Great movie and while Cincinnati Kid had such a lush pokerworld setting, the story was simply about ambition and offered few gambling insights. Hardly a tradeoff though for the expert direction, production and acting. This role imprinted Steve McQueen as a star actor. I like this picture because my Dad was pretty close to a deadringer for Steve McQueen.

I was the one that had the Bullit Mustang (before the movie!) but Dad had a pretty hot Olds while he was going to college after he and his buddies got rid of those Axis fellas. Even though the Kid was smoochin' Tuesday Weld, Mom was #1 for my father. Dad played poker although I have no clue what variations because I, as a lad in the mid '50's, was relegated to bed on poker nights away from the cigar smoke and hooch. "Go ahead." he'd tell me when I was a kid and wanted a taste of Olympia outta one of those stubby bottles. Now I drink microbrews and play Texas Hold'em.

I got to show my Dad how to play HE. He'd retired after being City Manager in our town for 27 years and was in Arizona. I went on down to his place after the '01 Convention and was telling him what a good time I'd had in the poker tournament when he said he had seen the game but hadn't played it. What was it about? Well...! Picked as illustration a great HE sequence where I made a late position call against two limpers and how I could determine I had the best of it after flopping top two pair and how to keep my opponents in the hand and betting and all the stuff that makes Texas Hold'em so much fun. Not nearly as important as all the things my dad taught me but something I'll always remember. After suffering a stroke and the onset of ALS, Dad passed away in his sleep last fall. I like looking at these pics of Steve McQueen and seeing my Dad in them and thinking about starpower.