Well, High Stakes Poker is back and the WPT found a network. ESPN has kicked into WSOP mode. PokerStars has their own network on the net. I don’t think that the best TV is on any of them although it is on PokerStars.
I mentioned yesterday they are ‘showing’ some final tables under the Specials tab in the tournament lobby. I said the ones I watched were great but probably gone. Well, I lied again. They are both dated the 25th and I’m guessing that it takes a while to process the new ones and that you can watch for a day or two more.
The $5200 freezeout is a good look at early play. The blinds are very low and every seat has a workable stack. The Million is late play with nasty blinds. You’ll see a fellow —
Thanks for the heads up on WPT. I think that WSOP is a stronger mainstream brand, and overall hotter in the media. Still, really the only thing that matters is the real books – the bottom line, expenses, revenue and profit. I understand that WPT and WSOP are quality and respected, so that’s a good thing for the industry. Here in Australia ESPN has a strong following and is found on all the major pay TV networks, namely Foxtel, Austar and Optus, and its also found on some hotel channels with pay TV dishes. PokerStars may be on the net, but nothing beats TV, even these days. Just look at the success of Challenge Jackpot and the Virgin Media connection. Having said that, even Rupert Murdoch told his staff to pay attention and be active with the internet or they “will die”. News.com.au and MySpace.com both have plenty of multimedia footage, so we know that internet is where the action is, for the bottom line also. When casinos meet the internet, and media moguls are in on the action, that stakes couldn’t be higher. It looks like PokerWorks is doing alright out of the surge in interest also, and news media should eat it up, not only here in Australia, but globally, thanks to the internet.