Thus Spake Zarathustra 

In the Prologue to ‘Thus Spake Zarathustra,’ Nietzsche’s anti-prophet comes down from the mountain declaring that ‘God is dead’ and that humanity needs to adopt that reality as a starting point for a new type of existence. His descent brings him to a small town where he preaches his message, his wisdom falling on the deaf ears of the townspeople who are more interested in the performance of a Tightrope Walker. Rather than continuing to preach, Zarathustra spectates with them, marvelling at the Tightrope Walker, who is in the middle of his act. 

he falls from his rope and plummets to the hard ground below

As the Tightrope Walker gets half way across the span of his rope, he hears the voice of a Jester coming from behind him. The voice tells him to move out of the way, to return to the safety of his tower. The Tightrope Walker, however, does not heed the warning and suddenly the Jester runs along the rope himself, leaping over the Tightrope Walker who begins to wobble. His balance failing him, he falls from his rope and plummets to the hard ground below, landing near to where Zarathustra is standing. 

The crowd disperses in all directions and the Tightrope Walker, his body broken, lies dying from the fall. Struggling for breath, he asks Zarathustra if he can stay with him to ‘stop the Devil from dragging him to Hell’. Zarathustra only comforts him, telling him that Hell no longer exists and that ‘to die through the dangers of one’s work is a great honour.’ Zarathustra sits next to the Tightrope Walker’s corpse until nightfall and then buries him.

The four rules of the poker kings

Dara O’Kearney and I just had the great pleasure to welcome back to ‘The Lock-In’ our good friend and decorated Scottish poker pro Niall Farrell, a man who is something of a Tightrope Walker himself. His eagerly awaited BBC documentary entitled ‘The Four Rules Of The Poker Kings’ airs next week and it is an honest coup d’oeil at the menagerie of poker misfits.

Niall is a natural in front of the camera and he is in very safe hands with BAFTA-winning director Greg Clark who gives us a glimpse into the life of a poker professional who balances online poker, a busy live schedule, and time spent with his young family. Taking place between December 2021 and July 2022, Niall’s trips to Prague, Monte-Carlo, Dublin and Las Vegas are interspersed with home life in Dumfries, Scotland. The ‘four poker rules’ motif gives the story a backbone while Clark’s narration, voiced by BAFTA-wining actor John Hannah, fleshes out the story, part-explainer and part-commentary. Having been lucky enough to get an advanced screening, I would rate it five stars… two thumbs up… six cans of Tennants lager. 

Are there a couple of moments with which the poker purists can quibble? Yes, but this documentary is getting a mainstream release on television in the UK and on the iPlayer. It would be churlish to nitpick a few of the minor details, especially when those details may actually help the un-indoctrinated viewer get to grips with the vagaries and peculiarities of the poker circus. 

Profundity and profanity

As anyone who knows Niall would expect, he delivers sharp insights and plenty of wit. There’s profundity and profanity in equal measure as he ponders his life choices, ruminates on the nature of risk-taking, and acknowledges how tournament poker players are always at the mercy of short-term luck. Niall is not, however, the only person in this story. 

David’s career was, up to that point at least, more that of a mid-stakes grinder

Clarke also follows Scottish poker professional David Docherty as he is coming into his own after a decade of under-achievement, by his own admission. Unlike Niall, who has made millions of dollars from poker and is among a very small group of players who have won events at the World Series of Poker and on the European Poker Tour and World Poker Tour, David’s career was, up to that point at least, more that of a mid-stakes grinder. As such, he is immediately sympathetic to the viewer and someone for whom we genuinely root. 

There are nice cameos from veteran Dara O’Kearney and YouTuber Adam McKola as Niall takes down the Main Event at the Dublin UK and Ireland Poker Tour. It’s fair to say that Niall treats his visit to Ireland as an opportunity to socialise but the gregarious Scot nonetheless bags himself a trophy. David fairs less well in the Irish capital but there is a sense with him that he is on the cusp of a breakout result. 

You don’t always get what you want

As the documentary shifts focus to David, we get a greater sense of how poker is a hard way to make an easy living. He has had periods of struggle, fallen in and out of love with the game, and from that perspective, we appreciate how the decision to play poker full time is fraught with danger. These players wager their money but also their time which could be spent in pursuit of other career endeavours. 

Summer comes around and both Niall and David head over to Las Vegas. Of all the poker trips that they make during one lap of the Sun, it is this one that tests their mettle the most. A relentless schedule of huge field tournaments equals high variance for our two high wire daredevils. Niall loses over $100,000 during his month in the desert while David also ends up the red. It is a somber end to the documentary, or so we think. 

we flash forward to David taking down the 2023 Irish Poker Open for €365,000

During the final days of the WSOP, Niall is offered a lucrative ambassadorial contract with GGPoker, a deal which would provide some guaranteed income for the year ahead. You don’t always get what you want but sometimes you get what you need. As the credits roll, we flash forward to David taking down the 2023 Irish Poker Open for €365,000 ($398,675) with a caption explaining how he went on a big heater since the documentary was filmed. 

Tightrope walkers

This documentary will probably polarise opinion on what some will call ‘the gambling lifestyle’ but I think that Clark gets the balance just right. It’s not all Monte Carlo helicopter rides and $500 steaks. There are scenes of Niall’s domestic life with his partner and son and the fact that he used a chunk of his winnings to buy a house for his mum. David might be staying in a fancy room overlooking the Strip but there is nowhere on the planet more lonely and soulless than Las Vegas when you are down on your luck. 

The biggest takeaway for me was that both Niall and David are intelligent men who understand the risks that they are taking. Poker players make sacrifices in order to pursue an unconventional career. Their bad judgment is punished severely and their good judgment does not necessarily get rewarded in the short term. They might be escaping the rat race but it is certainly not a life without suffering. 

They live by the sword and know that they could die by that same sword

Niall and David are The Tightrope Walkers traversing the narrowest of routes over an abyss, acceptant of the potentially dire consequences They are at risk from jesters in the form of formidable opponents who are skilled, weak opponents who are lucky and the unpredictable nature of the game itself. They must wrestle with the cruelty of variance and how it takes its toll on both mindset and spirit. They live by the sword and know that they could die by that same sword, so like Zarathustra, I respect them for that.

The film ‘The Four Rules Of The Poker Kings’ airs on BBC Scotland at 9pm on August 16. It will also be available to watch on the iPlayer.