So, I tuned into the PCA 2016 Twitch Poker feed and they had a pretty solid 6,500 viewers or so – it was terrible! Why? The cameras were good and they had paid a solid announcer in Jason Sommerville to do some work for them, but they were missing something even more important. Information…. Yes, there were no hole cards.
Why No Hole Cards On PCA 2016 Twitch Poker Feed?
Apparently, some of the players feel it puts them at a disadvantage if their style of play is being streamed. Unfortunately, if the poker community ever wants to make their events fun to watch they are going to have to get over petty little concerns like this. Honestly, given the different styles of play that get employed based on table dynamics it doesn’t make that huge of a difference anyways. I have played in numerous major poker events and showing a few hole cards if you happen to get selected for the future table is a small price to play to help out the poker ecosystem a bit. There is a reason that poker has been in steady decline now for about 10 years and it is shit like this. It is a fun game, but when you just have a bunch of hooded and sun glass wearing dudes sitting around a poker table without even knowing what cards are being played, I can’t imagine who would want to see that….
Why Aren’t Cards Turned Over At Showdown At PCA 2016?
Again, it comes down to a few players who apparently don’t want to show their cards and give up “information”. Cmon guys, that is ridiculous. If you want to scoop up the pot then show down the cards, period! This is supposed to be an entertaining event and now we aren’t even showing down hole cards…. lol Imagine if the some other sporting even didn’t show the conclusion. When a hand ends the natural conclusion is that the hole cards get shown by the winner at least – arguably both…. Sure, making someone who bluffed all their chips away show down their hand may not be the nicest thing to do so give them a pass if you want, but the winner needs to show!
Poker Is Show Business
At the end of the day poker is supposed to be about entertainment. If the game wasn’t fun to play no regular would be able to play and make a dime. It is time that players realize when it comes to television perhaps they need to make the most minor of accommodations to help the game out just a little bit. I hope that in the future Twitch poker will consider creating a higher quality broadcast for poker fans.
Anyhow, that is just my 2 cents.
-ThePokerCapitailst (No nonsense, no ads, straight talk on poker)
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