no limit (the poker documentary)

Well I watched this thing today and "thing" might be a euphemism for
"utter garbage". Perhaps I shouldn't go that far, but this film certainly
lacked what most would consider insightful material for a document-
ary. Sure it had dozens of soundbites from top pro poker players, like
John Cernuto, Doyle Brunson, Kathy Liebert, etc, but most of what they
had to say was superficial and repetitive. An occasional funny line came
out, particularly from Devilfish Elliot, when he dissed American players
by saying he would swim shark infested waters with a piece of bloody
meat tied to his neck to get to them, but this hardly made a ripple on
the drone surface of this film.
Particularly annoying was the main "star" of the film, Susan Genard.
She came off far from looking as if she had any idea how to play top
level poker. The few times she was seen playing a hand she was either
allin on a draw or telegraphing wildly the strength or weakness of her
holding. Now she may indeed be a highly skilled player, but nothing in
this film offerred any evidence to this. Her silly table antics I suppose
were to soften the cold seriousness that typically holds reign over a
poker table, show the lighter side of hardcore gambling. But you could
tell from the expressions of the other players, that she merely got on
their nerves most of the time, and, more importantly, you could al-
most see them licking their chops, seeing what a farce and fish she
certainly was. Sorry to sound so cruel, but she really came across
as a gambling degenerate. The best evidence of this was her inter-
actions, always strained, always patronizing, with her co-filmmaker
and one-time boyfriend and father to her son, Brick. Who the hell
names their son, Brick, for God's sake!! It was obvious this guy knew
next to nothing about tournament poker, its nuances and tactics,
and he was spending a year of his life making a movie on the subject.
What a waste of time and money! Money, freedom, and the American
Dream indeed. Too bad we learn nothing of the dark side of poker.
Not a mention of No Limit Hold Em's greatest and darkest genius,
Stu Ungar. Too bad we learn nothing about Poker Tournament
strategy, of how the pro players really live and think. About where
the line between addiction and skill gets blurred, even among the
best players in the world. Maybe a truly revealing documentary
on the poker world will come out someday, but this film surely
aint it.