A Little Known Pokerrummy ola bonus Documentary Is Available On Amazon Now

When it comes to longform poker videos, all eyes are on four right now as nominees in the “Best Media Content: Video” category at the Global Poker Awards. They include Behind the Swings: The Legend of Isildur1(Miikka Antonen, Phil Galfond, Matti Harju), Davidi Kitai: Life of a Genius(La vie du Génie - Winamax), The Four Rules of the Poker Kings(Greg Clark, BBC Scotland), and The Ultimate Stack(POKER films).

Had the Global Poker Awards existed 15 years ago, one poker-related documentary that you probably have never heard of likely would’ve been a contender to win. What’s more, that 2010 documentary is available now on Amazon Prime to rent for $1.99.

Strike Dice! Betting on My Fatheris the poignant story of Natalie Picoe's search for her father, a gambling addict, who'd been reported missing in Las Vegas. I hadn’t previously heard of the documentary before, so I gave it a shot and was glad that I did. It’s a little dated, it looks like it was filmed in the early 2000s when the landscape of Las Vegas was quite different. Even so, the message still hits the mark.

Here’s a more thorough description from IMDb:

Strike Dice! Betting on my Father is the moving story of a daughter's search to find her father - an addicted gambler - when he is reported missing in Las Vegas. With little information to go on, she eventually finds him, but he bears little resemblance to the father she once knew. Homeless, gaunt, and unwashed, he lives day-to-day on the streets of Vegas, and despite her best efforts, he is unwilling to acknowledge his addiction and accept the help he needs. What is a daughter to do? How do you help your father when a simple handout will only make him worse? Does it matter if he's never really been a parent to you and the rest of your family has given up on him?

The documentary, which is an easily digestible and entertaining 58 minutes, was directed and produced by Natalie Picoe, the daughter of Mike Picow, a Las Vegas gambler and poker player known for his play in the 1980s and 90s.

Picow is far from a household name in the poker world; in fact, he hasn’t cashed a tournament in three decades.

According to The Hendon Mob, Picow amassed $162,986 in lifetime tournament earnings dating back to 1983. His biggest cash of $30,200 came when he finished eighth in the 1989 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which was won by Phil Hellmuth. Picow’s last cash came in May 1995 when he finished 12th in the WSOP $1,500 Limit Ace-to-Five Draw event.

1989 WSOP Main Event Final Table

Despite not being a known name in poker – except perhaps to old-school players in Las Vegas – Picow’s story may be of interest to the community. But make no mistake, it’s not because it is a feel-good story with a happy ending. On the contrary, Strike Dice!is a dive into the degenerate side of Las Vegas, a peek behind the curtain of what happens when an untreated gambling addiction reaches its inevitable end.

“He wasn’t a good guy. He knew everybody, but he was a jerk.”

I’m not quite sure whatever became of Mike Picow. I assumed he had likely passed, but I was unable to locate any sort of obituary online. I asked a Las Vegas player who has been around for a long time and was told they last heard from Picow around 2020, though it was allegedly him asking for money.

“He wasn’t a good guy,” I was told. “He knew everybody, but he was a jerk.”

Picow wasn’t the first poker player to go broke, and he definitely won’t be the last. However, he is one of the few to have it put on full display in one of poker’s most poignant documentaries. If you’ve got an hour and $1.99 to spare, it’s well worth a watch.

Click here to check out Strike Dice! on Amazon Prime