your home cardroom. Because televised poker has entertainment value, there are some liberties taken in the production and filming that definitely won't make you popular in your local venue if you try to mimic what you see on television. Following are some examples:

The Red Card … On some of the World Poker Tour specials ( Hollywood Home Games , for example), you will see players with a special red card that entitles them to ask for advice if they are faced with a tricky decision and don't know what to do. They wave the red card and a professional player comes out from backstage, listens to the situation, and then advises the player on whether he should call, fold, or raise.

That all works OK on television, but in real life, there is a "one player to a hand" rule. This means that no one is allowed to advise you on how to play your hand; you must make all decisions by yourself and live with the consequences, good or bad. Of course, I have often wished that I could ask Phil Ivey what he would do in the middle of a hand, but you just aren't allowed to seek outside advice in a brick-and-mortar cardroom.

Rabbit-hunting … Some of the televised poker tournaments use a "Rabbit-hunting" camera or a "Wonder" camera, as in, "I wonder what would have happened if I had called." They actually have a special camera on the table that allows the dealer to show what cards would have come on the flop, turn, or river if you had called until the end of the hand. This sends a message to the television audience that it is OK to ask to see cards that have not been paid for once players fold. Au contraire, the reality is that most cardrooms will not allow the dealer to expose any future cards once action on a particular hand is over. Just think about how it would slow the game down if rabbit-hunting was allowed.

Too Much Celebration … If you have ever watched a televised poker event, you may have seen some unusual behavior, such as players walking around the table to see the cards as they are dealt, players walking away from the table in the middle of a hand, players screaming and shouting when they win a hand, and so on. Please remember what I mentioned earlier about the television crew's desire to entertain viewers by capturing these antics on film, and don't expect to be allowed to "overly celebrate" in your local cardroom.

Releasing Your Hand Before Being Awarded the Pot … On television, when players are all in with no further action pending, they are asked to turn up their cards and release them so that the dealer can bring the cards into the viewing area of the camera. It is OK to do this in the televised version of the game, because the cameras are there to capture all the details of the cards that each player holds. In real life, if you have the winning hand, never release your cards until you have been awarded the pot. I have seen it happen many tim es that a player lets go of his cards and they are accidentally scooped up and placed in the muck, and then there is a huge dispute that follows. Hold on to your cards until you get the pot!

Tipping … One thing you never see on television is a player tipping the dealer or the tournament staff. This does not mean it doesn't happen. Generally, in the big televised events, a portion of the prize pool is held out in advance for the tournament staff. Television viewers are never told that it is customary to tip the dealer when you win a pot or finish in the money in a tournament.

In conclusion, I really enjoy watching poker on television, as I'm sure many of you do. Just try to remember that certain things that happen on television are allowed to happen because they add excitement and adventure to the show, but it doesn't necessarily mean that those same things are allowed to happen in a real cardroom.

Now, let's play poker!

Linda is available to host seminars and special poker events. You can contact her through her website at www.cardplayercruises.com. Reader feedback is encouraged.