Sunday, April 23, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.
I love televised poker, and particularly enjoy the World Poker Tour on the Travel Channel, the World Series of Poker on ESPN and High Stakes Poker on GSN.
But one of the most irritating things about televised poker, and ESPN's WSOP coverage is the biggest culprit, is the extra attention paid to the juvenile antics of some poker players.
Whether it is one-time World Champion Phil Hellmuth and his interminable whining, Mike Matusow and his non-stop criticism of fellow competitors or a handful of others who specialize in annoying behavior, these guys are a detriment to the game.
Hellmuth and Matusow are talented, and they and the TV producers may think that boorish behavior sells, but in the long run, they are mistaken.
Hellmuth is the game's biggest crybaby - he can't believe it when some fool who doesn't know who he's tangling with has the nerve to knock him out of a tournament. And Matusow intentionally tries to throw opponents off their games by insulting their play.
But the boorish behavior doesn't end after the tournament is over for them. Matusow and Hellmuth continue their tirades long after they've been knocked out, so the excuse that the behavior is just a smart strategy to gain a psychological advantage during the tournament doesn't fly.
Tournament directors should use their power to penalize bad conduct and assess tougher penalties on these poker hooligans, lengthening the timeouts (poker's version of the hockey penalty box) and being quicker to give repeat offenders the boot.
Poker competition is what makes these telecasts great, and the telecasts would be smart to focus on the game, not its bad actors.
Speaking of poker, one much-hyped poker room appears to be off to an exceptionally slow start.
The Venetian tried to open small poker rooms a couple of times before, but quickly closed them. Three weeks ago the property tried again, in a big way.
With 39 tables in 10,000-plus square feet, the room takes aim at the city's top poker rooms.
But early results aren't promising. On a couple of nights last week, the luxurious room barely had any action at all.
Bellagio poker tournament director Jack McClelland said he checked out the room on Thursday night and there was only one table in play, with only five players.
"I guess that's what you call a soft opening," McClelland cracked. "They had 385 open seats." Ouch.
Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson has incredible ambition, Steve Wynn told me recently.
Describing Adelson's Palazzo resort now under construction north of the Venetian, his existing Macau casino, his plans for future Macau casino development and his efforts to gain casino licenses in Pennsylvania, Singapore and the United Kingdom, Wynn said he can't keep up with his Strip neighbor.
"He's a swashbuckler," said the man who built Treasure Island as well as Wynn Las Vegas, Bellagio and the Mirage. "I can't keep up. He has 200 acres on Cotai (in Macau) and wants to do more."
With the compliment, Wynn compared his competitor's style to his own.
"I've got to take it one step at a time," Wynn said. "For me, it's not about the money alone. I'm not going to build something just to put it up. To build a Venetian, an Excalibur, a Luxor, a Mandalay Bay - they're just not what I want to do. I want to take my time, in Macau and on the Strip, and build something beautiful. That's why I'm in this business - to have fun."
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