Hella Hold'em

OK, so Bill Rini made some excellent points about just how contrived the World Series of Poker and its coverage appear every year. Then Hoyazo came back with his ideas on why the WSOP is such a big deal (admitting that Bill's points were right-on). He then threw down the gauntlet, asking the rest of the poker world: Why do you think the WSOP is such a big deal?

Since I obviously have too much time on my hands (I LOVE SUMMER!), here's my answer.

It's my one chance every year to get a zero-effort fix of reality poker tv, except not on tv....

There are a few professional poker players that I enjoy watching. Sure, I TiVo "High Stakes Poker" and occasionally some other poker shows. But, like any TV show, the seasons come and go, and there's a long stretch of dead air and reruns in between.

I could make the effort to read up on various web sites what my favorite pro's are up to, but honestly... that's too much work for what little free time I've usually got. The WSOP and its coverage, contrived as it may be, brings me all the juicy nuggets I crave - including the back-alley deals and side stories that won't make it on the Big TV Broadcasts of the games.

It's my poker reality TV fix, via blogs. I love the tangents - the prop bets, the celebrity sightings, and even reading who Pauly pissed next to that day. Because even if I was there, I wouldn't be privy to most of that information (particularly what goes on in the men's bathroom), and the part of me that loves drama-for-entertainment with a little voyeurism mixed in for good measure thinks THAT is the good stuff! Oh, that, and, who won what.

And all of that good stuff comes to me with zero effort, delivered right to my RSS Reader inbox throughout the WSOP.

So, keep on keepin' on, my WSOP-covering-friends! Even if all you've got to cover is the Year of the Prostate Hindered Bladder.