Ahh, the joys of being on the poker bandwagon…

As Mean Gene points out, many national media outlets are making a half-assed attempt to climb aboard the already overloaded poker bandwagon, sending poker newbies out to cover the WSOP like it’s some sort of Star Wars theater line or political convention. Sure, it’s irritating and patronizing to those of us who know our Hammer from our Big Slick, but these articles, featurettes, and soundbites are expanding the reach of poker to a big wide world of new players, growing our krill population exponentially.

I’ve been playing poker for REAL money since I was in the seventh grade. Well, nickel-dime-quarter is REAL money, at least it was in 1974. So I don’t need to be reminded the ranking of the hands, I don’t need to be told that my 72o is an underdog to AA, but, you know what? Some people do. And they’re the ones I want at my table. They’re the ones that I want to encourage to make that first deposit of $100 and sit down at the $.5/1 tables to “learn how to play”.

When the televised poker craze was just starting over a year ago, I watched every show and read every article about poker I could, just because it was there. Now I find that I ignore a large percentage of the mass media poker binge. Celebrity Poker, Hollywood Home Game, all that shit… is just that… SHIT.

“News” articles on ESPN, CNN, NY Times, any national news… these editing staffs are all YEARS behind the curve on poker knowledge. So I don’t read any of their stuff. Now I read blogs for my poker fix. But remember, most bloggers are way way way on the leading curve of poker acumen. The online poker virgin wouldn’t understand the vast majority of the pokerspeak bloggers use regularly, much of which is unique to the bloggers anyway. You won’t hear Sexton or Chad discussing the “Hammer” or “Fish” or “straddling”.

So, just consider ANY major media source to be the poker equivalent of Mr Rogers (“Hi, boys and girls, can you say ‘Flop?” and bloggers to be the poker equivalent of the Iron Chefs. They’re catering to the 99% that don’t give a shit about most of the crap that poker bloggers blog about. Those people need a voice too. And we don’t have to listen to it if we don’t want to. But I want those 99% to bring their wallets and play at my table.