For fun, I've come up with a "format" for a TV series
about video
poker
similar to the WSOP but (naturally) different. TV works
for
poker and blackjack
why not VP? Actually there are some good
reasons "why not". For starters, VP doesn't pit one
player against
another. Also, VP is played so fast viewers can't see what's
happening. Therefore I had to tweak the normal rules and procedures,
as I'll explain.
Here are the "goals" that (hopefully) will make it
interesting to TV
viewers.
1. It must take great skill to win (not just luck). That means
players are penalized for card selection errors.
2. People who play fast should have an advantage over slower
players. That means rewarding faster play and penalizing slow play.
3. Players should compete in small groups, with the best overall
player in a group the winner. Each player is trying to defeat the
other players in his group. I think 6-8 in a group is about right.
4. Players need to know how they stand, relative to other players,
while the contest is underway. And the TV viewers too. To do this,
each player's score is displayed for everyone to see.
5. There should be a substantial entry fee
as in the WSOP. On
a
$1 machine ($5 max bet) I think $3000 is about right (maybe $2000).
I envision 6-8 flattops, in a row, with a screen clearly visible to
all players (and the TV audience). Each player's score, number
of
errors, and average playing speed, is displayed on the screen.
To begin, a contest judge selects the specific VP game to be played.
The choices might be JorB, DDBP, Deuces Wild, and Joker Poker. Multi-
Strike might be a choice too. Contestants won't know in advance
which game is chosen. Pay schedules for each game are published well
ahead of the contest so players can practice the games.
The betting amount would start at $1 ($5 max bet) and increase with
each round of play until an overall champion is determined. Losing
players can't cash in their remaining credits at the end of a
round.
Losers leave broke, just like they do in the WSOP.
The winning player in a group is the one with the highest credit
total at the end of a round. He/she advances to the next round
against the winning players in other groups. In the 2nd round (and
subsequent rounds) players begin with their total win (total credits)
from the previous round. In the final round, the winner is the one
with the most credits, which he/she keeps. After 4-5 rounds it
should be quite a large sum.
Now, here's a big change in the rules. For each game played the
max-
bet ($5 for a $1 game in round 1) is ADDED to a player's credits
(not
subtracted as in regular VP). For example, if a player plays 1000
games in a round he/she will earn $5000 in credits ($5 x 1000). This
is how players are rewarded for playing fast, or penalized for
playing slowly.
When a player makes an error (bad choice of held cards) his/her total
credits are reduced by 33% and this amount is distributed equally
among the other players. For example, if a player has $5000 in
credits and makes an error then $1750 is deducted from his/her
credits and 1/7 ($250) added to each of the other players (if there
are 8 players). On the 3rd error, if it occurs, all remaining
credits are disbursed equally to the other players and that player
automatically loses and stops playing. This is how players are
rewarded for accurate play, or penalized for poor play.
So, the winner has to be both skillful and speedy, and probably lucky
too. But luck is not necessary if all the other players are
disqualified due to their errors, or one player is both extremely
fast and accurate. A player can be very lucky but still lose if they
make 3 errors. If all players are very fast, and very accurate, then
luck comes into play. If a player makes a RF (or a couple very rare
hands) I don't think they can just "sit tight" until the
round ends
because a fast and skillful player might overtake them.
I think a "round" should be about 2 hours, but this would be
shortened for TV viewing, just as in the WSOP. If it turns out that
players make too many errors, it may be necessary to allow more than
3 errors. A player must play fast, but not so fast that they start
making errors.
Would this be interesting to watch? Can anyone think of a way to
improve this?
