blonde poker forum

Ive just watched the EPT coverage from  Deauville.

I have two questions.

How does Colin Murray get the commentator job?

Why would they put out this superb series with clear error strewn commentaries.

In the biggest pot in the comp Murray on a board of

9 j q k

says that ace jack has str8, top pair and flush possibilities to win the hand when the other guy has

q 10

he even intimated that the king on the turn wasn't a good card for the q 10 hand. To be honest his commentary is more like an attempt to ridicule everyone else in the comms box instead of making informed poker comment and it lets the whole show down.

Anyone agree/disagree?

Maybe its all a hustle to challenge big name pro's ''hu for rollz''?

Murray wasn't on as much in the EPT 3 shows on Challenge, James Hartigan (sp) was on a few shows and at least he seems to know basic hand reading. Hopefully Season 4 will see Colin disappear back to compering inane pop shows.

Lee Jones' commentary in season 3 was a bad imo. They should just get Raymer to do it all the time.

Another commentator is asked to define EV in some poker magazine that I saw. He gets it wrong (or possibly the mag misquoted him or something???)

Maybe people should be asked to do the Donkey Test before being allowed to speak authoritatively in the poker media.

http://www.donkeytest.com/ (http://www.donkeytest.com/)

119

143 in tournaments... somehow.

I find Murray grates on my nerves. He does come out with total bull sometimes and his insults of the players are demeaning. On a recent episode he was deriding a player for having patches on their clothing as if to say they were wearing something from a charity shop. He fails to point out that they are forced to put masking tape over sponsors logos if they are not PStars. His analysis falls short of what is required of the program and the series is devalued by his input.

Being a massive Liverpool fan is his only true quality...

ffs i was halfway through a detailed example of why i think murray has gone down hill in my opinion and i pressed cntrl deletebaccidently or did summat anyway and the bloody thing disappeared.

He cant read hands, plays, he cant even make a connection with what people hold and how that applies to the community cards. I used to give him the benefit of the doubt as he was obviously fairly new to the game but after 3years/ seasons of commentating he really should have come on quite a bit by now considering all he gets to do is study pro poker players hands and sit next to barny, duthie, jones and raymer.

Theres no hope for the biy im afraid, get rid of him.

p.s. I really did enjoy Lee Jones on there as his analysis of what players were thinking and just about to do was normally spot on.

 ;iagree;

Murray is awful, but Lee Jones was also surprisingly poor. He was wooden rather than content poor mind, so maybe once he relaxes in front of the camera he'll be fine. Nothing will make Murray fine.




[/quote]

I like the fact that he takes the piss out of the players and stuff. Pros and their hangers-on/leeches can get so sanctimonius about themselves sometimes.

All the EPT ones I've seen him on, he's been OK. He aint as bad as that donkey on Sky Poker.

Nice troll - I can't wait to see the colour of your tongue if tipping starts in UK casinos.

He can be quite funny when he starts ripping people. Can't remember what EPT it was but there was a Scando in shades & a chainmail vest that Murray ripped to shreds (and rightly so). Gabe Kaplan's slagging of Bob Stupak on "HSP"was quality as well.

I'd rather listen to Murray than that Brian Molicka of "Cash Poker" or Norman Chad - The King of Tumbleweed.

There's no way in hell the operators will let it be allowed. And quite frankly, very few dealers want to work for tips.

Nice try though.

The Big 3 all want tipping to be allowed, they've been lobbying for a long time on that one.

I ussually think someone creatively slagging off the players can be quite funny, however you have to know what you're talking about first. If you haven't got a clue about the basics of the game you're probably better off leaving guys that do make final tables alone

Sorry....;ashamed;

lol

If a guy gives me a tenner tip on a dice table because he's just won on a big roll, that's a tenner the casinos cant get back off of him. Put simply, dead money.

In terms of the culture of tipping, with America, it's hard to draw a comparison. It's inbuilt in their social sensibilitys to offer a gratuity, something that is distinctly lacking in the mindset of a customer in the UK.

But to be honest, even if the operators dont allow it, all it will take it one set of employees taking their bosses to a European court for denial of earnings and if they win, that will be it.

DFH, the operators WANT tipping, having worked to get it, they are not then going to stop it if it becomes legally permissable. When I was in casinos I was dead against it for exactly the reason you state, it will take a long time for the culture of non-tipping to be eradicated, I doubt it will in any way be lucrative for dealers.

 Aspades
Err...this threads kind of weaving a little off track Colin Murray/Tipping? But...

As someone who has  commentary (World Headsup etc)I have a reasonably informed view and it is this.
I agree Mr Murray is on the whole occasionally entertaining but totally useless as a poker comm.What the TV company thinks of him though may be slightly different ....sometimes the entertainment value seems to be more important than the accuracy or specific poker knowledge. My disagreement with Sky/TK was over the fact that I told them that when the Sky "Open" started the experts were really not good enough much to the disgust or Mr Kendall.
Incidentally Sky replied by telling me the show was more about entertaining the public than appealing to seasoned players ...still no excuse for silly expert mistakes but ...I see there point.
Incidentally IMO the expert should be a an expert and the lead comm should be entertaining...unfortunately Colin Murray appears to fall between the two and fails badly...stick to entertaining Colin.
Tipping ?...It may well work in the long run but...Shouldn`t the individual dealer be able to keep his or her own tips? Not according to most casino`s it will be a tipping "Pool"...not so good IMO.

That is also going to be a legal restriction, and not as far as I recall, one that the operators asked for, it's just what the Gaming Board think is appropriate. Again I agree another negative as you always get freerollers who will lrely on the good to supplement their lack of effort.

My reservations regarding Colin Murray are that he brings down the level of what is a superb tourney and show. The show doesn't need 'entertainment' for entertainments sake, it is entertaining for its poker content, instead of Murray and say Barny or John it would be much better with Barny and John or another poker twosome.

If the makers want to cross entertainment boundaries then Vicky Coren would be the perfect choice as she can walk the walk in both poker and entertainment circles.

Gary Jones would also fit into both categories in my book from watching other poker shows.

think of the outcry if they got Murray to commentate on Match of the Day.

its bad enough he does the football on channel 5 where you get 10 minutes of adverts during the 15 minute half time break!!

Disagree with all the Murray dissenters.
Cash game poker can be interesting TV but tournament poker is as dull as dishwater. I can't remember the last time I didn't turn over after a few minutes other than the farcical
five diamond WPT that was on recently. This episode included Doyle making a ridiculous call for all his chips with pocket 3's and then Antonius berating him on camera. He
even slagged off his play to the eventual winner, also a Scandie. Not only did he insult a living legend to his face and the viewing public but he then went on to cheer a river card that
he thought had won him a pot, hilariously it hadn't.  Antonius went on to outplay his mate heads-up but typically took a horrible beat to lose. So $2m went to a guy who got in the comp for a few dollars and
by all accounts was thoroughly outplayed at the final table.
Other than when players make a fool of themselves the only other entertainment to be derived from poker tournament programmes is if the commentator is funny.
Murray has a very irreverent and comic take when commentating on poker and is just about the only reason I would watch any EPT shows.
I mean on each hand they dwell on 6-7 players for 10 seconds each while they squeeze out a 72o and then fold. During these pauses I think commenting on the badly dressed
and odd looking players is all he can do!

sorry colin might be a nice guy but i can listen to him

he is ruining the simon mayo show at the moment

instead of asking a quick question he asks a question puts a story into the question and then the person replying has no time to answer because its time to move on