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The Best Poker Movie Scenes of All-Time

The Best Poker Movie Scenes of All-Time

Posted by on Jan 15, 2013 in Blog, General Poker, Movie Reviews | 3 comments

 

The Cincinnati Kid, 1966

 

When it comes to poker, conveying realism in film is a challenge.

Poker’s essence and intensity are difficult to capture.  Its subtleties are invisible to the naked eye.

In real life, most of the time, poker players sit around.  They say nothing.  They do nothing.  There’s little or no action.  The game can be wickedly dull — not just to watch but to play.  That’s not exactly the cinematic backdrop you want for a great movie.

For this reason, films have a tendency to amplify confrontation.  Key hands are wildly exaggerated.  Real high-stakes poker games and major tournaments are often won with ace high or a single pair.  But in the movies, straight flushes typically steamroll full-houses.

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And the Oscar for “Best Picture” Goes to….

And the Oscar for “Best Picture” Goes to….

Posted by on Jan 11, 2013 in Blog, Movie Reviews | 1 comment

Academy Award Statue

And the Oscar for “Best Picture” goes to…

Nobody.

That’s the announcement that should be made to what would be a stunned audience, come Academy Awards night.

Hey, Hollywood — do us all a favor.  Take a hint from the Baseball Hall of Fame playbook this year — which inducted exactly zero players into their coveted chamber.  That’s because (arguably) no one really deserved to get in.  And that’s precisely what should happen in your industry when you honor the year’s cinematic achievements on February 24th — with half-a-billion people watching worldwide.

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The Poker Onion (Part Two)

The Poker Onion (Part Two)

Posted by on Jan 11, 2013 in Blog, General Poker | 2 comments

 

Chris Ferguson

 

Continuing from yesterday’s series of articles…

READ “THE POKER ONION (PART ONE)” HERE

Note:  There’s a bitter irony in this faux article, written in 2000 shortly after Chris “Jesus” Ferguson won the world championship that same year.  I had some fun with the “Jesus” thing, combining that angle with the constant banter about online poker being “rigged.”  Because of Ferguson’s troubles and the immeasurable damage that he and his cronies did to the poker community, this article has a much different feel now than when it was written and Ferguson was such a respected figure.  But I’ll go ahead and include it today as part of the redux.

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The Poker Onion (Part One)

The Poker Onion (Part One)

Posted by on Jan 10, 2013 in Blog, General Poker | 6 comments

 

 

THE ONION is one of my favorite websites. 

THE ONION mocks current events by posting completely fabricated news stories which tend to be wickedly funny.  It’s essentially a news site where absolutely nothing is true.  Sort of like watching FOX NEWS — except it’s far more humorous.

The real gems are articles that appear utterly ridiculous.  But when reading a bit closer between the lines, they reveal some startling truths about an issue.  Take a look at THE ONION and I’ll bet you won’t be able to leave the site before laughing your ass off while nodding your head in agreement at the witty satire.

Ten years or so ago I wrote several “Onion-esque” poker stories.  None of these stories are/were true, of course.  I’m posting them here for the first time.  These articles originally appeared at POKERPAGES.COM between 2000-2002.

Prior to each article here, I’ve added a few notes from memory in order to place them into proper context.  Again, keep in mind these “stories” were written more than ten years ago, long before the so-called “poker boom.”  So, in some aspects, they’re dated.

This is the first of a two-part series.

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National Champion Quitter — Brian Kelly

National Champion Quitter — Brian Kelly

Posted by on Jan 7, 2013 in Blog, Rants and Raves | 0 comments

Brian Kelly Quits

 

Some things are worth remembering.  Some things should not be forgotten.

Things like commitment, giving your word, and loyalty.  Those are characteristics that matter.

They should especially matter in education and athletics, which serve as society’s de facto training ground for molding what we become and who we are.

Brian Kelly, the current head coach at the University of Notre Dame, has demonstrated he possesses none of these characteristics.  In fact, he’s just about the most repulsive figure in college coaching today — and that’s really saying something now that Bobby Petrino is back on the sidelines.

The facts are irrefutable.  When things mattered the most — when his team and those who trusted in him counted on him to lead, Brian Kelly did something that’s unforgivable.

He quit.

That’s right, he quit. 

He didn’t quit after the fight.  He didn’t quit during the fight.  He quit before the fight even started.  Like a gutless self-centered coward instantly forgetting all those who lifted him upon one of the vaulted pedestals of his profession, Kelly rose to the top and then hacked away the helping hands of those who had largely created and shaped the Kelly mantel.  He completely abandoned his former team, his players, his fans, and all those who once trusted in his leadership and character.

For those with short memories, before Kelly took his current position at Notre Dame three seasons ago, he was the head coach at the University of Cincinnati.  During his tenure there, Kelly recruited college football players from all over the nation.  Out of nothing, he created something.  He took a football program with no previous national stature whatsoever and made it into a powerhouse.  In 2010, he led the Bearcats to a perfect 12-0 win-loss record and a number three ranking in the polls.  Cincinnati was invited to its first Sugar Bowl ever.

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