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ESPN's "Plausibly
Live" Coverage of WSOP Works Great
It is amazing to think
that a poker event taking place five months ago will now be getting
the mass coverage it deserves. Thanks to ESPN, the World
Series of Poker is brought into the homes of millions of
television viewers - And despite the fact that the coverage is
anything but live, it will be one of the most popular sporting
events broadcasted on T.V.
Tuesday night was the
official broadcast of the World Series of Poker final event, which
culminated with a $7.5 million jackpot being paraded to the poker
table by armed guards. The last of 32 episodes aired by ESPN,
many viewers are describing televised poker as being similar to the
Olympics. For one, much of the Olympics is not aired live
during primetime, but still gives the impression it is. That
is because the television networks employ a term they call
"plausibly live". However, instead of taping live commentary,
which Olympic broadcasts do, ESPN has its announcers watch the
edited footage and call it as if it were live.
It is funny to think
that these announcers are really not at the casino. Yet, that
does not keep the viewers away. Even the turnouts at the poker
room itself is something impressive. This years winner of the
WSOP finale in Vegas, Joseph Hachem, invoked another Olympic analogy
when his fans began chanting "Ozzie" and "Oy" to the delight of
others watching nearby. Indeed, the poker games are exciting
with so much at stake. And with the amount of skill that it
takes to make it to the final table (over 5,600 entrants), the
appreciation for the game is rightly deserved.
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