The 2021 World Series of Poker has come and gone and, for the most part, it was a highly successful run. Almost 90 tournaments, all run very well, and the threat of COVID-19 was pretty much nonexistent save for the end of the schedule. But there was one thing that, while on its face looked like a good move, turned out to be detrimental for the game.
Months before the start of the 2021 WSOP, Caesars signed a new, long-term deal with the streaming outlet PokerGO and the broadcast outlet CBS and its CBS Sports Network to manage the coverage of the tournament. Although they used the same on-air talent and production company that was used during its highly successful run on ESPN, “the powers that be” either could not get a satisfactory deal with “The Worldwide Leader in Sports” or thought that this other arrangement would be better for the organization. The changeover in the airing of the WSOP leads one to ask the question – does poker even WANT to be mainstream anymore?
A Highly Resilient Game…
Poker has, in its history, been a tremendously resilient game. Born on the riverboats of the Mississippi (we could go back further, but not necessary) at the beginning of the 19 th century, it was originally a simple game of “I’ve got a better hand than you” played between four players. There were 20 cards, nothing under a ten in the deck (A-K-Q-J-10 of the four suits) and the cards were dealt and you bet – those were the origins of Five Card Stud.
That did not provide enough action for enough players, however. With the introduction of the 52-card deck, other variants of the game could be developed such as draw games and Seven Card poker. The additional cards also allowed for more players to take part in the game. Toss in a war (the Civil War was not all bloody battles and dysentery) and soldiers waiting for the next fight and poker blossomed into “America’s Game.”
The game traveled westward with the expansion of the U. S., with the gamblers of […]
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