Playing hands at https://poker.bwin.com/ and playing hands during a televised poker event is very different. If you are a new player the excitement of big pots and even bigger prize money is very alluring and the reason many new players learn how to play poker and begin to play poker online or in live events. But what are the things that are so bad about TV Poker?
The answer is, not a lot providing you understand what you are watching. The following three examples show you what you will observe during a televised poker event and what really happens during a game of poker under more normal conditions, i.e. on a bwin.com poker table.
The Myth 1
Any two cards are played with a big pot ensuing with many players contesting it.
The Truth
These types of pots do occur but not nearly as often as it would appear. TV Shows need to use exciting hands and edit the action so that the viewing public do not get bored. During televised poker games the blinds escalate quickly with the structure deliberately forcing players to compete for pots with less than premium hands. It is the conditions that force the players to do this rather than the players themselves preferring to play this way. During a more well-structured poker tournament or cash game a tighter style is far more profitable. Playing any two cards is a plausible way of losing money, other players will be far more sensible in their starting hands and have you dominated more often in big pots.
The Myth 2
Poker tournaments are over quite quickly sometimes within one or two hours.
The Truth
Not necessarily. Again, the poker shows cannot last for twelve hours and even if it did the monotony of poker in the early stages of a tournament would not make for good TV, even if the commentary team were particularly good. Careful manipulation of structure means the action is fast and furious on TV. Players also know that unless they give action their hands might not make the cut and they may not be invited back for future shows, so there is even more reason to play fast and loose when perhaps they would prefer not to. The editing gets rid of uninteresting pots where there was one raise and everyone folds. This happens more than it appears, not every hand is contested. When you sit down to play in an online poker tournament, make sure you are prepared to play for a few hours at a high level of concentration.
The Myth 3
Poker players must be rich with such large prize pools.
The Truth
Some poker players are rich but there is another world of staking, sell pieces of yourself and make-up arrangements that is not discussed on TV bubbling underneath the surface. A $100,000 win may look fantastic but a $20,000 make-up bill and 50% sold means they would only keep $40,000 and expenses, parties, food, hotels and flights soon cut into that money. Then if you are from outside the UK you need worry about tax! As with most things in poker, appearances are often deceptive. Tournament professionals constantly travelling the circuit live a life of constantly juggling money and often borrowing to survive just like many small businesses in the commercial world. Most players I have talked to say the grind of life on the road for a tournament professional is far more the glamorous life people think it is!
If you prefer the simple life then why not log onto bwin.com where you can play online poker right now from your own home. There are still big prizes to be won without the worry of expenses! There are a variety of cash games and poker tournaments to choose from so whatever your favourite type of poker game is there is a game to suit your tastes available right now at bwin.
By Malcolm Clarke
