Poker and the movies

careca

Got a DVD out last Sat night called Finders Fee. Without ruining the plot its about four lads who have a weekly game and always play the last hand of the night for their lotto tickets (without having checked if they are winning tickets).

Anyway I didnt think much of it, acting was pretty lame and the plot was fairly obvious, but it was the poker that really annoyed me.

They played one hand of draw poker. They seemed to have done some homework as one guy was talking about tells and such but when they dealt the cards it turned into a complete farce. Guys were buying four (possibly allowed) but the dealer was giving out the cards in a complete random fashion. Player in mid postion got his first , then dealer himself, then player to his right and finally player to his left. It also just happened that they exposed their cards in a random way with (conveniently) the worst hand coming out first and so on to the best hand.

Surely if companies are doing a movie about poker they should do some research into the rules and make it some bit believable.

/end rant

Bandana boy

Hollywodd just doesnt get Poker
Rounders been about the best for some poker reality
(I do like the cincinnati kid but POker is laughable)

Good news for fans of poker on the big screen is that there are two Hold -em orientated movies coming out this year
Hopefully they dont make drawing to a 44-1 shot seem like a good play by our hero at any point

Running Bing

Yeah but one of them is a romance movie with drew barrymore! I dont hold very high hopes for the quality of poker in that one. Havent heard about the other one, any info bandana boy.

Bandana boy

Drew would make you worried but it has Eric Bana and directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A confidential and 8 Mile ) so could be pretty good

they filmed in Binion's and Bellagio so at least a little bit of realism

Cant think of the name of the other yet will get back to you

Running Bing

Yeah Bana is promising but (although la confidential was great) the majority of Hansons work is mediocre at best.

I just dont get it who are they aiming it at? Women arent gonna want a see a film about poker(the majority wont) and men, esp. poker players, dont want to see a romance. Its the equivalent of making a cartoon slasher movie! Why not just make a decent attempt at a full blown poker movie if your gonna set it in the belagio and binions?

I suppose it all depends on what the romance: poker ratio is but I fear the worst.

Mr. Flibble

Slightly off topic here but after watching that movie I can't make sense of it. How did James Earl Jones's character know about the wallet? I thought at first he was the guy he rang but that wouldn't make really sense as he would be easilly caught.

careca

Mr. Flibble wrote:

Slightly off topic here but after watching that movie I can't make sense of it. How did James Earl Jones's character know about the wallet? I thought at first he was the guy he rang but that wouldn't make really sense as he would be easilly caught.

The only thing I could come up with is that he was the guy whose number was in the wallet (vincent or something like that) , who he asked to pass on the message. It was mentioned in the film that everyone would know your mans lotto numbers as he had told half the neighbourhood. It was so bloody obvious when the knock on the door came.

Mr. Flibble

careca wrote:

The only thing I could come up with is that he was the guy whose number was in the wallet (vincent or something like that) , who he asked to pass on the message. It was mentioned in the film that everyone would know your mans lotto numbers as he had told half the neighbourhood. It was so bloody obvious when the knock on the door came.

I thought he was his brother that he rang. Perhaps he just told him he was his brother, that would make sense.

Bandana boy

Babybing wrote:

Yeah but one of them is a romance movie with drew barrymore! I dont hold very high hopes for the quality of poker in that one. Havent heard about the other one, any info bandana boy.

Other one is called poker nights
Dont know a lot about it but it stars Sam "the Man" Jackson which is possibly a good thing
And Hayden "Darth Vader " Christian possibly a bad thing

span

Dont think there'll be much poker in Poker night. Sounds like a saw rip off

When rookie detective Stan Jeter (HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN) wakes to find himself strapped to a chair in a dim and filthy basement he has every reason to panic. Having ignored the advice of his Captain and mentor Calabrese (SAMUEL L. JACKSON) he is waylaid by a call on his scanner, and has fallen into an elaborate trap – but his nightmarish ordeal is only just beginning…

Jeter’s faceless abductor is a vicious serial killer who is bent on ruining his reputation, while mercilessly torturing his captive both physically and mentally. Any thoughts of immediate escape are banished though on the realisation his girlfriend Amy also lies captive somewhere in this underground hell.

Cut off from the outside world and with the realisation that this monster is unstoppable, Stan is forced to refer back to the only help available to him. Tradition demands that the rookie attend a “Poker Night” - an evening when the veteran detectives impart their priceless knowledge to the rookie. Only their tales contain the survival skills Stan requires to escape from his living nightmare. They may also solve the puzzle of Stan’s nemesis’ terrifying vendetta against him.