Depressing poker documentary

Unknown

Found the link to this at twoplustwo. It's extremely depressing, but it's probably worth watching.

http://www.pokertube.com/ShowMovie.aspx?movieID=83ab7e42-9690-4a9b-9c30-ab256069ee64&PokRec=1&comeFrom=Films&StartPage=2&pIndex=2&PageView=0&KeyID=-1&PokerAccount=-1&UserId=-1&YourFilms=-1

Search "poker bustouts" at the site for the rest of it.

ReefAquarium

all_aces wrote: »

Found the link to this at twoplustwo. It's extremely depressing, but it's probably worth watching.

http://www.pokertube.com/ShowMovie.aspx?movieID=83ab7e42-9690-4a9b-9c30-ab256069ee64&PokRec=1&comeFrom=Films&StartPage=2&pIndex=2&PageView=0&KeyID=-1&PokerAccount=-1&UserId=-1&YourFilms=-1

Search "poker bustouts" at the site for the rest of it.

I like it. It's accurate to show how many poker players are losers.
Even the winners are losers too.

Monteroy

I have watched the first 2 parts so far and it is interesting though I would have liked if they had looked at the internet side of the game a bit more (perhaps they do in parts 3-5).

I'm not really sure what can be learned so much from this as many of the people they are talking to are bizarre old drunks (guy who wears the fur coat in Vegas/ guy who has white tape all over his head/ guy they film in black and white with the Indy Jones hat) who would likely find a way to their current situation with or without poker.

This does show a side to the game that all of the glitzy TV shows fail to capture, especially when they talk about people needing to stay in action (ie: the gambling addiction side of the game for some).

Unknown

It was interesting, that's for sure. I don't play professionally so I don't really see or experience these parts of the game, but even still, I agree Monteroy: I'm pretty sure they scraped the bottom of the barrel to find these people.

LOL @ "even the winners are losers too" Reef.

Hobbes

You can get the entire doc at ThePokerBay

http://www.thepokerbay.org/details.php?id=2198

Milo

Casting by the Michael Moore school of Documentary Film Making. Looks to me like the producers had an agenda going in.

ReefAquarium

Look around the poker room.

You notice people have a bum's eye for clothes.

"Only a few hundred make a good living at poker.
Only a few dozen make a good living in tournaments." D. Sklanskey

SMOOTH55

This is the reality of poker - even most/many top named pros are broke or constantly low is cash / in debt up to their ars.

If you want to make millions and become rich - poker is not the way. It is absolutely true "poker is a hard way to make an easy living"

To all those aspiring pros - stay in school, get a good job and play poker on the side to supplement your income. That's a winning strategy.

Unknown

SMOOTH55 wrote: »

To all those aspiring pros - stay in school, get a good job and play poker on the side to supplement your income. That's a winning strategy.

At the risk of offending any of the few poker pros I know, I actually agree with this completely. That being said, playing poker professionally has worked for some... it does happen. I just think it's a shame that the doc didn't include at least one person to represent this admittedly small group of winning pro poker players.

At the end of the day, everyone makes their own decisions about what they'd like to do with their lives. You and I have similar views on how poker fits into "real" life, but that doesn't mean that making a real life for yourself in poker can't be done.

ReefAquarium

There are probably 100,000 bands in North America.
Ten are making big money.

There are probably 63 million poker players in North America.
Less than ten or so can sit profitably in the big game with Doyle, Jen, Barry, Chau Giang, Phil Ivey and formerly Chip.

blackmagicz

I think making money or going pro is dependant on what you consider enough money. I know many people who grind away at 1-2/2-4 online and make a nice wage.

I don't think this is entirely accurate but I guess that is good for those who are making money

Hobbes

Loved to comment equating professional railbirds to a pet.

The_Awesome

Damn, I feel depressed now. That show did something strange to me. It made me feel lost, depressed and dirtier then Britney Spears for being a poker player yet at the same time I still wanted to go out to Brantford and kick some ass. I feel like a drug addict after watching that and I play poker like only once every 2 weeks or so.

I guess being shown the nitty gritty of the dark side of the obsession will serve to help me keep it a hobby and not be seduced into it being a sickness ^-^ . It will help me fight off that voice that says every once in a while "You know, you could make it full time... if you'd just drop some of your other silly commitments like your job and family."