In Canada, the three major sports networks broadcast varying poker championships and tours on a regular basis. And when I say 'regular basis' I'm not referring to poker being on TV a few times a week I'm talking about non-stop Seinfeld reruns scheduling. And I'll admit that watching from time to time is interesting but to me it still doesn't match the actual experience of playing. The most intriguing aspect of poker's popularity is its accessibility. Unlike professional sports, poker can be played by absolutely anyone regardless of age, sex and physical characteristics. So the question has to be begged, why watch something that's better to be experienced? (To all you porn surfers, treat that last question as a rhetorical one). Poker is extremely accessible; if you can't organize a game with other people there are plenty of online options.

Unfortunately the endless poker coverage doesn't stop at TV broadcasting. I recently saw no less than eight different poker magazine publications on store shelves. Eight different magazines! That total doesn't even include the other sports magazines that are increasingly boosting their poker coverage. I suppose when it comes to seeing poker in print I take issue with all the poker analogies and euphemisms that are being thrown around with more frequency than a crazy Tom Cruise sighting. It's all become overkill. If the line "It's jumped the shark" hadn't already jumped the shark then I would use it to explain poker's current state.

''I hate idolatry.'' ''They're just nerds trying to be great men.'' - Daniel Negreanu in reference to the celebrity status poker players are achieving (Source: New York Times article by Pat Boone, May 29, 2005)

It's interesting who the source of the quote is because Negreanu is one of the most recognizable and popular players making a living on Poker today. If anything the Canadian is completely honest. He is a nerd right down to his goofy comments, Jordan-esque laugh (From the Bernie Mac Show), brown-bag lunches at the table and insistence on calling his mom "mommy". But I respect the guy because he accepts who he is and doesn't believe that people should idolize people like him or others who are good at cards. Really, when you think about it, embracing poker players as pseudo celebrities is like the fascination that society has with making reality TV stars something more than they actually are.

The poker trend doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. There are plenty of video games already released and in the works with some of the major players on tour, virtually any store you walk into these days is bound to have some sort of poker-related paraphernalia, and Negreanu along with Full Contact Poker (Apparently some Australian rules football version?) have developed a Donald Trump-esque Apprentice contest for Poker players titled "Poker Protégé" where Kid Poker himself will train and bankroll a player for four months.

Once again let me reiterate that I have nothing against the actual game of poker. I love playing and to me it ranks right alongside wing nights, major sporting events and video games in the ultimate rotation of boys nights. All I'm saying is that we need to curb the growth and overexposure of this thing before it gets stale. So let's cutback on the TV programming, poker byproducts and most importantly the regular presence of poker-related articles in mainstream print.

And yes, I do see the contradiction with my last point and this commentary.