The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Live Reporting at the World Series of Poker
At the end of May, some of the biggest names in the international scene will be heading to Las Vegas for the 2023 World Series of Poker. They will be joined by aspiring professional card sharks and recreational players alike, all in the hopes of competing for one of the coveted gold bracelets.
Not only the Horseshoe (formerly Bally’s and Paris Casino on the Vegas Strip will host live poker tournaments in June and July but many other venues host their own series as well, as Sin City becomes the centre of the poker universe for more than seven weeks.
Nine years ago all the way back in 2014, I was thrown into the cold water as rather new member on the PokerNews roster with one significant difference: I already had years of experience in covering live poker events until then and kind of knew what to expect. It was still overwhelming to walk into the conference centres of the Rio‘s All Suites & Hotel and seeing poker tables quite literally everywhere.
Since then, not much has changed except for the different locations and — more importantly — the field sizes for most bargain tournaments have increased significantly, making the task of live reporting slightly more difficult. The chase for the coveted gold bracelet simply remains a prestigious one that few can resist.
With all the prestige and money on the line also comes a certain responsibility for the live reporters, one that may feel like a burden on the shoulders during the first few days and weeks. The eyes of poker players, their family and fans of the game from all over the world will be on the coverage.
This creates a certain pressure to deliver a high-quality product in a stressful environment where every mistake is scrutinised under a magnifying glass. And these mistakes will happen, they occur to everyone and not just the new members of the live reporting team. Many of them will be caught by the shadow editors and can be rectified quickly, while others surface on social media platforms hours later.
Perhaps one of the most vital lessons for new reporters is to not take any of the subsequently ensuing criticism personal, but rather consider it as lessons to learn from. How we handle negative and high-pressure situations defines the overall reliability of getting the job done in a reliable and professional manner. Consistency is the key and it often helps to double-check the content instead of rushing to get right back to the tables.
What are some of the key things to keep in mind ahead of a live reporting day? Without going into too much detail right here, preparation, communication, common sense and thinking two or more steps ahead are most certainly vital.
There is no perfect way to get the job done, after all many paths led to Rome back in the days. Everybody has to find their own basic routines to fall back on when push comes to shove. What works for seasoned reporters has been established throughout several years and numerous events, as automated processes and muscle memory have taken over the daily chore.
Below I will try to elaborate on some key tasks and food for thought to establish a reliable work flow from my point of view and based on my own experiences.
Preparation for the day:
- Find out which event you are working and who you are working with, get in touch with your colleagues(s) and split up the tasks.
- Make sure that the introduction post is up at least one hour before the start and the entire structure is prepared.
- Find out where your event is played and where the media desks / access to power near the tournament area is.
- Don’t be afraid to talk with the TD for your event to find out the general breaking order, in case you need to move for easier and more reliable access.
- Double-check that you have at least two working pens and notepads, because they may vanish at the worst possible time.
- Fully charge your phone and laptop, keep the former in your pocket to snap pictures of the board if you arrive late to a showdown. It’s also a vital tool for communication as well.
- If possible, stock up on healthy snacks and drinks because you will need the energy.
Do‘s and Don‘t’s while on the clock:
- You are not part of the tournament and a mere observer, don‘t influence the action in any way. If you notice that something is off, let the staff know and they will deal with the situation.
- Don’t be afraid to ask players for their names and let them write it down if unclear. — Don‘t ask the losing party right after the hand, wait for a spot in which they win to potentially backfill content.
- Don‘t talk with players while they have cards. Likewise, try not to stand directly behind a player when they check their cards but assume a neutral position near the dealer or in the centre right between several tables.
- Never assume any of the previous action that you haven‘t witnessed yourself. It is okay to ask players what happened but you must state so within the updates as recalled upon.
- Be punctual and don’t leave early / return late from clocks. Scout for short cuts to break rooms that you are allowed to take.
- Never forget the ABC of live reporting: Always Be Counting. If a hand takes very long, count the pot and what the involved players / notables at the table have at their disposal. Math will do the rest. ;)
- Try not to grab just one hand when you are on the floor and gaze around you, pivoting left and right while shifting the focus back and forth to potentially spot something significant elsewhere.
- Double-check the spelling of players, if unsure use PokerNews / WSOP / Hendon Mob as reference point for your search.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for new reporters is finding a way to gather and process information from the tables as quickly as possible. This routine takes a while to get used to and there is always a chance that you may suddenly get overwhelmed. Don‘t panic and solve one step after the other to stay on track.
Communication plays a vital role in that especially during the business end of a day or the tournament itself. Try to figure out in advance what you need to maintain a steady flow throughout and even more so to complete the final stages of the day. This is not a necessity in the first few levels yet unless you are close to a mandatory redraw.
The communication isn‘t solely required between the live reporters working the tournament but also the editors and photographers. Small batches once in a while help not to overwhelm the photo team which often has to cover multiple events at once. Set priorities on what you need and if a while has passed without any reply, check whether or not the requested players are still in the same seats.
If you have trouble remembering faces, write down brief descriptions on a cheat sheet that you keep at the bottom of your notepad. In the last two levels of the day, try and actively scout for chip leaders to get an idea where they are / what your threshold might be.
There are probably a lot more minor things that could be mentioned but one in particular stands out to me: Always have a Plan B and try to think at least one step in advance. If you know what to expect, it is a lot easier to react to very sudden changes on very short notice. This comes in especially handy for the redraw of the final three tables when the line-up of players gets shuffled.
That is somewhat rich of me to say because all these routines have been established in nearly a full decade on the circuit and just cannot be expected right at the start from new reporters. Finding the own best solution how to process the information as exactly and quickly as possible takes a while and the learning curve can be quite steep.
If you don’t know where to start in the seemingly overwhelming tournament area, select one corner and pace down the aisles until you spot something of interest. Rinse and repeat this process consistently while trying to keep track of the players you have already added to the coverage.
But be warned: At some point, things can and will go wrong - how you deal with that is the ultimate question and answer. The pressure can mount from one moment to the other and it’s not just a short sprint through a couple of days but most certainly a wild ride for weeks upon weeks during the summer camp. Being mentally fit is just one part of the equation, the positive effect of the physical fitness should not be underestimated either.
During my last few summers in Las Vegas, I have always tried to maintain a certain fitness routine and do regular workouts for at least half an hour five times per week. This might sound cruel when you already have to endure 12–14 hour shifts or even longer and want to sleep as much as possible. For me, the workout routines have helped immensely to get through gruesome shifts and maintain my focus all the way.
This trip to Sin City will be very similar with one particular exception. On June 17, just two and a half weeks into the 2023 WSOP, I am going to enjoy my own personal torture of choice in the desert nearby and jump into a long-distance running competition. With crisp temperatures in the early morning hours, it will be a new and different experience even for me and hopefully fuel future plans further.
Whether or not that will be a half or full marathon remains to be seen, perhaps I might just flip a coin to get the decision-making over with. Because in this very specific case, the ultimate answer may very well be forty-two … kilometres and I might need a towel, too.
Nobody is expecting from you to do such a crazy thing but perhaps some push-ups, sit-ups or even a few minutes of meditation once in a while will guide the way to a balanced madness in June and July. For everything else, there is always the free coffee in the dealer break room.
Enjoy the new work experience right next to the centre spotlight as much as you can and make sure to use the days off to recharge the batteries, as tempting as a trip to one of the many poker rooms in Las Vegas may be to scratch that itch of playing cards.