World Poker Tour:Battle of Cha

I always enjoy the World Poker Tour and there is no better way to watch it than on DVD where you don't have to be exposed to the endless commercials of The Travel Channel. We see here that the actual show is only 90 minutes long; whereas, on TV, it's a full two hours. It was nice, via the remote control, to be able to zip through sponsors and slick sets to get to the meat of the table action.

Speaking of the action, that's exactly why I love these episodes. The contests are not merely entertaining. They make me a better player because I learn vicariously from watching how the top finishers perform at a small table. The professionals, whether they like it or not, make for excellent instructors. You get to see both the cards they play, and the way in which they bet. For people like myself who internally lack the requisite aggressiveness and recklessness to be really great at No Limit Hold'em, it is a real boost to get tips from a monster like Gus Hanson.

I will say though that certainly, in all areas, this broadcast is markedly inferior to those of ESPN's World Series of Poker. For one thing, it's a six person table instead of the fully filled ones that predominate the WSOP broadcasts. I really don't know why finishers 7-10 aren't included so they can turn it into a three hour special. Obviously, the ratings that they receive would warrant such a shift. As for the program's cast, yes, the announcers are weak, and, upon first exposure, quite annoying. However, I've reached the point where Sexton and Van Patten have kind of grown on me. After reading Stu Unger's biography, I view Sexton with sympathy due to the way in which he sacrificed everything for his doomed friend. This compensates for his cheesy over-enthusiasm about flops, folds, and raises. As for Van Patten, he's so politically incorrect about practically everything that I've begun to like him. He's not your average plastic Hollywood type. He's trapped in the seventies mentally which is not such a bad place to be nowadays.

You know what the bottom line is about the WPT? It's poker played at the highest level, and the pocket cameras let us see how and why the legends make the decisions they do, and that's reason enough for watching these recordings. They're a tutorial. I don't know about you, but I could use the work.

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