Players Television Network — The Business of Online Poker (2005)

The short-lived Players Television Network debuted at the 2005 World Series of Poker.

I was asked to moderate two panel discussions, which were later broadcast via “On Demand.”  The first show was on the late-great poker legend, Stu Ungar.

SEE STU UNGAR FEATURE HERE

The second show (featured here) was a panel discussion about the business of online poker.

I wasn’t at all prepared to assume the role of moderator.  I recall leaving the rigors of my job at the WSOP for an hour or so, getting abruptly fitted with a microphone, and then walking out and taking a seat in front of a live studio audience and rolling television cameras with no script.

The good thing about the unrehearsed format is that everything was spontaneous.  The bad thing is the show could have been much crisper had I been prepared.  Looking back now, I certainly would have asked more penetrating questions than what appears here.

Fortunately, the three guests who appeared on the online poker segment were outstanding.  Tony Cabot (one of the world’s top legal experts on online gambling), Mike Sexton (then a consultant to PartyPoker), and Dan Goldman (then a consultant to PokerStars) were all in top form.

Even though this discussion might seem dated now seven years later, it holds up remarkably well over time.  Many of the things discussed that day have happened, just as predicted.

Here’s that panel discussion from 2005 that runs about 40 minutes in length.

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