What better time to remember this 2015 documentary than with the 2025 WSOP Bahamas getting underway and Daniel Negreanu getting back to his usual vlogging routine?
KidPoker tells the story of one of the biggest names in poker, and it does so from a rather personal perspective. While the documentary talks a lot about Negreanu’s success on the felt, it is just as focused on the influence his family and friends had in shaping his life.
It may not be the most dynamic or exciting piece of cinematography, but this poker movie tells a story of one of the greatest poker players alive from a different angle. It talks about early struggles, challenges, and friendships forged along the way.
It’s a great watch for all fans of Negreanu, but even if you’re not in that group, the film has appearances from many big names, including Jennifer Harman, Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Ivey, who talk about their relationship with Daniel, providing some personal angles, and revealing that there is much more to the poker world than the edited cuts we see on the screen.
Core KidPoker Movie Details & Rating
- Title: KidPoker
- Year: 2015
- Director: Gary Davis & Francine Watson
- Main Cast: Daniel Negreanu, Mike Negreanu (Daniel’s brother), poker pros like Phil Ivey, Jennifer Harman, Antonio Esfandiari, and many more
- Genre: Documentary
- Duration: 89 min.
- Overall Score: 8/10
| Criteria | Score (1-10) | Reviewer note |
| Poker Realism | 10/10 | It’s a story about an actual poker player and his results, so… |
| Story & Writing | 7/10 | The story is a bit slow at times and doesn’t quite follow the thread, which may be the weakest link of this film. |
| Acting & Characters | 10/10 | This is a documentary, so not much acting involved. |
| Poker Excitement Factor | 8/10 | The focus of the film isn’t that much on poker hands, so it’s a bit lacking in this department. |
| Entertainment value | 8/10 | It’s a fun watch, especially if you don’t know much about Negreanu’s background. |
What We Loved About the Movie
Learning the back story of poker legends is always entertaining, and it’s hard to think of a player with more “star power” than Daniel Negreanu. And what’s particularly appealing about KidPoker is that it tells the story from a much more personal angle.
We learn just how big a role Daniel’s parents had in his life as he shares some stories from way back. This offers glimpses beyond Daniel the poker player and explains how the way he grew up, with all the ups and downs, led him to choose the path of a professional card player.
The film also tells the story of Negreanu’s friendship with Jennifer Harman – how it came to be and how it grew over the years. Knowing that this has been one of the most significant relationships in his life, it’s really interesting to find out where it originated from.
Particularly interesting are the stories shared by Mike, Daniel’s brother, as he shares how things looked from his (and the family’s) perspective.
In KidPoker, Negreanu also sheds some light on how he ended up playing primarily tournaments, even though he built his bankroll primarily by playing cash games.
Another aspect of Daniel’s personality that the film touches upon is that he is very opinionated and that this tends to get him in trouble here and again. And, although the movie was filmed ten years ago, that part about Kid Poker remains true to this day.
Shortcomings
One of the things that KidPoker has been criticized for is that it focuses more on Negreanu’s personal journey than on his poker. This is true to some extent, but it’s not necessarily a shortcoming. It really depends on how you approach the film.
To me, it’s more interesting to hear some of these insider stories (especially if you’re only watching the movie for the first time in 2025) than to listen about strategy, bankroll management, and other “technical” stuff. After all, Negreanu’s poker results are mostly available and easily accessible; his personal journey, you can’t look up on Hendon Mob.
Like any documentary about any famous person, how much you like it or not will largely depend on how you feel about that person. If you start from a position that you don’t really care about the details of their personal life, you probably won’t enjoy a documentary of this type.
KidPoker could have been filmed in a different way, and there are a few other stories that could have been in there, that’s for sure. Some parts of the story may have deserved a bit more attention as well. But at the end of the day, this is always going to be the case.
One thing that’s for certain is that the film could have been a bit more dynamic. There are so many exciting things about Negreanu’s life and his poker achievements that this doesn’t seem like a hard task. Yet, the final script feels a bit slow at times.
Final Verdict
Watching KidPoker in 2025 certainly hits differently than if you were to watch it back when it first came out. So much happened in Negreanu’s personal and professional life over the past decade that the film does feel a bit “outdated.”
Yet, it’s still worth seeing as a piece of poker history and an interesting story about how Kid Poker made his way to the top echelons of the poker community. I guess the main message is that it wasn’t all math and numbers; a lot of it was down to simple human connections, friendships, and support from people close to him – things that matter the most, no matter what path you choose in life.
