Trials of a Poker Apprentice: Please hurry, PPT

Is it just me, or does the World Poker Tour seem unusually dull this year?

I completely skipped last week's episode and didn't miss it in the slightest. And I could have done the same last night, but I managed to watch it in a Benadryl-laced stupor, the result of sliding across something under my house that had my chest and belly broken out in red bumps.

Some of the shows this year have been good. I enjoyed watching Gavin Smith and Michael Mizrachi get their wins, and the highlight of the season would have to be seeing Scotty Nguyen return to top form. Other than those three shows, however, it seems like it's all been the same, a nonstop parade of anonymous college kids lucking their way to big money. And no matter how many times Mike Sexton says, "He's only 21 years old and he's playing with the big boys. I predict we'll be seeing a lot more of this guy," we never see them again.

I guess I'm entering the stage of my poker-playing where I don't think, "Ooo ... pretty!" every time I see another suckout. I want to see people who actually know how to play the game well, making moves I might learn something from.

Hope is in sight. The WPT's fourth season has just two episodes remaining. Then, on July 5, the Professional Poker Tour will begin its 26-week run.

This is good news. If you watched the sneak preview of the PPT a couple of months back, you know what I mean. The PPT is more subtle, more elegant ... at least from what I've seen so far. If all the poker shows on television had a family reunion, the WPT would be the loud-mouthed drunk hamming it up with Celebrity Poker Showdown and Poker Royale: Battle of the Sexes. Meanwhile, the PPT and High Stakes Poker would be off to the side, quietly discussing strategy.

Damn, the Benadryl must not be completely worn off. I generally don't wax metaphorical until at least after lunch.