Here’s a little payback to the man with the golden voice who entertains us, informs us, amuses us, and helps to encapsulate the latest chapters in poker history.
Not many people know the amount of work that goes into the daily WSOP.com live streaming broadcasts. I’m speaking of the webcasts that run semi-live on WSOP.com, showing the final tables of every gold bracelet event at the 2014 World Series of Poker.
Calling poker action isn’t like play-by-play in football or basketball. Most days, the announcer knows very little about the players. In many cases, these players are making the deepest run of their poker lives. There’s also not that much “action.” In fact, poker lacks action most of the time. The challenge is complicated by broadcast days going sometimes 10 or 12 hours straight. A typical football game on the radio or television lasts about three hours, and that’s with lots of commercial breaks. Imagine doing FOUR TIMES that amount of work each day, on a game where the players are not as well known, and with little action.
This makes the lead announcer absolutely critical. Being able to stay focused for such long periods, with few days off, is something frankly, that very few broadcasters would be capable of doing. The bottom line is — it’s much harder than it looks.
I’ve been watching David Tuchman for three years and he’s remarkable. I’ve seen and heard him at 2 pm and 12 hours later at 2 am, and he’s equally committed and focused. Yes, David is human, too. His voice cracks sometimes. He slips up on a name. And he might wander off topic occasionally. But I can’t imagine anyone carrying a semi-live poker event six days a week and 12 hours a day and being nearly as good as David Tuchman.
A few nights ago, David and I were talking during a short break in the action. Oddly enough, that’s when I realized that few people know David, or are aware of what he looks like. As we were talking, an anonymous man walked by and suddenly came to a stop. He gazed over at us and began tilting his head sideways, sort of like when you blow a dog whistle at a puppy. The man eavesdropped on David as he talked and suddenly ran over and excitedly said, “Hey, you’re David Tuchman! I recognize that voice!”
Here’s a little payback to the man with the golden voice who entertains us, informs us, amuses us, and helps to encapsulate the latest chapters in poker history. Indeed, David Tuchman is a tremendous asset to the game and the pied piper of breaking news from the 2014 World Series of Poker.
Thanks, David, for all you do, which you do so well.
FOLLOW DAVID TUCHMAN ON TWITTER AT @TuckonSports