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No Limit: A Search for the American Dream on the Poker Tournament Trail (2006)
Is high-stakes poker a metaphor for the American Dream? A bi-coastal couple,
Susan and Tim, carry their independent film company and four-year-old son
on an eight month ride through the world of tournament poker.
Their plan: Play in six high-stakes poker tournaments. Win some money.
Document their journey. Save their company.
Business and formerly romantic partners, Susan and Tim often disagree.
Susan is a self-directed, high energy gambler who has won poker tournaments
before. Tim is her sensible but anxious mate and often her unwanted conscience.
No Limit takes us through the highs and lows of their quest. Along the
way, we get to meet the peculiar players from around the globe who
populate the poker world and hear their thoughts on poker’s connection
to the American dream. They are, by turns, passionate, overwrought,
insightful and absurd. None are boring, and many have become superstars
in their sport. Primarily, they speak to the virtues of both risk taking
and a psychological understanding of other people. As Mirage Resorts’ CEO
Bobby Baldwin states, “you can’t play business defensively; you can't have
a relationship defensively. It’s about offense.”
None of the players are very offensive, rather they’re a surprisingly
articulate, multi-ethnic set of individuals, admirably determined to follow
their own path. At the same time, they follow strict, sometimes amusing poker
social conventions. Their colorful interviews are the heart of the movie.
As Susan struggles to scoop a jackpot, we also see the effect the poker tour
is having on her relationships, both with Tim and their son. Clearly, poker
moms are not like soccer moms.
While exploring themes of greed, addiction, individualism, talent and freedom,
Tim and Susan have made an entertaining documentary, guiding us through an
offbeat world few of us will enter.
Is there a happy ending? This is about the American Dream, after all…
