Journal cyan's Journal: Retrospective
So, in light of my idiocy during Field Day, I've decided to enter into the Radio Amateurs of Canada Canada Day DX Contest. (Boy, that sure is a long title.) The goal of this contest is to contact as many participating stations as possible within 24 hours on Canada Day. Considering how much of a patriotic Canadian I am, I figure that this is both a great way to redeem myself for Field Day, and to spread the word of Canada Day throughout the world.
Considering that I'll have the shift knob in the right position this time, I should be able to rack up more contacts than I did on Field Day. I'm confident of this despite the fact that there are fewer participants in this contest than there are during Field Day.
Ironically, Grande Cache will be putting on one of their famous fireworks shows in the evening of Canada Day. Sponsored by local businesses, this fireworks show rivals any Canada Day fireworks show I've seen in Vancouver. That's pretty sad, when you think about it. (Note, however, that it doesn't rival the Celebration of Light, of which I'll miss greatly.)
In other news, I'll be taking a quick trip up to Grande Prairie on Saturday. Wow, a trip into the big city! I'm excited
I've also wanted to do a review of some poker television shows for quite a while. Thanks to the invention of 'hole cams' that let you see the player's hole cards, it's allowed some interesting poker shows to be created. In fact, it's changed poker from an "underground" kind of activity to more of a "spectator sport." This has brought up a whole slew of poker shows; some good, and some bad. Here's some of my completely random reviews.
The World Poker Tour is one of the first poker shows that cropped up. It presents a glamorous, almost over-the-top production that covers various poker tournaments all around the world. This is the show that probably got me interested in poker in the first place, when I downloaded a VCD of their first episode. However, now that I've become a more experienced player, I find the commentary and analysis to be a bit dumbed down. The production seems a little cheesy, and there's really not a whole lot of strategy in these situations. Like most tournaments, it comes down to a lot of luck and not a whole lot of skill, especially when every pot ends up being an "all-in moment." However, the announcers are entertaining at least, especially Mike Sexton. This is likely the only poker show I'd recommend to people who don't play poker. B-
Of course, there's the famous World Series of Poker, which isn't really a television show in its own right, but it is the most popular poker tournament on the planet. The World Series has been airing on television since the early 70's, but it has never received much play until the "poker boom" started thanks to the World Poker Tour. The show takes a bit of a more subdued approach to poker than the World Poker Tour does, but not by much. Unfortunately, I find the announcers to be uninteresting and annoying at times, making corny jokes and flat commentary. But, with that being said, it *is* the World Series, and that's worth something. B
High Stakes Poker is probably the most popular and interesting poker show on television today. Unlike most other poker shows, which cover whole tournaments, High Stakes Poker focuses on a high stakes cash game. That's right, all of the chips on the table in High Stakes Poker represent real cash, and all those bets are for real. The announcers, especially Gabe Kaplan, are humorous and give insightful analysis of the gameplay. Even the table talk among players is casual and interesting, making you feel like the cameras aren't even there. This show is classy and demonstrates some great poker. By far the best poker show on television. A+
The Professional Poker Tour is produced by the same outfit that does the World Poker Tour. However, this tournament is an invite-only "freeroll" tournament. That is to say, there is no entry fee to play. The show is interesting in that you only see professional poker players, and because of this, you don't see a lot of the amateurish play that plagues some of the other shows. This production is much more subdued from the World Poker Tour, and that's a great relief. The announcers are interesting, and while their analysis might not be the best, it's at least informative. The Professional Poker Tour is also unique in that it gives coverage of the entire tournament, as opposed to just the final table. Unfortunately, it looks like the future of the tour may be in jeopardy, which is really too bad. B+
Some shows, like Poker After Dark, have cropped up to fill late-night television slots where infomercials would normally air. This show features a "sit-and-go" tournament with six professional poker players. Each player pays $20,000 to enter, and the last player remaining wins the entire $120,000. Each tournament takes a week to air, with daily shows filling in what happens every step of the way. The formula is good, but NBC really skimped out on the announcer. That is, the single announcer rarely speaks and gives no insight or analysis at all. In fact, whenever he speaks, it's to make corny jokes or unusual jabs at the player's appearance or play. So, instead of getting analysis of the situation while the player is thinking, I get dead air, or someone telling me how he doesn't agree with Phil Hellmuth's dress code. Replacing the announcer is all that needs to happen to make this show shine. C-
Live at the Bike is a unique show that only airs online. You have to pay a monthly fee, which allows you to watch the poker game live as it happens, right from the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. This is interesting, because every other poker show on television is post-produced, with commentary thrown in after the fact. The announcers for Live at the Bike give analysis right as the game is happening. To make things better, the game is usually a low-stakes game ($3/$5 No Limit, typically,) giving insight into games that have relevance for the casual poker player. Unfortunately, their best commentator, Bart, left the show and it hasn't aired since. A
The NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship is unique in that it features a showdown between players in a single elimination format that pits players head-to-head. One of the announcers is "that annoying guy" from Poker After Dark, but at least his partner makes up for it. Not a whole lot of analysis, but at least the match-ups are interesting. Unfortunately, they let some real tools onto the show, including Humberto Brenes. Brad Booth called Brenes "an idiot," and rightfully so. I just about turned the show off, and if it weren't for Shannon Elizabeth, I probably would have
To wrap up, favourite poker players of mine include Daniel Negreanu, a Canadian from Toronto whose unusual play inspires me. He keeps an interesting journal online, and gives interesting insight into the professional poker playing community. He also has an uncanny ability to read people's hole cards, to the point where it's almost spooky. Vancouver local Brad Booth has also impressed me with his solid play on High Stakes Poker (bluffing Phil Ivey off of pocket kings with 4-2 of clubs,) and on Poker After Dark.
