The World Poker Tour is the best show about poker currently on television. I will sit mesmerized at the screen every week for 2 hours watching the pros and learning some tricks. Also it's not like baseball or football where you feel you must know every player to understand the game. That's because even the top players don't always make it to the final table. So every week you learn someone new. The WPT is even a place where amateurs can flourish (Win an inexpensive satellite tournament and you can take on the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Vinny Vinh, Hoyt Corkins or Annie Duke in the main tournament).
The show is hosted by poker pro Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten, who has dubbed himself king of the hollywood home game. The two have different styles of announcing. Sexton gives a no-nonsense view on the players and will even teach you some of the lingo. Patten, on the other hand, takes a Vince McMahon approach to announcing. He wants you to believe that every word he says in crucial. The two even have their own different style on playing the game. The other host, Shana Hiatt, really isn't a poker pro either. Her job is basically to look pretty in the skits she is in & interview players (This is where she falls back on her "Wild On" experience to get her through).
The players themselves are quite characters. They each come with their own customs: Phil Hellmuth throws temper tantrums, Hoyt Corkins dresses in black and wears reflected sunglasses, Annie Duke depends on psychology to win, Vinnie Vinh is full of charisma, and the rookies all want to steal a huge pot away from the pros. It's quite exciting.
Before I discovered Texas Hold 'Em (which is what is played on the show), I played draw and stud poker for 10 years. But I have found my niche with hold 'em. There are more chances make better hands (I can't tell you how many times I have made four of a kind), and I have rack up so much money in play chips (I have yet to play for real money). I also play pretty well in online tournaments (I can usually make it into the top 100 and my highest finish is 12th place). WPT is responsible for my obsessive habit with hold 'em. I love the show and the game. DEAL ME IN!!!
The show is hosted by poker pro Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten, who has dubbed himself king of the hollywood home game. The two have different styles of announcing. Sexton gives a no-nonsense view on the players and will even teach you some of the lingo. Patten, on the other hand, takes a Vince McMahon approach to announcing. He wants you to believe that every word he says in crucial. The two even have their own different style on playing the game. The other host, Shana Hiatt, really isn't a poker pro either. Her job is basically to look pretty in the skits she is in & interview players (This is where she falls back on her "Wild On" experience to get her through).
The players themselves are quite characters. They each come with their own customs: Phil Hellmuth throws temper tantrums, Hoyt Corkins dresses in black and wears reflected sunglasses, Annie Duke depends on psychology to win, Vinnie Vinh is full of charisma, and the rookies all want to steal a huge pot away from the pros. It's quite exciting.
Before I discovered Texas Hold 'Em (which is what is played on the show), I played draw and stud poker for 10 years. But I have found my niche with hold 'em. There are more chances make better hands (I can't tell you how many times I have made four of a kind), and I have rack up so much money in play chips (I have yet to play for real money). I also play pretty well in online tournaments (I can usually make it into the top 100 and my highest finish is 12th place). WPT is responsible for my obsessive habit with hold 'em. I love the show and the game. DEAL ME IN!!!