blonde poker forum

I have just seen this week's 425 for the first time, & maybe I already mentioned this, but you MUST try & catch Jen's interview - it's only on 1 more night. She gives a super 425 Profile.

The "new" table, the "set" as it were, also helps the show a lot imo.

Rumour has it that the show will revert to 30 minutes again soon, as the TV suits think it's "sharper" at 30 minutes. I could not disagree more - the extra half-hour allows more time to elaborate on subjects, & the feedback I get suggests almost all viewers prefer it. Ah well, what will be will be, the TV Execs know what they are doing I guess.

Anyway, do try & catch the Jen interview. She's like a ray of sunlight on a cloudy day.

i have the show on sky+ but need to reconnect the cables so as soon as i can get someone round the back of the tv i will torrent it

cheers Iron.

I have to say i MUCH prefer it at 30 minutes. The current format just gets boring IMO

I quite like the duration of the show as it is because there’s always plenty to talk about and plenty of people to interview. It’s nice to have a show that discusses and interviews up and coming as well as the established names in poker. Shame we couldn’t have two have two half hour shows a week.

Obviously can't please everyone though.

Are there any legal reasons why highlights are never shown of the actual play from festivals? I know you don’t get much time but it would be nice to see some play from competitions where we recognise people other than the big names. It was nice to watch the final of the Grovesnor/Blue Square Grand Prix 2005 final table on TV. Are there any other shows like this that I’ve missed?

There is no reason at all why play cannot be shown from the Final, & I think it's rather sad that it is not, even if only the "key hands".

I agree. Escpecially when you talk about certain hands, it would be nice to see them too. So who decides not to show them? Is it something that can be added to the show?

It's not so much "who decides to show them", more a case of what the Producer tells the cameraman to shoot at the venue. It's a piece of cake to film the action from any key hand, but it just needs the Producer to instruct the Cameraman so to do.

WORMSTER

Huh?

the producer

I like the one hour format, It allows you to do so much more.

I suppose the problem with filming the key hands is not knowing which ones they will be. To get the important ones, you would have to film them all.

I agree about Jens interview, it was...well, it was pure Jen.

Yes, she just oozed that girlie enthusiasm, modesty, & zest for life. And her reasons for liking The Commerce Casino cracked me up. What a wonderful character she is. No wonder her Mum is so proud. blonde sure are, too.

Tikay, does anyone really need 60 minutes of you a week ;tk;

The women need more. And it's 19 hours a week at the moment. They can't get enough of me.

You may bow, too.

I too like the full hour show. It's really nice to get all the diffrent parts of the show in and to reduce it means somethings being cut out :-( It's not as if the programmes around it are being held up 8).

Jen's the best, a real sweetie and so great at the updates... the thing i like best tho is her own words.... the girl invents new words every update... priceless.

She claims she is being "creative" with words. Put another way, she makes 'em up.

For those who crave good writing, Jen is a must-read.

anyone that can read jen is a whole class poker player

I'm afraid Tikay is wrong - it is not easy to film every single hand in a final table that lasts several hours to get the two or three key hands that occur, we would go skint from using up tape stock alone - the show has a very tight turn around, edited tuesday, recorded wednesday. That's why we only "shoot to edit" ie what we know we will need. Which is why we, as some people think, look like we're not doing much a lot of the time! At the end of the day we are there for a very long time to get around 15-20 minutes of footage to go in the show. As for reverting to 30 mins, basically it's felt by most of us, Tikay apart, that the show lost is sharpness by being an hour long. Take last week for example, we had 17 minutes of VT (all nice snappy pieces) in a 55 minute show. That means 38 minutes of chat, which is far too much. Looking at the replies we will upset some & please others when we got back to 30 mins - that's the way it goes.

Well done wormster, Poker 425 is an unwelcome interuption in my computer horse racing play. I have 5 TV's in my living room now so that I can multi-horse race and I'm thinking about going pro soon. Could you set up a forum for us horseites at all?

Cheers

Hi Steve,

I never suggested we/you should film every hand. Just be "on immediate standby" to film the key pots, in response to a Post by someone who suggested it. It would not be difficult - at all - & would utilise maybe 2 or 3 minutes of tape.

You guys not doing much at the Venue? As if......

What will be, will be though. No key hands & 30 mins it will be!

lol byron - what about those horrible REAL LIVE greyhounds running around? :)

Can we have a vote Mr W?

I think you would be surprised

i think you might!

tony - we did use to have the second camera there to film the all-ins for the final tables we could actually get access to but we don't have that now. I know it's weird having a poker programme that doesn't show any cards but, apart from making us very different from all the other poker shows out there, Poker425 is, and always has been, about the players. We are there to record their interviews, be it in the early stages, exiting the final table or the profiles & in-depths interviews.

I have to agree, there are a lot of programmes on TV that are dedicated to showing the actual game play, and none that do what 425 do so well.

I still think you should keep the one hour format though

Why does it need a second camera to record the "all-ins"?

Anyway, I believe the decision has been made, no key hands, revert to 30 minutes. TV Peeps know best!

I do agree, as it happens, that it's about players, rather than the play, as such, but if you read the thread, I was replying to a question from a viewer who suggested it.

There has been huge positive feedback around the venues to the extra length show, which costs much the same as the original half-hour version

But whatever happens, I've enjoyed every minute of it.

It's been emotional......

I have only seen Poker425 once ever, I am afraid, at a friend's house which was correctly wired for such things - I think a short sharp show gives the impression that there's so much more that's just waiting to be revealed, but you'll have to tune in again etc. etc.  I like Anchorman Tikay too.

I have no idea how I came across on the Profile, but if I "exuded girliness" or something as mentioned earlier then I can only be thankful I don't have access!  I drink a lot of coffee at these updates, you know. 

..."girlie enthusiasm" Miss Mason. A different thing entirely.

Cheers Tom, like I said though we're not going to please everyone. Me & "the suits" just feel the show has lost it's pace by going to an hour (we almost end up talking more about football!!!). There's still a few weeks left of the current format but we will be having bit of a re-launch sometime in June. We won't really be doing anything different to the way we've always been doing things, we will still have the report from the event, profiles & in-depth interviews & the banter in the studio. It will just have bit of a new look & feel to it all & I hope you will enjoy the changes we make.

Yeah, Miss "I've only seen it once but here's my opinion anyway"  ::)

How much of your audience attends the festivals?

oops, sounds like the death-knell for the 'ol fella......

No idea what these "changes" are, maybe there's the clue!

No idea. I just know that everyone who has spoken to me about the change to 1 hour has said it improves the show immensely. And it's not just Fessies I attend - I play a lot of grass roots poker, & a lot online, & the feedback is consistent.

Anyway, it's of no import - it seems the decision has already been made, so not a lot of point flogging this dead horse!

We used the hand-held DV cam as it was an extra tape to record on, which is around an hour long & means we didn't use the Digi-Beta tapes which are there for the interviews & only 30 minutes long. We usually use 2 Digi-Beta tapes per shoot, using the Digi-Beta cam to record the all-ins would result in doubling our tape stock.

One thing I have to agree with you Tony, it is very enjoyable - I think I've had more fun doing Poker425 than any of my other jobs!!!

don't be silly - where am I going to get another old bloke who dyes his hair & is as cheap as you?   ;scarymoment;

Cheap? CHEAP?

Don't let Homer hear you say that. He bows to me.

lol - anyway back to the original subject of the thread - jen's profile was excellent! Some great answers in a short interview!!

Salvation Army??

Even if 1 hour is considered to be too long, cutting it to 30 minutes is a backward step.  The show never was 30 minutes anyway - it always seemed to overrun by 5 minutes or so.

45 minutes might be a reasonable compromise.  Personally I like the 1 hour shows.  A 30 minute show won't be able to cover issues such as the Vic structure debate in any depth in future whilst still doing justice to that week's live coverage.

Strange decision in my view.

Sheriff

DO we need the vic structure discussed on the telly?

Do we need 'Lost' 'Deal or no Deal' 'Big Brother'? I think not, but a lot of people like them.

anything that is important to the poker scene will still be discussed, just a bit quicker  ;)

We need somewhere to debate issues that affect the game.  How about the collusion issue at Walsall which Edy G discussed.  It prompted Walsall's manager to respond a few weeks later, which I doubt would've happened from the forum posts alone.

Sheriff

Don't know if that was intended to be funny, but  rotflmfao rotflmfao rotflmfao

We could all listen faster if it helps. :)

An issue like that would still be discussed but do we really need a 15 minute chat about how naughty the vic are?

Glad you liked it Tom :) & Homer, if we talk faster & the viewers listen quicker we can cut it down to 15 mins  :cheers:

I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer I gave some moments ago.

OK, here's the deal. We record a 1 hour show, & run the tape at double speed?

Problem there will be that anyone who records it will think their fast forward button is stuck on their remote control!!!

In all seriousness, I like the longer show. If there's something on it you don't find interesting, then turn it off. You have the power!!! ;)

Or we could give people permission not to watch the bits they are not interested in

People make these shows to make money.....sadly big brother does make money. The people upstairs have cleary decided that it would make more money as 30min show. I imagine if someone as obsessed with poker gets bored of it, and i know all the people that are talked about, then your joe bloggs ,must be asleep by the end.

I think that misses the point by a considerable margin.

blonde, & 425, both major on improving the Poker scene, making it a better place. Someone needs to, & we both do.

It had nothing to do with anyone being "naughty", it was far, far, wider than that. It was essentially, look, there was a lot of negative feedback from the players, let's try & see why, & what can be done to improve things, if indeed improving they were found to need.

Whether the shiow is 30, 60 or 15 minutes long, & whatever form blonde takes in the future, we will always lobby for change for the better. In fact, I'm kinda proud of the efforts that blonde, & 425, have made on behalf of Live Poker.

As viewers, we both have rights, I have the right to disagree with the people upstairs, you have the right to turn it off when you get bored.

Sounds like an agree to disagree moment!

it's not a cutback that involves making (or saving) money, it's an editorial decision. IF we wanted to sell the programme on it would be a lot easier to sell as a 30 minutes programme (23 minutes 50 seconds (I think) if going to a commercial station) than a 1 hour prog.

Thats what i mean, making money in an indirect way. By making the show 30 mins you feel its better and thus will be able to make money through an increase in viewers. I agree.

I will only agree if you make that offer 50% shorter.

 ;goodvevil;

To be honest Byron you have to look at it this way, Poker425 costs money, it doesnt make money. The TV horseracing generates income for William Hill. A 1 hour show with the costs of sending two/three people to the venues, get the footage cut and then two presenters to front the show AND the loss of revenue to the channel from no turnover on the racing during the broadcast is not a small amount. It is in fact a below average yearly wage each week that William Hill 'lose' when they are added together.

My view of the horseracing is probably the same as yours and im not looking to express that here but you honestly wouldnt believe the turnover on each race.

As far as I know this has nothing to do with the decision to go to 30 mins from an hour but when we were first trying to get the show off the ground it was a seen as a potential problem that the revenue would be hit. The barb ratings grew nicely and the show was well received which took away these concerns as it has a value that cannot be measured in monetary terms.

I think the show is very popular and I find the 30 minute show 'snappier' than the 60 min show but I would watch a two hour show because I am a follower of poker. That wouldnt appeal to everyone so maybe 45 mins would be pefect.

There are now digital camcorders which are of broadcast or near broadcast quality - could you not experiment with one of them? - no tape wastage & they're not as bulky as the camera used at the BB's.

You could ask players to record key hands with their mobile phones and then send them in.

If you don't like the hour long show you could watch it just the twice a week instead of 6.

If having two half hour shows a week not an option?

bobby1, I was just trying to have a bit of a laugh mate. It's really very cool of Will Hill to make it in the first place. There aren't many other poker forums that have their own TV show. ;)

Wow - so people really do bet on those cartoon horses?

Btw,  :birthday:  Jen!

 :D

I swear it's like I'm in correspondence with Groucho Marx...

lol, no probs mate and Marco, honestly you would be amazed. 8)

There are three men and a woman trapped in here, send help.

If you can't send help, send two more women!

"The party of the second part shall be known in this contract as the party in the second party."

"I no like the second party"

"Well then you should've come to the first party, I was blind for three days."