Game of Gold: New Poker After Dark
11-22-2023
, 11:41 AM
11-22-2023
, 02:58 PM
+1000
Rigged? No. I wouldn't imagine most poker players would want to be on a show where the hands are set up, etc.
Scripted? Also no, but I suspect there are different interpretations of what that word means. To me, "scripted" means there is, well, a script. There are lines and sides and stage directions. Most reality TV is not scripted even if it is often set up and/or contrived. Those two things are not the same. The show Curb Your Enthusiasm and the movies Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind and The Grand are all technically unscripted. Sure, there was a general outline for what a scene will be, or sketches for characters' background, or what the overarching story will be, but no one has lines on a page that they memorize and read.
Bear in mind, too, that all reality shows are creatively edited, and I think we can all agree the same has happened here from time to time. A "LET'S GOOOOO" reaction from one hand might very well be from a previous hand, but they stuck the clip to where we see it because it fit better***. Thus, if something seems forced and unnatural, it very well could be – e.g. a producer asked one of the rooms to rerecord the reaction because maybe K-Mart stood up and his head went out of frame. Not saying this did happen, just that it could have and would be perfectly consistent with reality TV.
[Long aside about season 1 of MTV's Sorority Life deleted from what ended up as another lengthy post.]
Poker has long been part of this trend, too. As many of you may well know, the WPT final table broadcasts contain similar trickery. Before the players enter the stage, a producer comes out to coach whatever fans are there for some canned reactions.
"Pretend that your player just got it in as a 3-to-1 dog!" (Crowd groans or facepalms.)
"But then he outflops the other player!" (Crowd cheers!)
"And now the turn gives the other player a redraw!" (Crowd acts worried.)
"Then the other player hits one of his outs!" ("OOOHHHH!")
They recorded various reactions, as winning a flip will get a different response than winning a two-outer on the river, etc. Of course, there are genuine and organic reactions that end up in the broadcast – e.g. a player hugging an opponent who he just knocked out. But having a library of reactions provides more options for the final cut.
At the table where the above photo was shot, the producers probably never needed the canned stuff because the Victory Poker rail, the Esfandiari rail and the Rousso rail were so boisterous on their own. When Esfandiari won the last hand, he kissed the dealer on the top of the head, then jumped into the section where his friends and family were. None of that was scripted, he just did it. The unexpected nature of it is why my shot of Antonio and the dealer ended up both blurry and crooked. Put simply, I wasn't ready for it. You can tell by the background that others shared in the surprise.
Now, I find it unlikely Game of Gold had a producer canning reactions from the rooms, I'm just saying there's a decent chance there was some clever editing, and there were almost undeniably times people played up to the cameras (ahem, Charlie). And there were also some authentic and spontaneous moments, like Arieh's "I'm the champ" comment. Both things can exist in a show, yet it doesn't mean said show is a work of fiction.
Anyway, I still have to catch up on the second week of episodes, so here goes.
***c.f. Greg Raymer's wife in the 2004 Main Event telecast.
Rigged? No. I wouldn't imagine most poker players would want to be on a show where the hands are set up, etc.
Scripted? Also no, but I suspect there are different interpretations of what that word means. To me, "scripted" means there is, well, a script. There are lines and sides and stage directions. Most reality TV is not scripted even if it is often set up and/or contrived. Those two things are not the same. The show Curb Your Enthusiasm and the movies Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show, A Mighty Wind and The Grand are all technically unscripted. Sure, there was a general outline for what a scene will be, or sketches for characters' background, or what the overarching story will be, but no one has lines on a page that they memorize and read.
Bear in mind, too, that all reality shows are creatively edited, and I think we can all agree the same has happened here from time to time. A "LET'S GOOOOO" reaction from one hand might very well be from a previous hand, but they stuck the clip to where we see it because it fit better***. Thus, if something seems forced and unnatural, it very well could be – e.g. a producer asked one of the rooms to rerecord the reaction because maybe K-Mart stood up and his head went out of frame. Not saying this did happen, just that it could have and would be perfectly consistent with reality TV.
[Long aside about season 1 of MTV's Sorority Life deleted from what ended up as another lengthy post.]
Poker has long been part of this trend, too. As many of you may well know, the WPT final table broadcasts contain similar trickery. Before the players enter the stage, a producer comes out to coach whatever fans are there for some canned reactions.
"Pretend that your player just got it in as a 3-to-1 dog!" (Crowd groans or facepalms.)
"But then he outflops the other player!" (Crowd cheers!)
"And now the turn gives the other player a redraw!" (Crowd acts worried.)
"Then the other player hits one of his outs!" ("OOOHHHH!")
They recorded various reactions, as winning a flip will get a different response than winning a two-outer on the river, etc. Of course, there are genuine and organic reactions that end up in the broadcast – e.g. a player hugging an opponent who he just knocked out. But having a library of reactions provides more options for the final cut.
At the table where the above photo was shot, the producers probably never needed the canned stuff because the Victory Poker rail, the Esfandiari rail and the Rousso rail were so boisterous on their own. When Esfandiari won the last hand, he kissed the dealer on the top of the head, then jumped into the section where his friends and family were. None of that was scripted, he just did it. The unexpected nature of it is why my shot of Antonio and the dealer ended up both blurry and crooked. Put simply, I wasn't ready for it. You can tell by the background that others shared in the surprise.
Now, I find it unlikely Game of Gold had a producer canning reactions from the rooms, I'm just saying there's a decent chance there was some clever editing, and there were almost undeniably times people played up to the cameras (ahem, Charlie). And there were also some authentic and spontaneous moments, like Arieh's "I'm the champ" comment. Both things can exist in a show, yet it doesn't mean said show is a work of fiction.
Anyway, I still have to catch up on the second week of episodes, so here goes.
***c.f. Greg Raymer's wife in the 2004 Main Event telecast.
11-23-2023
, 12:05 PM
11-24-2023
, 05:08 AM
