Lights, Camera, Poker
If you have ever seen a high stakes online poker game going on in your local casino, you have probably noticed that a crowd inevitably forms whenever large amounts of money move hands. Originally the crowds were an organic phenomenon that simply formed when rumors rippled across the casino online floor of intense action. Then casinos realized that they had a gold mine on their hands. Televised poker has taken this concept to the extreme. Now the video poker watcher does not even have to go to the local casino. He can watch high stakes games from the comfort of his own home.
Televised poker shows have turned the traditional casino experience into a multimedia event. Poker is now commercialized and broadcast to the world as a form of entertainment. We have created pageantry out of poker.
How you feel about the lights, camera, and poker trend rests on whether you prefer your online poker traditional or commercialized. Wherever you stand on the issue, however, it is important to realize that television poker is not the same as casino poker. It is a completely different experience because you do not have the option of going in the game of watching from your couch. Television poker is a spectator sport, like football or basketball. Are you alright with sitting on the bench?
