To Be Or Not To Be A Doofus In Live Poker Tourneys
Last night, I watched the penultimate round in a WPT (World Poker Tour) Celebrity Poker Tournament series, where comedian/ actor Brad Garrett made an ass of himself. The series, as I understand it, is a Canadian production that was filmed last year and possibly the year before. Up here in the Toronto area, it’s showing on the City-TV channel, but I suspect that you may be able to see it in the United States on Bravo, which has the same owner as City-TV.
The winnings of each celebrity go to the charity of their choice, and for the most part, it’s been a very entertaining (repeat) series. But last night had to have been one of the most annoying rounds. Brad Garrett, whom I admire for his low-key humorous role as the older brother in the TV sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, played the role of annoying doofus. He strode the fine line between being a clown and irritating everyone, picking on opponents, insulting not just the card dealer, but Robert the at-table announcer and poker pro Phil Gordon (co-host with Canadian comedian Dave Foley).
Now while they may have taken everything in good stride, and while Brad may have simply thought he was being a clown, he really was damned annoying. But he really over-stepped the line for a charity tournament when he repeatedly leered at the attractive young woman in gold-lame shorts that was their waitress, then told actress Bonnie Hunt how she was sexier.
Whether intentional or not, Brad Garrett’s strategy seemed distracting to the other players. By the time I caught the show, Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) and Malcolm Jamal-Warner (Cosby Show) were already in the poorly named “Loser’s Lounge”. But Bonnie Hunt, who has a terrible poker face, and Colin Quinn seemed distracted.
However, in Colin’s case, it probably didn’t matter, as he was playing what poker pro Phil Hellmuth calls “jackal” style, calling on everything. Bonnie, possibly distracted by Brad, checked on two “straight” hands in a row when she should have raised. As a result, she lost to Colin and went out in 3rd place.
Now, Brad’s strategy may have won him the $100,000 prize for his charity and to advance him to the final (he behaved the same in his preceding round). But I’m wondering if anyone else could get away with such behaviour. Distraction is a great strategy, and humour is usually the best way, but the insults Brad dished out were only accepted with good nature because he is who he is. I doubt any poker pro out there could get away behaving the same, unless they developed a consistent persona over many years. Something to think about.
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The Poker Blog » Why Keely Brown Doesn’t Like Poker On TV
May 6th, 2006 at 4:51 pm
[…] On the other hand, you’ve got highly entertaining celebrity poker, which I’ll watch any day, even when comedian Brad Garrett steps over the line with his antics. But read Keely’s article (free registration required) and get a lesson on how poker is actually responsible for the existence of much of the United States. Probably very true but still a hilarious article. […]