# World Series of Poker **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2001, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825 "2001-05-09T01:33:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825/1 "2001-05-09T01:33:43Z")
Does anyone know if this event is televised? I know that it is happening _right now_, and the fact that I can’t see it is driving me nuts! Is it on at all? ESPN? Late night? Pay-per-View? Does anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825/2 "2001-05-09T01:43:42Z")
I’ve seen it on ESPN before, if that’s worth anything, so they do show it at times. Have you checked their website? ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825/3 "2001-05-09T03:21:36Z")
Not sure about it being televised yet but you can keep up with it at the [Binion’s Horseshoe](http://www.binions.com/main.html) site. I believe they have numbers for Binion’s on there, you could try calling and asking. ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825/4 "2001-05-09T03:30:07Z")
Also, the only time I’ve seen it televised, it was recorded–not live-- and it focused on the No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em Championship Event (the big game–$1.5 million pay out) and that event doesn’t start until May 14th. So they may be filming it now but will televise it after the big event. Of course, they may also show it live, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Sparteye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Sparteye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparteye)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825/5 "2001-05-09T13:21:48Z")
Might not the participants in these games object to live camera coverage, since an unscrupulous competitor might devise a way to obtain information on the contents of others’ hands through the broadcast? If I were playing, I’d want nobody, including cameramen, sound men and directors, viewing my hand, even if they took care not to broadcast hand holdings. ---
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825/6 "2001-05-09T13:52:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sparteye \* > \*\*If I were playing, I’d want nobody, including cameramen, sound men and directors, viewing my hand, even if they took care not to broadcast hand holdings. \*\* Ummm… **Sparteye** , you ever watch a poker tourney? There’s, like, a jillion people watching the game, all around the table. If someone wanted to have a cheating friend view another player’s hand and signal him, there are far easier ways then by intercepting network broadcasts. **Cabbage** - yes, I’ve checked ESPN’s website. Nada. **Evilbeth** - thanks for the link, but I’ve been to Binion’s website; that’s how I know that the tourney is on _right now_. Also, I read over on the pokerpages MB that the Discovery channel usually shows the final table during the summer. But that’s not good enough for me… [VERUCA SALT] I want the world… I want the whole world… … And I want it NOW! [/VERUCA SALT] [sub]BTW, anyone get the Veruca Salt refernece?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825/7 "2001-05-09T16:01:56Z")
Willie Wonka. and I wish I could watch it , too ---
**Author:** ![G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.B.H.Hornswoggler)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825/8 "2001-05-09T16:10:26Z")
Well, **sdimbert** , I’m afraid that it’s _my_ bar of chocolate, so you can’t wrap it all up in your pocket. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825/9 "2001-05-09T21:56:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sparteye \* > \*\*Might not the participants in these games object to live camera coverage, since an unscrupulous competitor might devise a way to obtain information on the contents of others’ hands through the broadcast? If I were playing, I’d want nobody, including cameramen, sound men and directors, viewing my hand, even if they took care not to broadcast hand holdings. \*\* From what I remember of the few times I’ve caught this on ESPN they don’t show the players hands anyway. The commentators are as clueless as any other practiced observer as two what is in their hands. I think the issue would be that watching other people play poker is not particularly interesting and it isn’t until the final round, when big money is on the line, that it is interesting enough to watch for an hour. ---
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2001, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-series-of-poker/64825/10 "2001-05-10T14:01:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by obfusciatrist \* > \*\*From what I remember of the few times I’ve caught this on ESPN they don’t show the players hands anyway. The commentators are as clueless as any other practiced observer as two what is in their hands. > \*\* I believe that this is only true regarding live coverage; once they re-broadcast, I think they add small split-screen windows showing what each player has in his pocket. Of course, this would be impossible for any folded hand, so I could be wrong. \*\* > [@](#): > > I think the issue would be that watching other people play poker is not particularly interesting and it isn’t until the final round, when big money is on the line, that it is interesting enough to watch for an hour. \*\* I think your statement would be well-served by changing “interesting” to “interesting to most people.” Obviously, _someone_ is interested… lots and lots of people fly to Vegas to watch them play. Just not _most_ people. I mean, my wife, **jdimbert** , still can’t believe that they have an entire channel about Golf… and I can’t believe she gets upset when I come home on my lunch hour to watch reruns of Academy Live! 🙂 Different strokes, I guess… Now the world don’t move, To the beat of just one drum…