Poker Railbirds, Explain Thyselves
Tis the season. The 2007 World Series of Poker’s Main Event is under way at the Rio and I’ve been following carefully as the field shakes down to see if any of those emerging from this year’s sea of anonymity hail from corners of the globe that have newspapers for which I write.
As usual, I’ve stopped in here and there to see what’s going on, get a sense of the scene. And this year, with no name-brand poker stars left a few days in and only Tobey Maguire to provide any real star power, my eternal question remains as relevant as ever.
To wit: What the hell is everybody standing around watching?
Look, I get why people watch poker on television, although I don’t find it all that interesting to do so. You can see what’s happening there, thanks to the lipstick cam that allows a glimpse of the hole cards and, thus, some ability to weigh the way each player handles their hands. With that insight, you have an idea of what heretofore unspoken drama is going on inside the minds at work. Fine.
But the Rio’s Amazon Room is overflowing these days with thousands of non-players, many of whom have made special trips to come and be “railbirds,” the folks who like to uh, stare. We’re talking about watching hour upon hour of a very small activity, playing a card hand. There isn’t even the chance of scoring a free drink or glimpsing a bare breast!
I took some flak for asking this question a number of months ago on my other blog in a post titled “Vegas’ Most Boring Spectator Sport.” I had dropped in at the Bellagio for the finale of a World Poker Tour event that had a celebrity finalist, Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte; I thought I might get to chat with him. Poker bloggers wrote that I just didn’t understand the game.
Turns out, I’m not the only one who’s puzzled, and I’m joined by several people who, uh, understand the game. I had Annie Duke, the most successful female poker player ever, on “The Strip” podcast a few weeks ago. I asked her about the railbirds.
Duke replied: “That confuses me. It baffles me. I can’t do it. Erik Seidel a couple of years ago won a bracelet at the World Series and I was in the audience to support him. And it was excruciating. You can’t see any of the hole cards! What makes poker really fascinating is that you know what your hole cards are and you’re trying to figure out what the other people’s hole cards are. So you have some of the information. It’s decision-making under relatively extreme circumstances of uncertainty. When you’re watching, you have zero information. You can’t figure out anything out.”
Exactly. You know who else doesn’t understand? The 2003 World Series of Poker champ Chris Moneymaker, who told me in a 2006 conversation on “The Strip”: “That’s my biggest question. My wife will watch me in the stands and she tells me, ‘It’s the most boring thing in the world because I don’t know if I want someone to call you or fold. Half the time I can’t even tell what’s going on. I’m just sitting there watching nine guys sitting around a table.’ “
Had enough yet? Too bad. 2005 WSOP champ Joe Hachem told me in a 2005 chat for “The Strip” that he has an idea why people watch, but he still doesn’t really understand: “Poker has become a phenomenon. We now have poker celebrities … and these guys have built up a celebrity following. People want to come and watch them even though they can’t see anything. It’s incredible.”
So I ask: What gives? Anyone?
Steve Friess is a Vegas-based writer who contributes regularly to Newsweek, USA Today, The New York Times, Vegas and many others. Contact him at Steve[at]SteveFriess.com