For some players their first exposure to poker may be from watching it on television. With the popularity of poker hitting an all-time high and poker personalities branching out and creating their own clothing lines, it is easy to see that poker is reaching new audiences. Many times what people see on television is high stakes poker. It may be the final table of a World Poker Tour Event or one of the numerous World Series of Poker tournaments. If people have expanded cable they may even have seen shows like High Stakes Poker. Watching poker shows can be highly entertaining, but if you have never played poker before and do not know how, trying to learn from television can be dangerous.

Most of the time, the players you see on television will at least have some experience. If it is a final table of a big tournament there is likely one or two pros in the mix. If you are watching an episode of Poker After Dark or High Stakes Poker, those shows are filmed solely with pro players, most with extensive experience playing  live and online poker. Some of the players have played with each other before as well, so they know player tendencies and betting patterns that beginning players do not know about. Also, the level of skill tends to be at the upper end of the scale when it comes to players on television. Many times specific shows request certain players because of their skill, personalities, or potential to clash with other players. Pro players also dislike being bluffed and if they know they are being filmed they might play differently than they normally would.

The hands that get shown on television may have been edited too. Depending on the show, not every hand is shown. There could be action that is not shown because of time constraints or based on the fact that some hands are more exciting to watch than others. Not everyone gets dealt aces, and not everyone gets knocked out. You are shown certain hands because they may be good for television.

Learning to play poker can be a lot of fun. However trying to learn how to play based on what you see on television has some serious flaws. I highly recommend you, read poker books or poker magazines, join a forum such as wedoitallvegas.com to discuss strategy, and play as much as you can to learn more about the game. Maybe someday it will be you that fans watch at a final table.