Options and Variance

Ok, so here we are, November 2009. So much for consistency in posting!

I've found that poker tends to wax and wane in my life but it remains a constant shade in my lighting. Sometimes it's in the foreground and I'm actively folding and raising and looking for a good game. Sometimes it's in the background and I'm not playing with cards as much as I'm taking advantage of position at work or laying down a hand in an argument or betting for value against a yellow light.

I want to post this thought about the ESPN coverage of the WSOP final table. I read that this was one of if not the longest final table yet (like 18hrs). And that would suggest some very serious and disciplined play. But the televised hands and commentary made it look like the game of poker as played at the highest pinacle of the sport boiled down to pure luck with bad beat after incredible bad beat.

I know television producers want to broadcast drama, tension and thrills...but for God's sake, please intersperse those aspects of the game with the strategy, depth and skill involved.