For years, it wasn't easy to get insights into the world of high-stakes poker. The television show with the same name helped a bit, but despite the dressed up set like it was played in someone's hotel room, it was still a television show and a lot of the talk between players was cut out as the focus was on the poker action itself.
Other than those sparse comments about the action on TV, we had to rely on comments at forums like TwoPlusTwo where someone had railed a big game, or overheard players talking on break.