Is Watching Poker On TV The Same As Being There?

04.28.2008 | 4:27 am | Poker, Poker Stars

Poker TV is becoming fast becoming a growth area of the television market and while viewing numbers are creeping higher and higher, is it actually the same as being there? Can you really get a feel for what is going on and the atmosphere?

While there are very few events which are shown on TV that can beat actually being there, Poker is an interesting area because of the technology to hand and the information which is available in the blink of an eye. The cameras under the table allow viewers to see the cards of each player and the TV format also allows you to see the probability (expressed as a percentage) of each player having a wining hand on the next turn. Even though you may not get the atmosphere and hush of the audience, many fans of Poker believe that there are other benefits to watching it on TV.

Poker TV is set to grow over the coming years as the game becomes more popular throughout the world and sponsors fall over themselves trying to get a slice of the action. While the problems in the US did affect the worldwide take-up of the game for a short period, Europe is now offering a great challenge to the traditional US ports of call. Have the US underestimated the power of the European game?

While Poker is receiving much more coverage throughout the world it is very often the US companies who are putting together these TV packages and TV tournaments. They still have an understanding of the game which seems to far outweigh their European counterparts, and the big sponsorship money still seems to flow from the US.

Poker TV is here to stay and under rule changes in places such as the UK, there is every chance that it could receive a prime time TV slot at some point in the future.