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"The Cincinnati Kid" is a must see for any serious poker player.

Any and all kinds if performed well and tastefully.

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My latest complete read of a novel is "The Human Stain" by Philip Roth. I reccomend the book and the movie....

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See my reply to pokergobette re: "Show Mercy".

Obama, The Poker Player

Despite a somewhat politically charged atmosphere around poker in the United State these days, government officials still play the game, and one presidential candidate has been singled out as bringing poker skills to his campaign. Barack Obama began playing poker in high school, sometimes with his grandfather and sometimes with classmates. During his tenure as a state senator in Illinois, Obama was a founding member of a poker game played by Illinois Republicans and Democrats alike. The other state legislators and senators playing the game describe Obama as a careful player who manages risk and hides tells, what poker players might describe as a "Rock". Republican players often teased him about his fiscal conservation only applying to a deck of poker cards and the money in his bankroll.
Obama was a regular at the low-stakes games alternating between stud, draw, or Texas hold'em, all designed to break up the tedium of long legislative sessions. Poker, beer and cigars were staples; Democrat and Republican lawmakers and even the lobbyists, who Obama sometimes rails against, dealt the cards and placed their bets. The traits and skills Obama displayed at the poker table those many nights, are among the impressive array of traits and skills he brings to his presidential bid, and are certain to be evident and analyzed if he wins the White House.
After leaving Springfield, he didn't join a Washington version of his weekly poker game and he doesn't play on the campaign trail. By his poker buddies' accounts, Obama is careful and focused. He's not easily distracted and doesn't give away his intentions unless it's to his advantage. He's not prone to taking risky chances, preferring to play it safe. Friends say Obama would study the odds carefully, and if he had strong cards, he'd play. If he didn't, he would fold rather than bet good money on the chance the right card would show up when he needed it. That reputation meant that he often succeeded when he decided to bluff.
The poker nights sometimes called the "committee meeting" by the players began around 1997 as a way to kill time in Springfield, the capital city of Illinois, during long legislative sessions. Under Illinois state law, it's illegal to play poker for money, but the law is seldom enforced when low-stakes games are involved. Players didn't study their cards and their opponents in icy silence. Instead, they joked and griped about legislative leaders and talked trash. During these sessions, Obama became known as a cautious player with a good poker face, someone who paid more attention to the game than to the chatter and laughter that accompanied it. He's serious and competitive: When Barack Obama plays poker, he plays to win.
Doyle Brunson, the so-called Godfather of Poker, is giving his nod to presidential candidate Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. While the Libertarian Party might have been more of a first choice among poker players in the United States, Obama seems to be closest to what they are looking for. According to the Poker Players Alliance, a grassroots American organization created to help poker players keep their rights, many of the poker pros we see on TV also plan on backing the Democratic Party and Sen. Obama.
The two presidential candidates are going to be rated in a number of ways in the coming months, but one way they might not have expected was based on their support for poker on the Internet. Rich Muny, a board member of the Poker Players Alliance, has rated John McCain and Barack Obama with grades. Obama gets a C, mostly because he is himself a poker player, but McCain gets a D simply because he hasn’t expressed an opinion one way or another.
We believe that Barack Obama's capacity for good decisions and sound judgment, as reflected in his poker, are qualities that will stand him in good stead as he undertakes the pressures and responsibilities of the office of president. It is also clear to us that diverse organizations, such as the Poker Players Alliance continue to show growing support for the candidate we, and they, believe should become the next president of the United States.

Every hand that I won that I know I should have lost...

I am somewhat of a renaisance man. I teach, I write, and I'm a keyboard professional. I've owned and operated businesses successfully, I've been a middle manager in both the public and private sectors. I've written, produced, and directed two plays. I've hosted TV and radio talk shows. I've been a university professor and administrator, I've practiced law as a legal aid attorney and in a private firm. And, oh yes, I'm a fairly competent 7 card stud player.........

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