Poker Face

Ant ‘n’ Dec’s new show “Poker Face” started on ITV1 tonight and seems to be stripped across the whole week until Sunday’s guaranteed £1m final.

I found it a bit slow at the start, but got sucked into it quite well in the end! I thought it a bit disappointing that the designers have gone for “Weakest Link” and “Millionaire” blue up-lighting effects and dramatic music stings – there was a chance with this new show to do something a bit more 2006, and get away from this tired approach at building tension.

Whilst I thought the game worked well generally, I felt there wasn’t enough made of the players staring each other out over the set – the “poker face” concept wasn’t as strongly brought out as it could’ve been.

I thought Oliver took his defeat too well – although he did walk away with £16k I suppose! Somehow though, I wondered if he was a plant to make the first show a bit more interesting; we even heard the neighbours cheer when he folded!

Anyone else see it?

Yes, I saw this. I reckon Oliver was a stooge as well. There was clearly heavy acting from him.

I suggest anyone with access to The Spotlight directories have a browse through and see if they can spot anyone who resembles Oliver -and, while you're there, the Big Brother contestants!

what is this show about? Could someone please explain the concept

http://www.leeseaman.com/stuff/tvforum/ITV/pokerface/pokerface_01.jpg

36 contestants are trying to bluff their way to a guaranteed £1million. Each game starts with 6 players. In each round a player is eliminated from the game until one is left at the end of the show, that person will be back on Sunday to play for the £1million.

http://www.leeseaman.com/stuff/tvforum/ITV/pokerface/pokerface_02.jpg

Before the game, players get to know each other in a Richard & Judy type room, only less creepy. Some may be telling the truth about themselves, some may be telling lies. But when you're on the recycled Pop Idol stage, it doesn't matter if you don't know the answers, so long as you can bluff your rivals into thinking you're winning.

http://www.leeseaman.com/stuff/tvforum/ITV/pokerface/pokerface_03.jpg

In each round, players answer questions using the computers in front of them. Each question is worth a certain amount of money, which goes up as the game goes on. No one knows how well the other has done.

http://www.leeseaman.com/stuff/tvforum/ITV/pokerface/pokerface_04.jpg

http://www.leeseaman.com/stuff/tvforum/ITV/pokerface/pokerface_05.jpg

The players are given a chance to comment on the game, then they have to make an important decision. If a player thinks they're at the bottom of the leader-board, they can fold, which means they leave with the money they've won so far. If no one folds, the person at the bottom of the board will leave with nothing. They are given 10 seconds to decide.

http://www.leeseaman.com/stuff/tvforum/ITV/pokerface/pokerface_06.jpg

http://www.leeseaman.com/stuff/tvforum/ITV/pokerface/pokerface_07.jpg

http://www.leeseaman.com/stuff/tvforum/ITV/pokerface/pokerface_08.jpg

The player who leaves at the end of each round is taken to another room to talk about the game, and to have revealed to them who the players really are and how well they're doing.

http://www.leeseaman.com/stuff/tvforum/ITV/pokerface/pokerface_09.jpg

The game feels very American to me, with the different rooms and the style of graphics. The logo reminds me of the US version of Deal or No Deal!

http://www.leeseaman.com/stuff/tvforum/ITV/pokerface/deallogo.jpg

I'm glad it's only lasting a week, the show would not do very well if it were to run on any longer. It just falls into the same category as "The Vault" and "The Big Call", just another "big" gameshow guaranteeing a lot of money to players we don't know and don't really care about.

IMO Ant and Dec have never been suited to gameshows, I can imagine a harder person presenting this better. Someone who'll rip the p*ss out of the players to really test their poker face. I found it difficult to be on the side of any particular player, as they are all obviously a bunch of filthy liars.

One thing I fear is that because the show only lasts a week, it'll be easily forgotten in a year's time. I can't see Poker Face ever being as popular as Millionaire was or DOND is, but it's only just the first show, so we'll see how it goes.

6 contestants answer sets of questions, they see how well they're doing on their screen (we see the results at home).

They have a discussion (where each shows their pokerface), before the folding option.

They give any of them the chance to fold and take the amount that they've built up during the questions away with them.

If no one folds, then the person in the lowest place is removed from the game and loses everything that they've built up to that point.

The game continues to the next round with a player down.

It was good - nothing we haven't really seen before in bits and pieces over various shows, but it's nice to have something on weeknights other than soaps and drama. Agree the set could have been more original too - but liked the countdown sequence!


The £1m jackpot is probably going to carry the show a bit - a good game show shouldn't need a high jackpot (Deal or No Deal is certainly better for having a lower prize IMO).

Always ammuses me when a guaranteed £1m is offered the press quickly label the show as the first to give it away - completly forgetting TFI Friday did it back in 1999 - and since then Survivor have done it twice too, while C4's E-Millionaire Show offered £1m to set up new businesses.

I couldn't bear to watch that contrived trashtalking the contestants were encouraged to do at frequent intervals. Eugh, cringefest.

Nicely put, it was embarrassing to watch.

I'm a wee bit disappointed that I had an opportunity to take part in this show, but snubbed it because I thought it was all about poker.

Doh.

Forgot about them bits!

There is definately a good show in there too - if they iron out the creases for a second series it'll probably improve!


And I know it's Ant and Dec's show - but I don't think they are the right presenters. They are a bit wasted on it to be honest!

I thought the animated side walls were out of x-factor

..they are.