My interest in poker was kindled many years ago by the show “Poker After Dark”. We watched most of the show as it was on NBC as we arrived home late night on weekends. Then it went off the air in Milwaukee.
Poker programming has been advertised on the national broadcast stations (mostly NBC) in the past, but often, here in Milwaukee, it was never shown. I never found out the reason for this. Now, it is impossible to find poker programming on local television in Milwaukee.
But I have a Roku. We watch over 50% of our television through our Roku and most of that viewing is on demand. I was perusing the ‘new channels’ in the Roku channel store and right up top, to my excitement and surprise was “Poker Central”. “Poker Central” just began to broadcast on Roku (and other Internet Television devices). Yes, it is 24/7 poker coverage. I remember why I fell in love with the game.
The channel goes straight to their live stream, but if you hit the ‘back’ button you are sent to their on demand selection of choice clips.
“Poker After Dark” is on every evening at 10pm. Unfortunately I make it a habit to watch the 10pm news every night. I also don’t watch Television during the day so I cannot watch their 3pm broadcast. “Poker After Dark” is a great show. I attribute much of its success to familiar faces. New faces are worked in little by little. But to have big names on a regular basis, a familiar crowd night after night with their mostly friendly banter, is the genius of the show. I watched part of the show last night and recognized every face at the table as part of the show years gone by.
Okay, “Poker Central” has commercials. That is why it is free and I love and only watch free. A bit distracting but watching a two hour heads up tournament I noticed the commercials were heavier in the first hour than in the second hour.
The coverage and commentary are excellent. The commentators berated one great fold because the odds suggested the competitor should have called. Makes you do a double take, but then you realize you’re getting a great education in the game.
I have not made any poker tables in some time. I have three reasons. First, I am not completely comfortable playing with our current income-expenses ratio right now. (I have money set aside just for poker and am far from unfamiliar with winning, but you never know) Second, I seldom have the time to make a tournament. Third, I am also seldom properly rested if an opportunity should arise. Poker is a strenuous game if you’re playing to win. Getting tired fosters mistakes.
For me poker is a people game. It is a game to be played live, with living breathing people sitting in front of you. That is the charm and the challenge of the game. To witness the personalities and interactions of the players on Television is the best education if you can’t sit at a table yourself.
