Jeff Haney on one viewer of the televised World Poker Tour who sees commentator Sexton as the star of the show and not the players themselves

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 | 7:08 a.m.

Lynn Ratcliffe, a reader and televised-poker fan from Las Vegas, checked in with a unique take on the dispute between some established tournament stars and the World Poker Tour regarding the release form players must sign in order to play in World Poker's made-for-TV competitions.

A handful of poker stars, most of them affiliated with the Full Tilt Poker organization (fulltiltpoker.com) including Andy Bloch and Chris Ferguson, have opted not to play in any World Poker Tour events because they believe the release form gives World Poker too much power over the use of their images.

On the other side are those who believe that even if the established poker stars bail out, a new crop of currently unknown players will take their place in a seamless transition.

The conflict has given rise to a debate regarding what drives the popularity of TV poker tournaments - is it the star players or poker itself, with its dramatic all-in situations, big bluffs and lucrative prize pools?

For Ratcliffe, it's neither. Instead, Ratcliffe tunes in for the entertaining commentary - by the World Poker Tour announcers in particular.

"Tell Andy Bloch that I watch these televised tournaments because of the announcers, not because of the established poker stars or the game itself," Ratcliffe wrote. "A skillful announcer, such as (World Poker's) Mike Sexton, makes the tournament seem exciting.

"I tried once to watch a tournament where the announcers were Howard Lederer, Annie Duke and Chris Ferguson. I lasted five minutes.

"I don't play poker, so I am sure that it isn't the game. Seeing established poker stars in a tournament is nice but sometimes boring because you know what to expect from them."

Ted Forrest beat Ferguson in the championship round of the second annual National Heads-Up Poker Championship last week at Caesars Palace, but former world champ Huck Seed was still smarting over his loss to Ferguson in the semifinals.

Seed, the 1996 World Series of Poker main event champion, was beating himself up for the way he played his final hand against Ferguson, going all-in with pocket fours but running smack into Ferguson's pocket 10s.

"I'm a very impulsive player, and I just made the wrong move at the wrong time," said Seed, who earned $125,000 for his final four finish in the 64-player field. "I just panicked."

Seed, who had defeated Scott Fischman, Erick Lindgren and David Oppenheim to advance to the semis, said Ferguson's deliberate style of play took him off his game.

"He's a completely different player from all the others," Seed said. "He was playing so slow that I started to get impatient. He brought me out of my rhythm.

"I played great against every-body except Chris - I made one goofy move, and that was it."

Ferguson, who won the 2000 World Series of Poker main event, was gracious in his assessment of Seed's move with the pocket fours. Going all-in was a "viable" move for a player with Seed's aggressive style, he said.

The tournament will air on NBC (KVBC Channel 3) in six episodes spanning 10 hours starting April 16 and running through May 21.

The multimillion-dollar heads-up match between Texas billionaire Andy Beal and a consortium of Las Vegas pros - which came to be known as the world's richest poker game - has come to a conclusion at the Wynn Las Vegas poker room.

For now.

"Never say never, but it does appear it's over," said author Michael Craig ("The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King"), whose comprehensive article in the April issue of Bluff Magazine will give a blow-by-blow account of the skirmish.

Both sides called it quits late last month after Phil Ivey - playing for the group of pros known informally as "the corporation" - won $16.6 million from Beal in three consecutive days of play at the Wynn.

That victory erased the corporation's $6.6 million deficit and secured a $10 million profit against Beal for the month, according to Craig, who worked closely with both sides as they negotiated the terms of the big game.

The loss was enough for Beal to throw in the towel and return to Texas.

"That didn't stop him from asking me if Phil would like to come to Dallas in the next couple of days," Craig said.

There was no immediate interest from Ivey or the corporation in that proposal - "but you never know what can happen in the future," Craig said.