A couple of years ago I set out on an endeavour to run a half marathon. I'm far from a natural runner and was struggling for motivation to push through the tough early stages of training. Around this time Daniel Negreanu asked a question on Twitter, what people's goals for the new year were, and I threw mine out there just for the hell of it, never expecting a response. When my phone gave me a message saying 'RealKidPoker' had replied to one of my tweets my heart stopped. I was stunned. One of the people I looked up to most in the world had said something to me. I went and read it and it was something along the lines of "That's awesome, you can totally do it and I'll be rooting for you. Let me know when you complete it." I can't tell you how much that meant to me and six months later I completed the half marathon. I'll never know whether I would have managed it without those words of encouragement, but I can guarantee you they worked amazingly well as a motivational tool.
Such is the power of Negreanu. Had the likes of a Tom Cruise or a Will Smith offered the same encouragement it would have meant something for sure, but not in the same way that Negreanu's did. The reason for this is simple. You can tell Negreanu genuinely cares about people and means every word he says (positive or negative). I was already well aware of this fact before watching 'KidPoker', but the documentary does a fantastic job of displaying his incredible levels of likability and genuineness.
We are taken on a journey, starting right back in his early years before he ever made it big. His brother Mike is with us the for the entire ride, start to finish, and does a great job of giving us insight into things no one else could know, or have seen. We are treated to Daniel himself answering interview questions, home-footage from his younger days, other poker players and friends answering interview questions and footage from his many poker successes over the years. The highlight of it all for me was Daniel himself talking though. I could listen to the man speak on any topic for hours on end, such is his charisma and insight.
Anything that 'KidPoker' may lack in terms of controversy and twists, it more than makes up for in heart and inspiration. There are a couple of genuinely moving moments when you may well find a trickle in your eye. There's also an excellent scene (my favourite in the whole documentary) where Negreanu expresses his feelings towards the people behind the Full Tilt Poker controversy. This clip is a prime example of just how passionate, thought-provoking and hilarious Negreanu can be. There's no doubt this was made for poker players who are aware of Negreanu and his success, but I think there's also a lot here for everyone else too. I would defy anyone to watch this excellent documentary and not take at least something positive out of it.
Such is the power of Negreanu. Had the likes of a Tom Cruise or a Will Smith offered the same encouragement it would have meant something for sure, but not in the same way that Negreanu's did. The reason for this is simple. You can tell Negreanu genuinely cares about people and means every word he says (positive or negative). I was already well aware of this fact before watching 'KidPoker', but the documentary does a fantastic job of displaying his incredible levels of likability and genuineness.
We are taken on a journey, starting right back in his early years before he ever made it big. His brother Mike is with us the for the entire ride, start to finish, and does a great job of giving us insight into things no one else could know, or have seen. We are treated to Daniel himself answering interview questions, home-footage from his younger days, other poker players and friends answering interview questions and footage from his many poker successes over the years. The highlight of it all for me was Daniel himself talking though. I could listen to the man speak on any topic for hours on end, such is his charisma and insight.
Anything that 'KidPoker' may lack in terms of controversy and twists, it more than makes up for in heart and inspiration. There are a couple of genuinely moving moments when you may well find a trickle in your eye. There's also an excellent scene (my favourite in the whole documentary) where Negreanu expresses his feelings towards the people behind the Full Tilt Poker controversy. This clip is a prime example of just how passionate, thought-provoking and hilarious Negreanu can be. There's no doubt this was made for poker players who are aware of Negreanu and his success, but I think there's also a lot here for everyone else too. I would defy anyone to watch this excellent documentary and not take at least something positive out of it.
