- First time filmmaker Mike Weeks looks to shine a light on the underside of the online poker boom.
- As the television commercials from online sites bombard the public with tales of making it rich, “Drawing Dead” presents itself as the reality for many of those who take their shot and miss.
When Chris Moneymaker took the title of World Series of Poker Main Event Champion back in 2003, the modern era of poker began. Affectionately called the “Moneymaker Effect” by players and the poker industry alike, the sight of an everyman winning millions, simply by qualifying online, opened the floodgates for hundreds of thousands to try their hand at not just poker, but online poker.
In the new documentary “Drawing Dead: The Highs & Lows of Online Poker,” which is scheduled to make its debut on DirecTV Thursday night, first time filmmaker Mike Weeks looks to shine a light on the underside of the online poker boom.
As the television commercials from online sites bombard the public with tales of making it rich, “Drawing Dead” presents itself as the reality for many of those who take their shot and miss.
The film follows the poker trajectory of two subjects. The first is well known Team Online PokerStars Pro Dusty “Leatherass” Schmidt, a one time aspiring pro golfer sidelined early in his career by a heart attack. Schmidt turned to online poker as a way to pass the time at the suggestion of a friend and discovered he was good enough to climb the ranks and end up a millionaire.
We also follow Michael Korpi Jr., honor student and athlete who finds himself unable to control himself when it comes to playing online. He steals from friends, gets kicked out of school and watches his 4.0 GPA disintegrate to a 1.6, all while looking to hit big scores online and subsequently dusting it off in a matter of days.
While it may seem like “Drawing Dead” is going to be a balanced look at both extremes of online poker, this is a documentary with an agenda. With a distinct focus on problem gambling and exploitation by online sites, “Drawing Dead” casts a heavy-handed, dark cloud on the online poker industry.
The film does quite a few of things right, from the retelling of the history of the WSOP Main Event to the breakdown of Black Friday to interviews with experts about pathological gambling, there are plenty of interesting facts to be learned about poker and its link to problem gaming. The tale of Korpi Jr.'s trek from Seattle to Boston, by foot, is interesting and he is an affable character who you hope gets the help he needs to move on. But unfortunately, it is not enough to overcome the extremely biased viewpoint of the film which turns this from a documentary to a lecture.
Director Mike Weeks does some nice things in the movie—in particular animations throughout are adeptly used to help illustrate points—but he also narrates the film. He makes a number of claims and often interjects his opinion, essentially endowing himself as an expert, never really revealing his education on the subject save that he was once a fan of online poker.
His choice of words, for example as he calls Chris Moneymaker “chubby” and a “nobody,” drip with distain for the industry. His claim that “Most online poker players are engaged in some form of cheating” goes unproven except by his own admission that he was in fact a colluder and a cheater when he played. The story, and facts, are told through Weeks’ voice and his personal filter as opposed to letting experts do most of the talking for this film.
There were plenty of interviews in the film, which are the highlights. ESPN analyst Lon McEachern, WSOP Main Event champ Jaime Gold, Problem Gambling psychologist Dr. Henry Lesieu and Neurologist Dr. David Linden were just a few of the conversations which provides the bright points to the film. In between them though, as the stock footage rolled, it is Weeks who bridges the gaps in story and facts and, like a lover spurned, one sensed he is unable to contain his distaste for his former game of choice.
If you don’t know anything about online poker prior to watching this film, you would likely be swayed into wanting to keep online poker offline. If you are an online player or in the industry you would likely find the film to be closer to a morality play than a documentary.
In the end, the film would have been better served to have had experts, on both sides, do the talking both on problem gambling and the positives of online poker. Like online poker itself, “Drawing Dead” should be enjoyed with moderation.
The film is also be available for viewing and purchasedirect from the filmmakers website.
Here is the online trailer for “Drawing Dead – The Highs And Lows Of Online Poker”
