Sent to Commentary
I have a confession to make. Sometimes when I'm reporting a hand, I'm not as enthusiastic as the post may infer. As much as the idea of queens against ace-king might excite some viewers, the likelihood is that I'm not sharing that thrill. Once you've updated your billionth hand, there isn't too much that can get the blood pumping, and despite the facade, I'm probably thinking about what it would be like to gauge my eyes out with the pen in my hand rather than how amazing it is that someone just ran kings into aces. Of course, the trick is to hide this thought from the viewer and pretend that the hand you are reporting was as fresh as the first. I think I've grown skilled in this illusion, but now and then, the tedium of poker leads me to take my eye off the ball and allow my disinterest to seep through.
Jesse May is an expert in this respect. He was commentating on poker when the poker boom was little more than a child's sparkler and has quite rightly been labelled 'The Voice of Poker'. What many don't know, is that Jesse commentates through an entire show, not just the edited highlights. He is without doubt, the Isildur of the commentary world, a total degenerate, talking for hours on end about a deck of cards from the confines of a small, sweaty room with little more than an energy bar and cup of strong coffee by his side. To him, commentating seems to be like entering a Japanese endurance contest, and he boasts more stamina than most.
Like me, Jesse will have watched more hands than Doyle Brunson's played, yet somehow he manages to convince the viewer that it's his first ever time in the booth, showcasing an incomparable energy and sense of genuine passion that makes a game of cards between a bunch of dudes a lot more compelling than it actually is. They could be playing tiddlywinks, and he could make it sound as exciting as a sexual encounter with Angelina Jolie. Jesse's either a sick poker fanatic, or the best actor in the world.
Whilst I was watching the action, I was wearing an earpiece that gave me a direct link to Jesse and whomever his partner in crime was for that day. It made the time go a lot quicker. I'm not sure if they've ever teamed before, but I felt almost honoured to be listening in on the heat where Jesse was joined by PartyPoker ambassador Mike Sexton. Jesse might be the Voice of Poker over here, but Mike adopted that role across the other side of the Pond many moons ago, and even to us he played an important role when the WPT debuted on Challenge TV.
Mike has great observational skills, and is good at summarising the action in way that is more difficult than it sounds. He's also a very underrated talent himself, and played a near perfect game in his heat. He was unlucky not to advance, but it was clear that watching players like Sam Trickett and Toby Lewis had had an effect. He can be stubborn sometimes on diverting from the norm play, but overall he has a sharp poker mind and is just as good in terms of analysis as someone like Gabe Kaplan. It's just that the WPT format doesn't enable him to comment on much more than all-in shoves and big folds.
I thought it was quite interesting at the time that there were two play-by-play commentators on one heat, so I asked Jesse how he felt about working alongside Mike. "It's great fun working with Mike," he beamed. "The one thing that I've noticed is that American commentators like to spell things out for people a bit more and explain things to people who don't know much about poker, whilst over here we've reached a point where we're giving our audience credit for already possessing knowledge about the game."
Perhaps Jesse's counterpart on the felt is Phil Laak, a man who conveys more vivacity and gusto than anyone I've ever come across. Like most, I thought his press-ups and other shenanigans on the WPT were just for the cameras, but he's just as unbalanced away from the felt as he is on. Many become performers, or 'profile-raisers', in front of the lens, but this truly is Phil, it's his natural personality, and it's one that has endeared him to many members of the poker community. When Phil's around, the game is a lot more fun.
Phil arrived at the World Open as lively as expected, wearing a rather startling red mohawk. "Tell me, Phil," asked Mike at one point, "what provokes a middle-aged man to go out there and get a red mohawk." "You know," started Phil, "I was never allowed one when I was a kid, so I thought, what the hell, and just went for it." Phil had also come armed with a cast on his arm, the result of a near-fatal quad bike accident in Vegas which left in hospital for several days. He seemed to be on the mend, though, and had painted a Union Jack over the cast to celebrate his home for the next several weeks.
As I write, Phil has just taken down his first ever bracelet in the WSOPE six-handed event, toppling Andrew Pantling heads-up for a £170,802 payday. Having been at ringside for the majority of the event, I know how much this win will have meant to him, for the victory alone rather than the long-awaited bracelet. He later revealed to me that bracelets weren't of particular importance to him (I'm inclined to believe him, considering his lack of assault on previous World Series events), and that its prominent significance would be in silencing the jibes of Antonio Esfandiari who still teases that Jennifer has one and not him.
Completing a rather unique trio, Phil joined Jesse and Mike in the booth for the final of the event. As expected, Phil was a joy to listen to, in particular in the quads versus quads hand, and he was equally complimentary as I went it came to his two colleagues. This didn't mean that they didn't have their disagreements, though, and I recall one particular hand when Phil was advocating a check, whilst Mike was sticking to his old school roots of: 'I'm sorry, but you just can't give your opponent a free card there and a chance to hit one of his outs.' After the debate shuttle-ran back and forth, Phil laughed and concluded, "This is great, two winning players arguing about how to play a hand. This is why I love poker."
Other lambs to the commentary slaughter included Praz and James. Both were nervous. I guess it's one of the mysteries of the world, how two of the games most fearless players can get the jitters for a bit of public speaking. You'll never see them giving a poker lecture to an audience, but five-betting light with any two? Yep, no problem. Roland De Wolfe has never flinched in public view, and I was surprised to not see him in the booth at some stage. "Roland said he'd only do commentary if I was willing to gamble my wages with him," laughed Jesse. "I'd have to do the whole week for free!" I wasn't sure if he was joking or not, but I wouldn't be surprised.
Praz and James were shaky at first, but once they got going, and the banter started to flow, they were really good. I hope they commentate again next time the opportunity arises as it was fascinating listening to their analysis. I felt honoured to get the eight-hour version, and it likely provided more of an insight into some of our top talents than the actual play at the felt. Even Jesse's analsis seemed top notch. I often hear people asking why he isn't better at poker when he sees so many hands, but just talk to him about a hand you've both seen, and you'll soon realise that he knows his stuff.
With Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Sorel Mizzi, Annette Obrestad and John Tabatabai also hitting the commentary booth, it was clear that having a new analyst every heat was the current fad. It's perhaps a fashion that started with the first GUKPT season, but it's one I like. They might not have the experience behind the microphone, but they boast oodles of experience on the felt, even in the very tournament they're discussing. It also helps to keep the heats fresh. As a viewer, I'd much rather hear a range of perspectives, rather than just one.
But as the analysts come and go, Jesse remains, and it somehow feels that come 30 years time, he'll still be there, shouting at the felt and injecting excitement into the audience as a card hits the felt. After listening to Jesse and Nik Szeremeta on those opening Late Night Poker episodes, I never thought I'd have Jesse in my earpiece, only to be discussing the hands we'd seen during the breaks. It still feels like a surreal experience, but despite having to occasionally feign excitement in my own reports, it's one I still enjoy. Snooker had Ted Lowe, football had John Motson, and motor racing had Murray Walker - poker's got Jesse, and he's still going strong.
To be continued...
Previous World Poker Open articles:
World Poker Open VI - Part One: A Hard Day's Night
World Poker Open VI: Part Two: Interview - Toby Lewis