Could a poker sitcom work?

Would a comedy about online poker be too technical or could the new 'LuckBoxes' show interest a mainstream audience?

We often talk about whether a poker movie can do what the iconic Rounders did to spark interest in the game (and so far none since Rounders have come close) but what about a sitcom? It looks like may find out as Bet Raise Fold director Ryan Firpo has made a pilot for LuckBoxes, a retelling of the online poker story in sitcom form.

Almost every long running sitcom has a poker episode, from Friends, the Simpsons, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Only Fools and Horses and Louie. It’s a very easy (and cheap) format to find humour in, perhaps most notably because it is a good excuse to get the main characters around a table and talking to each other.

Online poker is a different premise, however, as that involves people largely staring at a screen in isolation. One of the reason Rounders was popular was because of the drama, capers, underground clubs and threat of violence that the main characters faced.

Characters make comedies

My biggest gripe with the trailer for LuckBoxes was that it looked a bit too much like Silicon Valley, however herein also reveals why it could work as a format. The name ‘Situation Comedy’ infers that the most important component is a wacky situation where anything could happen, but in reality it is the strength of the writer and the characters. A great number of seemingly dull situations have turned into great comedies, including Silicon Valley.

The other great challenge any work of poker fiction always has is how sophisticated do we make the poker? The audience does not like to be confused so detailed hand analysis does not work, however hardcore poker fans do not like their content dumbed down either.

The trick is perhaps making this a mainstream character driven comedy with ‘Easter Eggs’ for the hardcore fans. Knowing poker references that do not distract from the plot (much in the same way that Pixar-type movies like Toy Story and Finding Nemo throw in jokes for adults). You could have relatively formulaic poker scenes if you threw in the odd "move up where they respect your raises" reference along the way. 

Nerd Culture is ripe for comedy

Rounders was undeniably ‘cool’ in the Bond-esque way, however, there is no way for a modern poker sitcom to go other than embracing the Nerd element of it. Thankfully Nerd culture is the new cool anyway and other sitcoms like Silicon Valley, IT Crowd and Big Bang Theory are showing that it is possible to let the characters shine through in an otherwise tech heavy scenario.

I wasn’t rolling around laughing at the trailers for LuckBoxes but I don’t necessarily think that should rule out its potential. I do think the story of the rise of online poker leading up to Black Friday is potentially a great subject matter for a work of fiction, and the team behind Bet Raise Fold seem the ideal candidates to tell it.

Do you like the look of LuckBoxes? Is poker too technical to make entertaining for mainstream audiences? Let us know in the comments.