Under-the-table Cameras
Late Night Poker's success is largely attributable to its "under-the-table" cameras (later known as hole cams) which allowed the viewers and commentators to see the players' cards through the transparent table. It is doubtful poker could succeed as a spectator sport otherwise, but American broadcasters have subsequently used a similar technique in programmes such as World Poker Tour.
Nevertheless, in contrast to most Poker shows, in its early series, Late Night Poker tended to use these cameras in a rather minimalist way. For example, in a two-way pot, often only one player's cards were shown, with the commentators trying to infer from the other player's actions what cards he or she held, and how the first player should act. Because of this, the commentary often mirrored the actual decision-making process of a Poker player. Only late in the hand, at the time of a critical decision, would the other player's cards be shown, possibly revealing a startling bluff or an unexpectedly strong hand.
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Famous quotes containing the word cameras:
“While the music is performed, the cameras linger savagely over the faces of the audience. What a bottomless chasm of vacuity they reveal! Those who flock round the Beatles, who scream themselves into hysteria, whose vacant faces flicker over the TV screen, are the least fortunate of their generation, the dull, the idle, the failures . . .”
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