Card Player Can Tell Time

If the entities that comprise Wicked Chops Enterprises LLC were to teach a class on poker writing, first, we'd hypothetically call the class Techniques in Effective Poker Reporting--which the kiddies would surely shorten to something like TEPR--and second, the very first item on our syllabus would undoubtedly be: The Importance of Accurate Time Stamping in Poker Journalism.

Apparently, Card Player not only took our fictitious TEPR course...a few times...but they obviously retained the knowledge we dropped in it. While we've noted and noticed this many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many times before, in the latest issue of their fabulous Daily, Card Player provides nearly flawless time stamping during their Day 5 recap reporting. In fact, they time stamp specific critical events eight times in their lead article!

We feel like proud parents. Or maybe like John Keating. Below are some of our lessons, followed by Card Player's practical execution. Crap-e Diem!

Talking Point #1: Nothing tells a poker story as effectively as time stamping the action:

At 3:30 p.m., she was all-in preflop with Ah-3c against Jeffrey Lisandro’s pocket eights, but her hand never improved.

Talking Point #2: Do not be afraid to inundate the reader with time:

By the time the players went to dinner (how on earth could they eat?) just before 7 p.m., the field was down to 65, and the payout scale had jumped to $90,713. Brian Micon was the first to cross the $100,000 prize threshold. At 9:24 p.m., the Main Event lost its last female contestant when Sabyl Cohen, a Full Tilt qualifier from Pleasanton, California, was eliminated in 56th place ($123,699). The next rung on the pay scale was $164,932, and Scott O’Reilly was the first to make it, at 10:15 p.m., when he finished in 54th place; the next eight finishers would receive the same.

Talking Point #3: ALWAYS be precise in your time stamping:

Play continued in the Main Event until 11:31 p.m. when just 45 players were left.

This article was an almost perfect example of the how to effectively use time in poker reporting. It was so nearly perfect, we only found one paragraph that needed some improvement...

For some, of course, gambles paid off. Allen Cunningham doubled up against Ricki Nielsen in the classic race situation: Cunningham held K-J, Nielsen, pocket sevens, and a Jack on the flop ended put the Full Tilt pro in the lead.

Had we been behind the keyboard for this paragraph, we surely would've written it like this:

For some, of course, gambles paid off. Like at 10:03 p.m. when Allen Cunningham doubled up against Ricki Nielsen in the classic race situation that took approximately 10 seconds for the dealer to dish the flop, turn and river. Cunningham held K-J, Nielsen, pocket sevens, and a Jack on the flop put the Full Tilt pro in the lead.

NOTE: We fixed the extraneous "ended" word as well. Pobody's nerfect.

So while we salute Card Player for being such learned students, there's still room for improvement. Strive for perfection in your time stamping, Card Player, and you will be [standing on desk] our captain.

Comments

[Chops]

Embarrassing, yes.

Endlessly entertaining, yes.

Seriously, Card Player has made this WSOP totally more enjoyable than I'd ever imagine. I cannot thank them enough...comedy in its highest form.

[BJ Nemeth]

Ironically, Card Player's timestamps are HORRIBLY wrong. They make little effort to accurately timestamp the action, and only fiddle with the times to make sure that bustouts happen in the proper order.

When I was reporting, I always took note of the time a hand ended. If I reported that a hand ended at 10:13 pm, that's within a minute. And when I said a break started, it started.

These guys are putting up break posts 15 minutes late ... followed a few minutes later by "Play resumes."

It's embarrassing.

[ChicagoSlim (Lubbock)]

Cardplayer WHO?