Say Yes to Crack! Tao of Pokerati
Gavin Smith is near the chip lead at the $2,500 Mixed Hold’em Final Table. (One of his remaining opponents, on the second-shortest stack, is Dwyte Pilgrim, a Pokerati Fantasy WSOP pick in 2009; again, we were just ahead of our time …) Phil Hellmuth knows both these spots well … and naturally, we understand why Hellmuth wasn’t gonna make it the whole way for #12, and why Smith was setting himself up nicely for #1.
(Does Pauly even know the shifts in Ole G Smith’s backing set-up? Do you?)
Episode 39: Hellmuth’s Non-Hold’em Final Table
[audio:tao/TOP_W10_39_Hellmuth_nonholdem_FinalTable.mp3]Dan happens to wander into the Rio at the exact time Phil Hellmuth advanced to the final table of the PLO/8 event. Pauly and Dan head up to the Beef Jerky lounge to get a better look at the Hellmuthian circus.
Episode 40: Gavin Smith’s Ass Crack
[audio:tao/TOP_W10_40_GavinSmithAssCrack.mp3]Pauly and Dan saunter into the Pavilion Ballroom, where they rarely hang out. During the recording of this particular episode, they’re ambushed by a couple of the entities from Wicked Chops Poker. At some point, a discussion about a masseuse working on Gavin Smith’s upper ass region breaks out.
Brian G. says:
June 26th, 2010 at 5:32pm
There are a lot of people that can’t watch but would because our cable operator doesn’t have a deal where they bend over for ESPN. People have tweeted Andrew Feldman, who simply responded, “call your cable operator.” Hey Andrew, (I know you read this site), what do you expect us to do when we call them, demand they sign a deal with ESPN in the next 10 minutes and allow us to watch? Where I live Andrew, there are only 2 internet options. Neither of them allow me to access ESPN3, so changing providers is not an option. ESPN should have offered it up for $5 pay-per-view, I would have paid. Tell ESPN thanks for nothing, and spare us the nonsense, you company stooge.
Kevin Mathers says:
June 27th, 2010 at 7:45pm
It’s not Andrew’s fault that ESPN and certain cable providers can’t get together on ESPN3. This also goes for not making it readily available to those outside the US, being the WORLD Series of Poker. Eventually, ESPN will recognize there’s an audience for people who want to watch streaming coverage of poker, even without hole cards. The problem is finding a way to monetize that coverage to justify the cost. While some liked it when they were watching Matt Savage-run tournaments at Ustream, they were working on a shoestring budget with questionable video quality.
On a further note, there is now highlights available for several final tables at espn.com/poker for WSOP final tables, starting at event 19.
The problem with doing PPV is that while some people will pay $5, others are going to look for any way to avoid paying for something they feel should be free.
Brian G. says:
June 27th, 2010 at 9:34pm
I agree it is not Andrew’s fault, but he makes an idiot out of us telling us to call our cable provider. You know how I know that? I actually did call my cable provider.