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The movies love cheatin’ stories. Cheatin’ at love, cheatin’ at
business, cheatin’ at poker. That’s OK. Poker does have that reputation
and for good reason. However, much has changed over the years.
Used to be that the deal rotated around to each player. This raised the
temptation for a skilled card-handler to mark cards or to deal in a
cheatin’ way. And they did. Now, poker is on TV, it is out in the open, there are neutral dealers and it has gained respectability. But it is only natural that most movies reflect the cheatin’ tradition. For example: One.
In “The Cincinnati Kid” (1965), Steve McQueen’s friend, “Shooter,”
played by Academy Award winner, Karl Malden, is dealing him great hands
of five card stud against Edward G. Robinson (“Lancey Howard). McQueen
(“Eric Stoner”) folds a full house, asks for a break, and tells Shooter
to knock it off. “Why did you fold a full house?” asks Shooter? “I was embarrassed to show it.” When
they come together again, Stoner asks for a change of dealers and Joan
Blondell (“Ladyfingers”) deals properly to the improbable conclusion of
Stoner’s full house (Aces over 10’s) losing to Lancey Howard’s gut
diamond straight flush to the Queen. Two. “Rounders” (1998)
updates the poker genre a bit to include No Limit Texas Hold ‘em and
the World Series of Poker with an appearance by two-time poker champ,
Johnny Chan. Again, cheating on the part of Edward Norton (as “Worm).
The conclusion, Matt Damon’s showdown against “KGB,” played by John
Malkovich, is based on a “tell,” a way that he pulls his Oreo cookies
apart. Three. “Kaleidoscope” (1966) with Warren Beatty is once
again in the cheating genre. Beatty breaks into a United Kingdom card
company and marks the metal plates that are used to produce their
cards. In other words, he hasn’t marked one deck, he has marked them
all. Of course he is the only one who can read these marks – until –
the big showdown game. Some servants go to the basement to break new
decks of cards out of a shipping crate when they discover “old” decks
(prior to the changing of the plates) and bring them to the game. Again
the game is 5 card stud. Can you guess the outcome of this one? Four.
David Mamet’s “House of Games” from 1987. Once again the game is 5 card
draw. This time the plot is based on the “long con,” a drawn out,
multilayered story, with multiple players all acting against one
unsuspecting “mark.” Another part of the plot deals with a “tell.” Five.
“The Sting” from 1973. Paul Newman and Robert Shaw are playing cards (5
card draw) on a train. Each is trying to cheat the other. Shaw stacks
the deck and deals Newman four 3’s. He deals himself four 9’s. At the
showdown, Newman shows four J’s. What is Shaw going to say? You cheated
me better than I cheated you? Coming up in 2006 is a new poker
movie, “Lucky You,” pitting a son (Eric Bana from “Munich”) against the
old pro, Robert Duvall, who happens to be his father. Let’s see if we
are in for another cheatin’ movie. (c) 2006 Murphy James
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