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World Poker Tour - Hollywood Episode 1(spoilers)
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Posted by: NatasNJ

Well. It was on last night. I have some comments I would like to share.

First off. I am pissed on how poorly this was organized and filmed.

1.) The sound sucked. It was really hard to hear the celebrities and their chatter. Especially in the beginning. But their mics sounded off in the beginning. Really bothered me.

2.) WHAT the hell are they thinking by GETTING the PLAYERS to Deal? That almost ruined the whole thign for me. Worst idea ever!

3.) I like the red card thing. But did anyone else notice that when (the practice guy) used his the pros screwed up and called out his cards? I would be SO PISSED! One of the pros yells out, I have seen a Q 4 suited win before. When Aisha & Fred still had betting to do. SO BAD!

4.) The way the pros come out and stuff is stupid. To out there. And if the pros are watching the game aren't the aware of what everyones cards are? If so then this is even worse.

5.) Still pissed about the players having to deal.

6.) The filming & lighting was bad. Every world poker tour looks like it was filmed in the early 80's. Makes me nuts.

Good things now.

1.) The play was pretty good. Mimi is a player. Though when they showed the money totals for the 1st time she was in 1st and you had yet to see her win a hand. A tad annoying.

2.) Aisha went in on EVERY hand. Worked for her early on but finally came back to bit her. Good. I hate over agressive players. And she was PISSED when Fred beat her on the River twice with his ALL INs. Great.

Any chance they will air the real WPT with MIMI in it? That would be great to see her go against pros and stuff.

Overall a decent show. I think they need to boost the production up a level and organize it more. To many mistakes on the table. (example: Mimi Mucks as the big blind. And the dealer gave her cards back) And the whole "I call and then raise!" When I did that in a tourney I was called out so fast. You said call so you can't raise!

Posted by: DancnDude

Pretty good show. Fred had some amazing hands. He was really entertaining to watch. I liked this better than Celebrity Poker Showdown because it seemed more focused on the play. I too didn't like the players dealing. Why would they do something like that?

Posted by: mrpurple

I was actually pleasantly surprised. The players ealnig thing was a gimmick because it was a 'home game.' I thought Fred Savage's excitement was infectious. Yes, Mimi was pretty good. But, if she wants to be on the regular WPT she'll have to put up her money and win her way to the final table just like everyone else.

Posted by: NatasNJ

Mimi Rogers WON a $25,000 BUY in last night to the WPT. So she is in it.

Posted by: Ben7H

Can anyone tell me if this was closed-captioned? The guide data (as of a week ago) did not indicate any captioning.

Thank you.

Posted by: YCantAngieRead

Can someone PM me and tell me if this episode is on again? I was on the road last night and missed it, and I don't want to read through the thread and spoil myself. Let me know!

Posted by: WinBear

quote:
Originally posted by NatasNJ

3.) I like the red card thing. But did anyone else notice that when (the practice guy) used his the pros screwed up and called out his cards? I would be SO PISSED! One of the pros yells out, I have seen a Q 4 suited win before. When Aisha & Fred still had betting to do. SO BAD!

4.) The way the pros come out and stuff is stupid. To out there. And if the pros are watching the game aren't the aware of what everyones cards are? If so then this is even worse.

I've only seen half of it so far. I got interrupted. The "red card" scene I saw made it clear that the pros had NOT seen any of the play for this turn. They were stunned to see Aisha's cards, the flop and 4th street card and was wondering why she was hesitating. They didn't know Jack Black was sitting on 2 Jacks with another one showing, but Aisha's straight seemed a sure thing. A fourth Jack in the river was Black's only hope and that's not what turned up, so they both played it right.

Posted by: mrpurple

quote:
Originally posted by WinBear
I've only seen half of it so far. I got interrupted. The "red card" scene I saw made it clear that the pros had NOT seen any of the play for this turn. They were stunned to see Aisha's cards, the flop and 4th street card and was wondering why she was hesitating. They didn't know Jack Black was sitting on 2 Jacks with another one showing, but Aisha's straight seemed a sure thing. A fourth Jack in the river was Black's only hope and that's not what turned up, so they both played it right.

He could of made a full house with any of the cards on the boarding pairing. So he had 10 outs out of 44 left in the deck. Bot good odds. But, not hopeless either.

Posted by: Maui

quote:
Originally posted by NatasNJ

2.) WHAT the hell are they thinking by GETTING the PLAYERS to Deal? That almost ruined the whole thign for me. Worst idea ever!

Agreed - Could not figure out why they did that.

Posted by: SnakeEyes

it's supposed to be a "home game" thus the players deal.

Posted by: pmyers

I did hear somebody yell out the Q,4 suited.

BTW what was up with the Hartmen chicks chest area? was she wearing some weird blouse under her jacket or is her chest really discolored like that? I've seen her before but never noticed that.

Posted by: TampaThunder

quote:
Originally posted by pmyers
BTW what was up with the Hartmen chicks chest area? was she wearing some weird blouse under her jacket or is her chest really discolored like that? I've seen her before but never noticed that.

She had some sort of mesh top with a pattern. Was bizarre looking.

Posted by: pmyers

I was hoping so, but I couldn't see any type of collar line. That might look good in person, but it definately didn't translate to TV very well.

Posted by: TonyD79

It was fun but I wished the commentators would just shut up sometimes. I wanted to hear the patter of the players early on.

And I agree with Drew Carey, it is kind of dumb having them in the same room. A lip reader or someone with excellent hearing could see or hear what they are saying.

I've decided I love the celebrity poker shows but not the ones with the pros. Not that much into poker but it is fun watching with the celebs.

One other thing that annoyed me (as in all poker shows). Why when they are showing the common cards do they blank out the pocket cards from the screen?

Posted by: Azlen

I am kind of curious how much of the commentating was done during the game and how much was dubbed in editing.

Posted by: TampaThunder

quote:
Originally posted by Azlen
I am kind of curious how much of the commentating was done during the game and how much was dubbed in editing.

Just came back from a WPT event and was able to watch the taping of the final table. Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten do not see the hole cards of the players until later in editing or, in this case, when the celebrities show their cards to the pros. All comments about hole cards are added later.

Posted by: Bradc314

I hated the sound. Did anyone hear a single word the 'official' (or whoever he is) said?

For that reason, I like the other celeb show better.

Posted by: murgatroyd

Maybe it's just me (or my teeny-tiny 13" TV), but I found the table really distracting.

First of all the lighting really bugged me. Enough with the cheesy spotlight effects, already.

And while I can see the utility of having the white zone to delineate where the players stashed their chips vs. what's in the pot, marking out the huge white stripe made the rest of the table look really small. Plus there are more players, so everything looked cramped.

The graphics explaining all the terms were fun but again, it was something else on the screen getting in the way of the action.

Plus you can count me in with the others who have said it was stupid to have the players deal. The game goes much smoother with a pro dealing and you have more time to observe the players checking out what they have been dealt. Especially at the end when you are down to 2 players, it really kills the anticipation of what cards are coming up next to have one player bring the flow of the whole shebang to a halt by saying "Oh, yeah! I have to deal!"

The red card option was interesting, but I agree with the earlier comments that it could have been handled better (with a more private area for the pros to consult with the players somehow).

I also agree with the celeb who was wishing they had won someone else's red card after they won the pot that eliminated somene. If you lose the hand when you are all in, and you haven't used up your red card yet, why not let the pot winner have the unused card?

Jan

Posted by: mrpurple

quote:
Originally posted by TampaThunder
Just came back from a WPT event and was able to watch the taping of the final table. Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten do not see the hole cards of the players until later in editing or, in this case, when the celebrities show their cards to the pros. All comments about hole cards are added later.

Lots of us are waiting for a trip report.

Posted by: pmyers

yes...waiting! ;)

Posted by: TonyD79

quote:
Originally posted by TampaThunder
Just came back from a WPT event and was able to watch the taping of the final table. Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten do not see the hole cards of the players until later in editing or, in this case, when the celebrities show their cards to the pros. All comments about hole cards are added later.

This boggles my mind (at least for the celeb home show). None of their commentary didn't involve the pocket cards. That would mean they said nothing during the hands (and acted like they were looking at the table?).

Maybe this is different for the pros versus the celebs?

Posted by: TampaThunder

quote:
Originally posted by mrpurple
Lots of us are waiting for a trip report.

Just posted it. Too long so you might want to read it in sections. :D

Posted by: scottjf8

I heard them say Q 4 has won before.. I couldn't believe they did that, and was surprised he (Fred?) didn't call a re-deal, since they screwed up and said what he has.. I would have...

I liked this better than Celebrity Poker Showdown, mostly because Kevin Pollack was annoying as hell, and there was too much B.S. talk and not enough cards.... WPT shows lots of cards/hands.. which I like....

Tampa - really, they dont' see the hole cards? Seems like most of their discussion is about that.. can't imagine what they talk about before knowing the hole cards.... do they even talk, or just sit there and watch, and add the commentaries later...

Posted by: TampaThunder

quote:
Originally posted by scottjf8
Tampa - really, they dont' see the hole cards? Seems like most of their discussion is about that.. can't imagine what they talk about before knowing the hole cards.... do they even talk, or just sit there and watch, and add the commentaries later...

Nope, don't see the hole cards or add comments about the hole cards until much later when editing the show. They just sit there and talk about the play as much as they can without knowing. The production manager explained that the video feed from the table cameras isn't even fed to the main control room but to another room where one guy monitors the feed. This is done so that nobody in proximity of the game knows what the cards are and can't inadvertently ruin a hand. The one guy monitoring the table cameras has radio contact with the floor personnel and will tell them when a certain player hasn't shown cards to the camera. The floor person will then go up to the player and remind them to do so. One player at this particular final table had to be reminded about 15 times and was visibly frustrated at the constant reminders.

Posted by: dtle

quote:
Originally posted by Ben7H
Can anyone tell me if this was closed-captioned? The guide data (as of a week ago) did not indicate any captioning.

Thank you.

Yes, it was closed-captioned. I had to turn it on to see what Aisha was
saying when Fred got that last ace. She said "F***KING CRAZY". The
bad word was beeped, and was not on CC, but you can tell from her
lips.

Posted by: bigcb37

When and on what channel is this show?

Posted by: TampaThunder

quote:
Originally posted by bigcb37
When and on what channel is this show?

It's on the Travel Channel with multiple broadcasts during the week. Sorry, don't know when it's first aired as I never watch it live. :)

Posted by: mrpurple

Sunday nights 9pm est.

Posted by: DreadPirateRob

^^ Did they change the first-run timeslot? Last year it was Wednesdays at 9pm est/6 pm pdt.

Posted by: mrpurple

quote:
Originally posted by DreadPirateRob
^^ Did they change the first-run timeslot? Last year it was Wednesdays at 9pm est/6 pm pdt.

I believe Hollywood home game is on a different schedule that the regular tournaments.

Posted by: DreadPirateRob

Ah... gotcha. I knew the HHG was running on Sundays, and I was curious as to whether the others were going to start then as well.

Posted by: devdogaz

I think they are still showing repeats of last season in the Wednesday night slot.

Posted by: devdogaz

Here are my thoughts on Game One of WPT HHG:

I was glad they didn't really let us hear the in-studio announcer (tourney director). If you're going to have studio commentators talking about the hands and on-screen graphics showing everything, there is no reason to hear the TD announce the cards. This was one of the things that bugged me most about Celeb Poker Showdown because you could hear the TD announce the cards and then Pollack would announce the exact same thing.

For the most part, I like Mike Sexton as a commentator. However, when it's a celeb game and the players are miked, he doesn't need to repeat everything they say. It was very annoying toward the end when Fred and Aisha were so animated and Mike would then repeat all the stuff we had just heard.

I understand the reason for the players dealing. But if you are going to do that, give the players a little training about how to do it and make sure they know to put the flop in the area where the camera can see it.

Wasn't the "dealer" Daniel Negreanu's girlfriend?

Are these the new screen graphics that WPT is going to use this year? I don't like them. I really liked their graphics last season and thought that was one of the major advantages they had over ESPN's WSoP coverage. These graphics are smaller and harder to read. Maybe it's the size of my TV (27") or my recording level, but I couldn't tell the difference between spades and clubs and thought it was just much less clear than last year.

I was actually surprised to see Sexton and Van Patten in the arena with the players. You usually don't see them in the same place during the regular tournaments and I always assumed all of the commentary was done in a studio during editing. They obviously can't comment on hole cards while in the arena so I wonder what the point is of even having them there, except to make some timely between hands comments, etc.

Did Mimi win a buy in to the WPT championship or is this like the Celeb Poker Showdown where she simply won this table and will have to play against the winners of the next few shows to get that buy in? I hope to see some coverage of whatever celebs play in that tourney.

Despite some of my negative comments, I liked the show. This was much more focused on the game than the CPS on Bravo. Loved the emotion shown by Fred and Aisha and the play was pretty good. Aisha was way too aggressive but it worked until the end. The red cards were really unnecessary but I agree with others that if they are going to consult with the pros, it should be in a more private area. Overall I liked it and will watch upcoming eps.

Posted by: DreadPirateRob

quote:
Originally posted by devdogaz
Wasn't the "dealer" Daniel Negreanu's girlfriend?

I believe so (or at least his former girlfriend). Evelyn Ng, right? She played in the WPT Ladies' Night event a while back - and finished 2nd. IIRC, during the Ladies' Night, they revealed that she used to be a casino dealer.

quote:
Are these the new screen graphics that WPT is going to use this year? I don't like them. I really liked their graphics last season and thought that was one of the major advantages they had over ESPN's WSoP coverage. These graphics are smaller and harder to read. Maybe it's the size of my TV (27") or my recording level, but I couldn't tell the difference between spades and clubs and thought it was just much less clear than last year.

It was OK to me on my (wink) far superior 32". I did like the percentages that were shown - that was the one part of the WSOP coverage I liked better than WPT.

quote:
Did Mimi win a buy in to the WPT championship or is this like the Celeb Poker Showdown where she simply won this table and will have to play against the winners of the next few shows to get that buy in? I hope to see some coverage of whatever celebs play in that tourney.

According to Sexton, she won a $25K seat in the WPT championship.

Posted by: devdogaz

quote:
Originally posted by DreadPirateRob
I did like the percentages that were shown - that was the one part of the WSOP coverage I liked better than WPT.

I will agree with that. I liked the percentages on WSoP and liked that they included them here. Just make the fonts bigger and use better contrasting colors.

And while I'm at it, there is no reason to put the little "lingo box" up there so often. I can see the reason to put it up there each time they use a new term in that broadcast. I found it very helpful when I first started watching. But how many times to you need to explain the term "On the button" in one broadcast?

Posted by: TampaThunder

quote:
Originally posted by devdogaz
I was actually surprised to see Sexton and Van Patten in the arena with the players. You usually don't see them in the same place during the regular tournaments and I always assumed all of the commentary was done in a studio during editing. They obviously can't comment on hole cards while in the arena so I wonder what the point is of even having them there, except to make some timely between hands comments, etc.

They actually do sit right there and are only about 10-15 feet away. I've seen them in the background on other WPT broadcasts and just recently had the opportunity to watch the taping of the final table for the WPT PokerStars Caribbean Adventure event that will be broadcast April 14th. They provide basic commentary during the live play and then add comments related to hole cards later during editing. It took three and a half hours to do the final table and they pretty much talked the whole time.

quote:
Originally posted by devdogaz
Wasn't the "dealer" Daniel Negreanu's girlfriend?

Spoiler tagged as it relates to unaired WPT final table broadcast.

Spoiler Alert! (highlight to read)
Yep, Evelyn Ng is Daniel's girlfriend. When attending the final taping my wife and I sat in the front row and about 5 minutes later Evelyn came and sat down right next to us. Very friendly lady and we had a nice conversation before they moved us to the other side of the set to accommodate more of Daniel's fans.

During the show Daniel would come over to her on occasion in between hands and one time even kissed her. That started the tourney director, Mike Ward (from Foxwoods), calling him Lover Boy to the delight of the audience.

She's much too talented to be used just as a "shuffler". If they aren't going to let her deal because it's a "home game" then they should make the celebs do their own shuffling too.

Posted by: MacThor

Finally watched this. Much much better than CPS but many flaws others have mentioned.

Could not believe the "Q4 suited" being yelled out was not called a misdeal. Or at least edit that out so the audience doesn't all know what they did!

While Jack Black could have filled up, it was a silly use of the Red card for Aisha when she had made her straight. No matter what Jack had she was a big favorite.

What's up with Aisha getting so po'd at Fred for doubling up on her? He was making correct plays and in almost every instance was playing with better hole cards than her. If he's all in before the flop, you make a low pair on the flop and one of his two overcards hits turn/river, that's not a bad beat.

I imagine we'll only see Mimi again if she makes the final table at the WPT champtionship. WPT doesn't show much of the tourney leading up to the final tables, if at all.

Posted by: smak

I don't think there is a "championship" game for all the winners here. They are treating each game like a final table, which is why their chips start out so high..

I still don't like the self dealing. I know it's supposed to be "home game", but it just makes it disjointed and you've got Steve Harris flipping the cards, you've got people forgetting they're dealing....

Meh.

Other than that, I think it works, everybody seemed to know what they were doing, there weren't that many check arounds, and the play was pretty good.

My guess is that the WPT championship this year will be a multi show event. I loved the WSOP's 7 hours of coverage, and I like to see the early tables, and the final table participants early action.

-smak-