Review: Bringing Down the House

Nick Momrik6 Comments

Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for MillionsAfter reading the back cover of this book I knew I had to read it. Bringing Down the House is the story of how M.I.T. students beat the house. They took Las Vegas and other casinos around the country for millions of dollars.

The book is one of the best I’ve ever read. It was one of those I couldn’t put down. I like to read chapter by chapter and each time I reached the end of a chapter I couldn’t resist going for just one more.

This story is the real deal. You read about the ins and outs of how these students worked in card counting teams to beat the blackjack tables one night at a time. These students forced casinos all over the world to change the way their security systems work. You’ll read about he highs and lows of winning big. If you’re a gambler this is a book for you. I give it an A+.

Review: Life Aquatic

Nick Momrik3 Comments

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Special Edition)If you are looking for a movie to put you to sleep, Life Aquatic is that movie. This might be the worst movie (except for maybe AI) I’ve ever watched. It’s that bad!

Not sure what to say about the movie except that I lost 2 hours of my life watching it. The movie doesn’t make sense, it’s not funny, and it sucks. The movie doesn’t even deserve to take up space on my blog, so I’ll end by giving it an F.

Review: Poker Face

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Poker Face : A Girlhood Among GamblersKaty Lederer writes about growing up as the younger sister to Howard Lederer and Annie Duke. Poker Face is her true story among the gamblers. The writing is fresh and the content kept me reading.

If you’d like a unique behind the scenes story about some poker pros I suggest you read this book. You’ll find out things about Howard and Annie that you won’t anywhere else. You’ll also see that the life of a poker pro isn’t always flashy like it’s made out to be on TV.

I enjoyed the book because it was different and it was entertaining. I give it a B.

Pushing Chips

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Lately I’ve been messing around with some no-limit games here and there. Today I finally hit the jackpot. I was playing a .25/.50 table and built my $50 up to $318 before getting hungry for dinner (tacos). I think I’m starting to like this game. It sure beats the boringness I get from playing limit […]

Review: National Treasure

Nick Momrik2 Comments

National Treasure (Widescreen Edition)I watched National Treasure a few weeks ago at my friend Jere’s. I’ve wanted to see this movie for quite some time and I’m a little mad I waited so long. It’s a pretty good flick.

Nicolas Cage does a great job in a movie that reminded me a lot of The Da Vinci Code. Cage’s character is from a long line of treasure hunters and vows to be the one to reach the end of the search. There is a lot of code breaking throughout the movie and action to go along with it. The film kept me interested until the end and even then I was left wanting more, which we’ll get in 2007.

Overall a good movie and worth the price of a rental. I give it an A-.

Review: Zen and the Art of Poker

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Zen and the Art of Poker : Timeless Secrets to Transform Your GameThis book is good for bathroom material. It’s broken down into small sections so you can easily read a few pages here and there. Zen and the Art of Poker is nothing more than a collection of quotes relating to Zen. The author attempts to relate everything back to poker, but it doesn’t feel right. He even gives some bad advice along the way. One part that I remember is in regards to calling with a draw to the nuts. He claims that it’s OK to fold your draw when the pot is laying you the correct odds. The situation happened to involve a player that has been running bad and it just didn’t feel right to play the draw. Sorry folks, but if the pot is laying you the correct odds to hit your draw and you fold because you haven’t been hitting lately, then you are playing scared poker. The sharks will smell your fear and tear you a new one.

I did enjoy the book simply because of all the quotes and different philosophy that make Zen. There wasn’t a whole lot of good information about poker though, so if there is another book on your reading list, take the time to read it before opening this one.

I have to give the book a C.

Review: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Nick Momrik4 Comments

Star Wars - Episode III, Revenge of the SithIt’s been over a month since I saw Revenge of the Sith, so a review is long overdue. I might need to see the movie again to remember it!

Like most people, I was disappointed with Episodes I and II, so I was really looking forward to III. It didn’t disappoint me. I thought the movie was a great finish to the last (actually 3rd in the timeline) of the Star Wars movies. Revenge of the Sith answered all of the questions I had going into it. I won’t go into any detail because I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie.

I do have to bring up two things I didn’t care for. I thought General Grievous would be a much more prominent charcter in the film. I thought he went down pretty easy to Obi-Wan Kenobi. I was waiting for a big battle where he took on 4 or 5 Jedi. Which leads me to my other complaint. Did the Jedi go down too easy or what?

With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed Episode III and give it an A.