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 he Guardian Poker Column |
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| Victoria
Coren |
| Thur 19 Mar 2009 |
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At
last, the world has truly turned upside down. Just as Annie Duke (professional
poker player, one WSoP bracelet) is announced as one of the contestants in
America's Celebrity Apprentice, Montel Williams (famous talkshow host, one
Emmy) announces his new television series International Team Poker League.
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What happened there? Did two phone numbers
get mixed up like airport briefcases in a bad thriller? Does Montel have to
blunder his way through the unfamiliar territory of gambling, while Annie fools
the US into thinking she's a celebrity, and together they foil a terrorist
plot?
On reflection, I suppose we could have seen this coming. Williams
has been a visible poker enthusiast for a while now; he has made a few
creditable, if slightly too solid, guest appearances as a televised player. And
perhaps poker really has, at last, reached the point where pros like Duke
qualify as full-on crossover celebrities.
But I still think a trick has
been missed. Montel's great skill, like Oprah's, lay in persuading members of
the public to sob through their personal traumas for an enthralled TV audience.
Why not just relaunch the original Montel Williams Show, with poker players in
the crowd? There is surely no community more troubled, bitter, miserable,
screwed-up, articulate and funny. All Montel would have to do is ask "Are you a
lucky person?" and he'd get enough anguish to fill eight series. At the end of
each episode, Duke, the "single mom who won $3m", could come on in military
gear, yell at them and send them to boot camp. Perfect TV, and nobody is too
far out of their comfort zone.
More poker commentary at
www.biggerdeal.com |
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