Most of us have a favorite Christmas movie we like to watch over the holidays. Grandparents staying over this Christmas? It’s a Wonderful Life is a classic for the whole family. Kids heading for a sugar crash and need some sofa time? Elf or Home Alone are always handy to have on hand. Want a little action (and a potential argument)? You can’t go wrong with Die Hard.
But what if your family are all poker degens? What if you’re on your own? What if you need a break from Pixar, Disney and snowmen coming to life?
If that sounds like you, check out our list of poker documentaries you need to see or hear this Christmas, where the only snowmen you’ll find are pocket 8s.
The Ultimate Stack
With the 2024 WPT World Championship fresh in our memories, what better time to take a look at this enormous tournament from a completely new perspective: from the point of view of the chips!
The makers of this feature-length documentary – Michael Bailey and POKER Films – chose an original way to tell the story of the event, starting off following a particular player and then shifting focus to whoever knocks them out. This way the audience gets to see the tournament play out through the eyes of multiple players, and is guaranteed a ride all the way to the very last hand.
With contributions from elite players including Dan Sepiol, Chris Moorman, Andrew Lichtenberger, Garrett Adelstein and many more, The Ultimate Stack is an evocative and well-made documentary that brings a poker tournament to life in a new, fascinating way.
As we said in our review of The Ultimate Stack back in November, ‘Much like the WPT Championship itself, The Ultimate Stack is an impressive, polished affair, packed with both star names and hopefuls, and brimming with energy and love for the game.’
The Ultimate Stack is available to watch for free on YouTube now.
Galfond
Another 2024 production, this four-part series takes a closer look at one of poker’s best – and highest regarded – players: Phil Galfond.
With contributions from Phil and wife Farah, plus friends such as Jason Koon and Andrew Robl, we’re able to see the realities of life at the elite level of professional poker, as well as an inside look at the story behind the launch of Galfond’s own online poker platform, Run It Once Poker.
One particular highlight is the first Galfond Challenge vs ‘VeniVidi1993’, which is recounted personally by Galfond as well as those close to him, such as mental coach Elliot Roe.
Our review of the Galfond documentary series back in July described it as ‘an interesting view into a high stakes world to which few of us have access, but which contains the type of ups and downs we can relate to all the same.’
Galfond is available to view now on Youtube; here’s part one to get you started.
The Four Rules of the Poker Kings
A one-off documentary from the BBC in the United Kingdom, this documentary follows Scotland’s top-ranked player Niall Farrell as he navigates life as a husband, father and poker pro. From Prague to Monte Carlo, Dublin and Las Vegas, the globe-trotting documentary does an excellent job of depicting the realities of life on the felt, on the move and on the grind.
A day job that requires extensive travel is tough enough when you have a young family to support. Couple that with the fact the poker is a career that often costs you money to pursue, and you have a conundrum that faces many poker pros.
Alongside fellow Scot David Docherty, Farrell is an articulate and interesting guide to the roller coaster ride of the professional poker player’s life, and with cameo appearances from the likes of Daniel Negreanu, Sam Grafton, Fedor Holz, ElkY and Dara O’Kearney, The Four Rules of the Poker Kings is nothing if not authentic.
As we wrote in our original review of The Four Rules of the Poker Kings, ‘this cross-section of the professional poker life aims to show what it is to exist inside ‘the poker bubble’, and it does a great job.’
The Four Rules of the Poker Kings is available to view on BBC iPlayer – use a VPN if you’re outside the UK.
Inside the Mind of a Pro
This Winamax-produced series of episodes follows the likes of Romain Lewis and Davidi Kitai as they play the 2023 WPT World Championships. We’re able to watch hands play out from their perspective, hearing their thought processes and observations on their opponents and key situations.
The result is a series that lives up to its name: watching these episodes really does help to put you inside the mind of these professionals, and without the need to stop and explain the minutiae of how poker works, they’re a great watch for experienced players.
With 8 x 45-minute episodes in the 2024 season – not to mention a huge list of seasons covering big events in previous years – if you haven’t watched these before, you’ve got one heck of a treat in store.
Previous seasons feature the likes of Adrian Mateos, Mustapha Kanit, João Vieira and other top professionals. It’s the perfect way to pick up some useful insights into poker strategy while keeping yourself entertained.
Here’s episode one of the latest season.
The Poker Parent
Finally, if you prefer an audio-only experience – perhaps while doing the post-lunch clear-up on Christmas Day, or during a much-needed ‘alone-time’ jog – there’s the option of Alex O’Brien’s The Poker Parent.
O’Brien is a poker player, an author and a member of the PokerOrg Player Advisory Board, with a particular love for the lessons poker can teach us all. And that includes, somewhat controversially, children.
O’Brien argues that an understanding of poker is something that can equip children with valuable life skills, “from critical thinking and understanding probability, to learning about psychology and learning to control her emotions.” Fellow players Jen Shahade and Nikita Luther also contribute, discussing the potential lessons not only in math, money and psychology but also, as Shahade puts it, “the lessons it teaches you are about what you desire in life, what you fear in life”.
Putting forward an alternative view in the debate is the academic Sally Gainsbury, of the Gambling Treatment and Research Clinic at the University of Sydney, while poker pro David Lappin looks at the potentially destructive ramifications of gambling addiction.
You can read our original review of The Poker Parent here, with the full episode available to listen to now.
Original feature image courtesy of Tomás Evaristo/Unsplash