Poker is dubbed as the America’s game. It is played by politicians, celebrities, athletes and presidents alike. On any day, you will find a channel airing it but it is not played on a stadium or a field but on tables and chairs that can be found in any room.
About All in, the poker movie
All In, the poker movie is a documentary that was released on 29th July, 2011 in the U.S. It follows the history of poker from its humble Texas beginnings personified by Amarillo Slim and Doyle Brunson to the height of its popularity and subsequent fall.
Directed by Douglas Tirola, All in, the poker movie portrays the history of the game like never before with testimonies from dozens of industry executives, celebrities and professional poker players and a special focus on the miraculous World Series of Poker win by Chris Moneymaker in 2003.
This film is broken into segments which are dedicated to the biggest moments of the game’s development from the 19992 World Series through the drastic explosion that came in 2003 to 15th April, 2011, a day the poker community refers to as the Black Friday.
Agenda of the film
The Department of Justice and the FBI shut down the three largest online poker sites – Full Tilt Poker, Absolute and PokerStars accusing them of operating Ponzi schemes. Citing the 2006,s Unlawful internet gambling enforcement Act and the Act of1961, the closure of the three online poker giants led to the fall of the booming community of online players most of whom earned their living by playing poker.
The release of Al in, the poker movie a year later aimed at disputing the government efforts to control online gambling. The documentary portrayed poker as a game that symbolizes the American dream.
The film begins and ends with groups of people relating where they were when they heard the news that the government was cracking down online poker and how they felt about it. Some people even compared the moment to the attack on Pearl Harbor or the assassination of Jon F Kennedy.
Though this film is able to pass its message, it is padded with cheer leading such that it does not have serious exploration of poker in different cultures or the consequences of its global reach and rapid rise.
Watching Al in may not make you drop everything and head to Texas to play a round of poker but it will give you a more appreciation for the game.