World Poker Tour: Bad Boys of Poker DVD Review:

Set in Las Vegas, The World Poker Tour set up a special tournament with a group of poker players who have made a name for themselves at the poker table. These five players, Gus Hansen, Paul “The Truth” Darden, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil “The Unibomber” Laak, and David “Devilfish” Ulliott are known for their trash-talking attitudes. Joining them is a sweepspatkes winner, Mark Richards, a bank teller from Illinois.

The tournament is set up a bit different than many others you may have seen on The WPT, because the only one to walk away with any money is the winner. It also isn’t often that you see all of these incredible, and entertaining, players at the same table. From the very beginning Esfandiari begins trash talking and all throughout the tournament Phil Laak breaks common courtesy as much as possible. When he isn’t touching other players, counting chips, or running to look over the dealer’s shoulder, he is hiding underneath his gray hooded sweatshirt. Laak is one of the craziest players around, and this tournament shows it no better.

The WPT is known for all of the fun bits and features in between the hands that are dealt, but this particular tournament is so exciting that you are likely to speed through those bonuses just to find out the outcome of the game.

Although there is only one tournament on this disc it is a good one, with plenty of extra benefits. There is commentary by friends and former roommates Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak, as well as two featurettes. One of the special features is a bio of all of the bad boy players in the tournament, and the other is a look at some of their most exciting moments on the tour.

If you are a poker fan, this two hour special is likely to take precedence over a film video rental on a Saturday night, but it may not be the kind of thing you would watch over and over again unless training to become a pro yourself.



Ryan Izay