Quote:
Originally Posted by DiamondDixie
I absolutely hate the Royal Flush Girls, not them personally of course but the whole concept.
I have no issues with Playboy or Penthouse or even porn for that matter but I just hate the RFGs. I find it/them/the concept very off putting and antiquated. I also HATE, HATE, HATE the way Mike Sexton talks about them, I hate this almost as much as when he kept saying "Have you lost your poker home" right after Black Friday. I hate the "social bar" too. A bunch of nerds, who none of these girls would ever talk to in irrl, sitting there is just pretty sad.
Poker needs to be moving forward where women are concerned and having this type thing for a big tournament series group is just wrong and moving backwards instead of forward. It's just plain sexist imo.
I'd love to know how others feel about this.
It's funny you brought this up, because my wife and I had a conversation about these women just a few days ago.
My personal take on them, at the start of the conversation, was that I hated the whole idea of the Royal Flush girls. To me they served no purpose: They detracted from the focus on the game, were often the subject of their own little snippets, are featured prominently at the bar behind the "game", are onstage with the winners, posted on their facebook page...I mean it's almost like they were the FACE of the WPT!
Strangely enough, my wife was surprised that I was so adamant against the idea. When I asked her to explain, she made a very good point: The RFG's are not there for my sake, I'm already a player. They're there to "glamorize" poker to those on the outside, to help lure new people into the game.
If you watch a Poker Tournament you realize that what they show on most TV is not a real poker tournament. It's snippets, highlight reels of hands that make good tv. Real final tables, like the
PCA 2013 High Roller Tournament go on for hours and hours and hours, and most of this is not riveting play to the average person. But even if you splice the game up and only feature highlights, it's still not exactly the most exciting thing to watch if you're not really into it. So if you're not watching, then the show becomes a losing venture. It gets pulled off the air.
The Royal Flush Girls serve as the anchor to the WPT brand, because they present an external perception of the tournament to those who would otherwise not be attracted to the WPT.
Think of it this way: The general perception of poker is that it's gambling. Gambling, like it or not, has direct associations with money, sex, and power. Hit it big? Hot Men and Women will flock to your side, champagne corks pop, fancy cars, red velvet ropes lift for you, and so on and so forth. Instant superstar status. This is even more reinforced by their WPT club: Their winner is always shown with the RFG's multiple times during their broadcasts, reinforcing the "YOU COULD BE THIS GUY" image. That's what Moneymaker was: He wasn't a terribly good player, he was a regular guy who became world champion through a cheap satellite. His value was as a symbol, not as a player.
The RFG's play into this whole idea to the general public, not with the intent of glamorizing the game to those who are already in it, but with the intention of attracting people to the game with disposable income.
And who in the world has the BIGGEST source of disposable income? Young men and women, ages 18-35. The time in your life when sex is on the brain, you thirst for adventure, and the money....well you get the idea. They're also one of the demographics most likely to be up late at night or early in the morning, the traditional time slots for any poker-related program NOT labeled WSOP to be on.
And of course, these foolish individuals, lured into watching a bit of the WPT for the sexuality, the money, and the perceived power, think to themselves: "Hey, poker looks freaking easy. I'll take a shot at it!"
And thus, another sucker for the sharks to feed on.
Really, that's what the RFG's are all about
: Attracting newbies to the game of poker and they do it using the path of least resistance. Sex, Money, and power. Be it on TV, or at your home game, or through the casinos themselves, they are attracting new fish to the game, viewers to their TV show, and more money for poker players as a whole.
Is it sexist? Probably. I can't find an argument against it being sexist. Do I want it to stop? Hell no. I'll take the fish at my table any way I can get them. If the newbies want to drop $1000 on the tables with dreams of easy money, cheap women, and fast times I'll be right there to show them the hard cold reality: Most of us players are not interested in the Royal Flush Girls, or Diamond Draw Boys, or anyone like them. At the table, we want your money.