Poker on Television! Good or Bad for a Pro's Career

Do you think that poker on television has hurt some of the professional poker players careers? I’m not totally convinced on this but I will say that I think it has definitely made players a lot more aware of what is going on at the poker tables. Take Gus Hansen for example, this guy was on absolute fire for the past two years. Everytime you would turn on the television whether it was a WPT event, WSOP event, or even the PokerSuperstars Invitational, who was there and who was winning: Gus Hansen. Now fast forward to 2005, this guy has been nowhere to be found. Obviously he is a loose cannon at the tables where he will most certainly play every hand that is put in front of him. If the mini cam did not show what the players were holding the other professionals would have no idea what they are losing to and what guys are calling with. But, with the television crews all over the place guys can watch and learn every single tendency of each player and get a great read on what these guys are up to at the tables.

Obviously as a fan of poker the cameras and the productions are exactly what we need but do the pros feel the same way. I mean sure they like feeling like celebrities and rock stars per say but for those that have not been the same players since the television era began I don’t think they’ll say they absolutely love it. Gus Hansen is a tremendous poker player but I definitely feel that his game and finishes in tournaments of late has a lot to do with him being on television. Just my two cents on the way television can affect a player’s game and reputation. Thank god for poker on television though!