By Daniel Smith
The games of baseball and poker are both games that have
roots in American culture. Many of
use have played the game at one time or another or watched the game on
television. Both of these games are very
similar in how they are perceived and even their relative excitement
levels. Today we take a quick look at
both games and compare these areas.
Someone that watches the game of baseball for the first time
might be convinced that there isn't much going on. For long stretches of the game, the pitcher
throws the ball and the batter either strikes out, grounds out, or hits a fly
ball out to result in each side going down in order. While true fans of the game love pitching
duels, casual fans can quickly become bored.
However, that all can change within an instant as a player
gets on base as a result of a base hit and a power hitter comes to bat. The coach decides to gamble and pitches to
him. On a 1-1 pitch, the crack of the
bat is hit and the pitcher watches as the ball flies about 435 ft into the left
field bleachers for a home run. Fans are
now cheering and screaming and there is a ton of excitement as the runners circle
the bases to give their team the lead.
In a lot of ways, poker is much like the game of baseball.
When a casual fan watches a typical poker game, they usually see numerous hands
folded without any actions to speak about.
Someone raises and everyone folds is a common theme in many poker games. Real poker fans appreciate this part of the
game, but this can be boring to normal fans.
That is why pre-edited poker shows are much more highly rated than
non-edited shows.
Like in baseball, the excitement level can change in a
minute. There is a raise, followed by a
call and multiple players see a flop. A
check is followed by a bet, and then a raise.
Fans start to pay attention to see what the original raiser does, and
that player moves all-in. He receives a
call and now fans are on their feet and once the cards are revealed, fans
either cheer for their player's hand to hold up or they start screaming for the
needed card. Once the hand is played
out, the fans of the winning player explode in celebration as the loser heads
over to be consoled by friends after suffering a colossal defeat.
As you can see, both baseball and poker are very similar in
how the games are perceived and their relative excitement levels. They are both games that are deceptively
boring but can explode into high drama action at any moment. That could by why many baseball players have
picked up the game recreationally and some even enjoy it as a career after
their days of playing are through.
