I've been having a renaissance as of late with a few of my favorite card games - even well before I knew I'd be reviewing this DVD set. As a kid I played a lot of cards with surly, cut-throat players who had no problem with playing it hard and fast even at the expense of each other's self esteem. These family games were mostly standard stuff like 21, five card stud, Rummy (standard rules) and Spades for whatever little money we could scrape up. We love cut-throat cards and we love the colorful banter that goes along with that sort of heavy-handed in-your-face style of play.

While World Poker Tour is certainly a show with its own flavor and colorful moments, it can't quite match those late Friday and Saturday nights with a relative you'd just assume smack as look at. So what's the connection with this DVD set and my childhood? The drive to learn a game that's currently sweeping the nation - Texas Hold 'em. I love playing cards with likeminded aggressive people who don't mind playing a hand or two of mean spirited cards. So it was with some glee that I wanted to take on this product and tell you how entertaining - and dare I say it - educational it is. Season 2 certainly delivers boatloads of entertainment and is worth the price of admission for anyone that wants to learn what all the fuss is about with Texas Hold ' Em. Watching it I have come to realize that World Poker Tour is ten times more civilized than the average poker game and that the players who are skilled enough to make it to these tournaments are truly blessed by some almighty power..

There's a reason why the Travel Channel is getting better ratings these days - and that reason is World Poker Tour, a series of televised poker tournaments that take place all over the world. Prior to this show, this channel probably didn't have that many viewers at all. Watching a show about how great Mexico or France is for tourists is about as exciting as watching mold grow.. Be that as it may, it makes perfect sense that Shout Factory would want to bring a full season of this ultra popular show to DVD. The second season of this popular show offers big stake games played out to dramatic finishes, bluffs, amazing hands and emotional moments as pro poker players and common folk go head-to-head for all the marbles. These moments may sound on the surface to be as exciting watching golf or bowling; but these high matches will surely suck you and keep you watching whether you play poker or have a passing interest in it.

Nearly 60,000 million people call themselves poker players in the United States and the game of choice for the nation - and the World Poker Tour - is No Limit Texas Hold 'em. What's great about this set is that it's like a study guide for anyone that plays this form of poker or wants to learn. The show is great because it uses all the poker terminology liberally but does a nice job of offering that same information in a digestible form via on screen definitions and explanations by the top players in the sport. This could include basic game rules to terms on the kinds of hands players have.

This product also offers a lot of value because these poker events are not half an hour affairs; they are long drawn out events with lots of drama and personalities from all walks of life - from pro players, to actors, engineers, etc. And it's interesting to watch the dark horses of the tour give the pros a savage and sound beating, which happened a lot more than you might think it should have in season 2. It's also amazing to watch how much money changes hands in these televised events. Hundreds of thousands of dollars can change hands in one single round as bluffs either turn the corner as a façade uncovered or pay the bluffers huge cash rewards. Even hands that are perceived as decent in the early goings of these 6 person match-up, can go sour by the turn of the cards. This DVD set shows different degrees of triumph and tragedy from Season 2 as big pots move like cattle from one player to another.

Of particular interest in this long running 8 DVD disc set for people wanting to pick up some new information on poker is the final disc, which offers tons of tips from the pro's and analysis on the final leg of the tournament, where big pots were at stake and were finally snapped up by a single player to the tune of about 4.7 million dollars – not too shabby for a few hours work.. Disc 8 offers running commentary about the final round of the tournament, offers real pro tips that average players will find handy and offers a ton of short clips on various aspects of the game that will get people who want to learn more excited. After watching this lengthy DVD set, the commentary from the pro players was just grand. They reveal what the average viewer might not know about the demeanor of certain players, the biggest blunders they made and a myriad of other interesting thoughts on who made the biggest impact on the grandest of all battles in the set.

Anyone that even has a passing interest in poker should go out and buy this DVD set. It's just that good. If you're a novice then this product offers a lot of extra value for you because, by observing these high stakes players coupled with all the information from the shows and the extra DVD features, you can learn a lot of helpful lessons. Perhaps it will even improve your game. In the end the 8 disc DVDS set proves to be a rather lengthy and entertaining product that is fascinating enough to warrant a purchase no matter what you think about Texas Hold 'Em. You can learn more about the World Poker Tour Season 2 DVD set by visiting Shout Factory now.