Posted on September 6th, 2009
Why does it take so long for the dealers to show the turn and the river card?
by admin in Gambling
QNA asked:
I’ve never watched a poker tournament in person, but I do see a lot of them on TV. From what I’ve seen, there always seems to be such a long delay before the turn card is shown, and then again before the river. WHY?
Yes, I was thinking they wanted to add “drama”… but when I was watching the WSOP main event on TV, even when they are showing a table that is not the “feature table” the dealer still seems to delay the cards… a ridiculous length of time, too!
Absolute Today
I’ve never watched a poker tournament in person, but I do see a lot of them on TV. From what I’ve seen, there always seems to be such a long delay before the turn card is shown, and then again before the river. WHY?
Yes, I was thinking they wanted to add “drama”… but when I was watching the WSOP main event on TV, even when they are showing a table that is not the “feature table” the dealer still seems to delay the cards… a ridiculous length of time, too!
Absolute Today
September 8th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Absolute Today
I think they like to add drama for T.V. purposes. I play live tournaments at my local casino, and they do not drag the hand out like that.
September 9th, 2009 at 6:27 am
Absolute Today
possibly its to make sure the camera is on them before they turn it. if they constantly switch between tables they may miss it if the dealer is quick.
September 9th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Absolute Today
The dealer is usually given a signal from the pit boss to show the turn and river, even the flop if it is pre flop all ins.
They are both building up suspense and at the same time checking cameras to make sure that bets are correct and even the deck is correct (folded cards, burn cards)
September 10th, 2009 at 7:01 am
Absolute Today
Because there are more to think about after the flop. In most cases, players will fold junk hands pre-flop and if it’s a complete miss after the flop, most players will fold as well when someone bets. So, most battle are won pre-flop and after-flop. But if someone stays in the hand after the flop, you really have to think about the strength of your hand and strategy you are going to use.
September 11th, 2009 at 1:17 am
Absolute Today
I’ve been to live poker events. Whenever you see a big hand on TV, there is a person off camera signaling the dealer when to flip over the turn and river card. They’re trying to get reaction shots from different angles from the players and sometimes the crowd to cut together for the TV broadcast. If they flipped them quickly like in a regular game, they wouldn’t get all the footage they want.
As far as your WSOP reference, in big events like that, there are camera crews “floating” around the room looking for big hands. They will be signaled to the table to film the hand, and they will dictate how quickly the cards are turned over.
September 12th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Absolute Today
At my local casinos the dealer plays the cards with a slight delay. He pulls his hand back holding the deck, then puts them forward, taps the table, and deals the burn card and then the upcard. I was told this is to give the overhead cameras a checkpoint for each action.
When I was at the live televised WSOP tourney summer before last, there were floor directors who seemed to cueing the action at tables with hand signals. And there were camers all over the floor during play. I suspect the slow dealer action is to allow the most coverage of any hand by the most cameras, lol. After all, they make a LOT of money from those broadcasts!
And a BIG tip of the hat for all those who served in the armed forces on Veterans Day, thanks for your service to the USA!