I decided to make a page like my Poker Book Review Page, but with poker and gambling movies, etc. So here they are. There's links to Amazon so you can read more or order the DVD. Just the one for now. I've watched others, but never thought about adding my review to the site until now.
Quicklinks to reviews on this page (alphabetical order):
No Limit: A Search for the American Dream on the Poker Tournament Trail
I "rent" all my DVDs for free from the local library. With documentaries, it sometimes takes a while for them to get a copy. I had put my name down for this poker documentary months ago and finally got to watch it today. Bah, what a waste of anticipation.
Basically, two people (who used to be married to each other, but aren't now, but have a kid together) decide the only way to save their independent film company is to hit the poker tournament trail hoping to win enough to save their struggling company. OK, so far, so good. Features over 40 superstars of the poker world, according to the DVD cover. Cool...looking good. Let's shuffle up and watch!
And that's when it all falls apart. The two main people (Susan and Tim) are very annoying. Susan is the poker player, Tim knows next to nothing about poker. Although the title is No Limit, there is no NL in the movie. Just Omaha and Stud. We see VERY little actual poker (maybe they weren't allowed to film actual hands) while Susan is at the table. She plays 6 or 7 tournaments. In case you plan on watching, I won't 'ruin' the ending. But I will say it gets SUPER annoying on how she claims bad luck EVERYTIME she busts. How she ran cold, how it was a bad beat, etc. Because we don't get to see actual hands, I don't know if she sucks or not. But when someone constantly complains about bad luck in poker, you start to wonder if it's the luck or the person.
The 40 superstars of poker are sprinkled in here and there as little snippets of video interviews. Interesting enough and one of the best part of a so so documentary. Probably the best part was how a non-poker player (Tim) interacts with a poker player (Susan) when it comes to money. Most of us probably can see a little of ourselves in Susan as we try to explain how money works in the poker world or when we watch Susan try to defend herself when she sits at a cash game because it looked so juicy (they had agreed no cash games to help save money).
Like I mentioned, I got to see it for free from my local library. I believe I spent the right amount of money on it. Do not buy it. Don't even rent it if it costs you money. See it for free if you have about 90 minutes to kill.
Other poker DVDs you might want to check out: