Quick question for you: What is the third most watched televised sport in North America? Hockey? Basketball? I bet you didn’t say ‘poker’.
But poker has topped third on that list, behind only NASCAR and the NFL, a couple of properties that are legendary for television audiences. Poker comes in ahead of baseball, basketball, and hockey. How do you think Gary Bettman feels about THAT?
Obviously, poker has experienced a boom that dates back to 2003, and what is now known as ‘The Moneymaker Effect’. That was the year that a 32-year-old accountant from Tennessee managed to satellite his way into the World Series of Poker Main Event for $39, and walk away with the title and $2.5 million dollars. And from the moment that WSOP hit television, every guy in the world thought to himself, ‘that could be me’.
The resulting poker boom was breathtaking, and the WSOP has taken on the air of a month long Superbowl. With first place money in the $10 million dollar neighbourhood. That’s a pretty nice neighbourhood, and a lot of people want to take a crack at moving in.
Because of this giant explosion in the world of poker, several interesting things happened. Professional poker players, formerly a bunch of leather assed Texas rounders if you believe pop culture, took on the status of rock stars. Previously anonymous pros now found themselves household names.
Last year, Canadian poker star Daniel Negreanu and I were walking through a mall to grab a bite to eat at a tournament. We were approached by a young man in his early twenties who asked Daniel if he would autograph his forearm. So that he could get it tattooed on permanently! You’re talking Wayne Gretzky/Gene Simmons country right there. Rock stars.
But here’s the big difference that makes poker so appealing: accessibility. If you are a tennis fan, can you play tennis with Roger Federer? No chance. If you’re a golfer, can you play a round with Tiger Woods? Not unless you’re a millionaire. But if you’re into poker, you can sit down at a poker table and find yourself staring across at Doyle Brunson, or Johnny Chan, or Phil Hellmuth. You actually get the opportunity to test yourself against the legends of the game. And that’s why millions of players every year bust their butts trying to qualify to play in a WPT or WSOP event. Well, that and the prize money.
You can’t turn the TV on anymore without finding poker on one station or another. Everyone is playing, from garbage men to movie stars, and they all share the dreams of World Championship bracelets and millions in prize money. And that dream is very much attainable.
Two years ago, a part time auto worker from Oshawa named Soren Turkewitsch won his way into a World Poker Tour event in Niagara Falls. Five days later, he was holding a trophy and a cheque for $1.3 million bucks. Not a bad payday for a few days work. Might even be more than GM was paying him.
The poker boom is still going strong. I spent most of July in Las Vegas at the 2008 World Series of Poker, and I can guarantee you that poker is still on the upswing. Numbers for the WSOP were huge this year, and look to be getting even bigger. The final table from the main event will be played in November, and whether it’s some Cinderella-story nobody from next door, or one of the mega rich superstars we see on television who wins it, you can be sure it will be fun to watch.
What I’m hoping to do with this space is give you a peek at something even MORE interesting than just the surface scratching that is done with poker on TV. The world of high stakes poker is overflowing with colourful characters and wild stories. Most of the time, the behind-the-curtain world of professional poker players is infinitely more interesting than the actual card playing you see on the little screen.
High roller lifestyles, young millionaires, old road dogs, and crazy prop bets are all part of day-to-day life. For example, the aforementioned Daniel Negreanu had a little side bet with Phil Ivey for this year’s World Series of Poker: $200,000 per bracelet. Since Daniel won a bracelet, and Phil didn’t, Ivey owes Negreanu 200K.
Think that’s crazy? How about a prop bet to spend 12 straight hours in a hotel pool for $25K. Or how about losing 50 pounds of body weight in one year for a hundred grand? These kinds of crazy bets are just part of daily life in the poker world.
Like Cat Stevens once said, ‘Oooh baby, it’s a wild world’. But it’s a fascinating and fun world too. Come on by and have a look beyond the looking glass. It’s all-in or nothing, and the game is on…
Chris Tessaro is the host of The Hardcore Poker Show, North American wide on Wednesday nights at 8 PM on Sirius 98. www.hardcorepokershow.com.
Source: torontosun.com