poker DVDs
WORLD POKER TOUR - BAD BOYS OF POKER
Whether you play poker at a high level, or you play on occasion, or you just enjoy watching poker, it is always fascinating to watch some of the best players in the world battle it out against one another in big money games. That is exactly what you get with the World Poker Tour: Bad Boys of Poker DVD. The collection of players that were assembled for this video, were handpicked for the final table and they are some of the best players in the world. This video combines five fantastic professionals and an amateur who was fortunate enough to get a spot at this table through a WPT sweepstake. All in all, it is an action packed video in which every player has their time to shine and display their talents at the highest level.
For those that are not familiar with some of the players in this video the introduction does a great job in providing the viewers with information on each player. If the information is not enough for you, well throughout the video the commentators continuously give you information pertaining to each player. The compilation of players gathered for this video are all either WPT winners or are leading money winners on the poker circuit. The players that have been assembled are as follows: Gus "The Great Dane" Hansen, Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari, Phil "The Unabomber" Laak, David "Devilfish" Ulliot and Paul "The Truth" Darden. And then there is Mark Richards, a bank teller from Illinois.
The purpose of this review is not to notify you of who won and how he won, but just to give you some insight on what this disc involves. I will tell you that you definitely want to check this out and enjoy the action. The great thing about this video is that there are no spoilers or hints at any time of how this table plays out. There is unstoppable action and any poker fan will enjoy the action.
The label of "bad boys" might give you the viewer different perceptions of what this video is all about. The players are not portrayed as bad guys at all in this video. The "bad boys" name stems from the different playing styles of each of the players. These players all demonstrate professionalism throughout the video even when they get eliminated from the action, which is nice to see. The bad boys personify their image with their aggressive playing style, as well as their table personalities. Each player has their own distinct personality and in some cases their opponents may find them real annoying or distracting. However, that is one of the reasons these players are so successful at what they do. For entertainment purposes alone these personalities make for great viewing, and you can enjoy all the excitement from the comfort of your living room.
The only downfall to this video is that it was originally made for television so you will hear a few "we'll be right back's" during the program, but other than a few of these interruptions the video runs smoothly and it has a quick pace. The overall length of the video is an hour and a half.
Just like any other WPT production the viewers get an inside look at all the action going on at the table. There are some mini-cameras situated throughout the set and they provide you with a look at the player's pocket cards, on-screen graphics displaying the cards in play, overhead views of the table, as well we are always aware of each player's bet amounts. Therefore, you know exactly what is going on at all times. The commentators do a great job as well providing you with facts on the game as well as keeping you updated on the latest poker lingo.
This DVD like most contains bonus features. One of the most enjoyable features in the bonus tracks includes a commentary track with The Magician (Antonio Esfandiari) and The Unabomber (Phil Laak). These players provide you with entertaining commentary while continuously mocking one another. The only problem with this feature is that it notifies you of the outcome as well it lets you know who got eliminated early so you will be better off watching the actual video first and then come back and watch this additional feature. The other sections cover biographies of each player and they also display some bad boy moments of players that are playing on the World Poker Tour. These moments are of a variety of players mostly different players than those you will find in the video. These moments will range from trash talking, taking bad beats poorly, or reactions from certain hands. You will also find this to be very entertaining.
I found this DVD to be quite enjoyable and I would definitely recommend that this be added to your personal poker collection. Remember, you don't have to be a serious poker player to enjoy this one, it's for everybody.
WORLD POKER TOUR SEASON TWO
Poker has swept across the nation faster than any other trend in recent time. The game of poker has been played for ever but until the last few years it has become the norm to play and be associated with poker. Poker is constantly being shown on such mainstream television networks such as: ESPN, Fox Sports, The Game Show Network, and NBC picked up on the action by hosting the first ever National Heads Up Poker Championship. However, the Travel Channel has the rights to the hottest poker event on the tube right now, the World Poker Tour.
This DVD set contains the full second season of the "World Poker Tour", and it follows the tournament action with the poker stars that we have grown to love and hate. Such poker stars like the legendary "Texas Dolly" Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, poker brat Phil Hellmuth and many others are all involved with the success and popularity of the World Poker Tour.
The production of this series is impeccable and the commentary given by Vince Van Patten and Mike Sexton are tremendous in assisting those that are new to poker with understanding the ins and outs of the game. The commentators provide the viewers with information pertaining to the different strategies involved in the game and they reflect upon each player's moves as they happen. This makes for an intimate setting for the fans to truly appreciate what happens from hand to hand and even card to card. They also keep us up to date on the newest poker lingo. The other tremendous aspect of each episode that the WPT provides the viewers with is the ability to view each player's hand, so you know when the players are trying to bluff or how they play their hands at certain points of the game. This is tremendous knowledge that is given to the viewers, and it makes for exciting viewing.
The World Poker Tour really likes for the fans to get to know the players and they work hard at making their player's become stars. There is a complete bio done on each player that reaches the final table, and these are conducted by the stunning Shana Hiatt. The insights given on each final table participant really helps the viewer out when cheering on certain players. People love underdogs, and trust me when someone is considered an underdog, they will go to every extent to make sure you know that. Shana also does some great work on the introductory poker features that further help educate the viewers. Shana's insights are a tremendous asset to the whole production of the program.
This tour takes great pride in getting its fans involved and you will see throughout each episode how strong the crowds are and they continue to grow. The fans in each episode add to the overall energy of the program. This program is definitely a winner, if you like poker in any way or are just getting into it you need to watch this. They do a tremendous job and I guarantee you will enjoy every minute of it.
The bonus features on this disc are also terrific. They have all 14 poker corners from each episode in season two included. These are essential segments for anyone to get help when learning the game of poker. They also provide a 44 minute long poker corner special that looks at the championship table from the second season with poker stars Daniel Negreanu, Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, and Mike Sexton. They break down the action from the final episode and explain to the viewers all of the good moves made and they show you why the bad moves should not have been played.
The final extra that is given to you in the bonus features is a brief recording of the lives of stars such as Gus Hansen, Daniel Negreanu, Jennifer Harman, Phil Helmuth, and Howard Lederer. This is where the WPT continues to portray their players as stars and continue to help them gain celebrity status.
This 8-disc DVD set provides the viewers with some excellent match-ups and I would recommend this video to anyone who enjoys poker, you will not be disappointed with this purchase.
