Yorky Pud

One of the best films about poker, well coming to think of it probably the only film I have ever seen that involved poker in a realistic fashion, Rounders, is about to have its long awaited sequel filmed and should hit the silver screen sometime in 2012.

Miramax Films are once again teaming up with Weinstein Company to create sequels to some box office hits and Rounders 2 is most certainly on the cards, pardon the pun. The original rounders was released in 1998, well before the so-called Moneymaker boom, and is seen as the reason why poker became popular and fashionable towards the year 2000. Warning, spoilers in the next couple of paragraphs if you have not seen the original.

For those of you who haven't seen the film it depicts Matt Damon's character, Mike McDermott in his quest to win back all of his money in a high-stakes cash game from a Bond-esque villain Teddy KGB, played by the excellent John Malkovich. McDermott loses everything he owns to the dodgy Russian early in the film so he and Lester "Worm" Murphy, played by Edward Norton, play in various home games and casinos in an attempt to raise enough money to take on Teddy KGB again.

McDermott manages to win enough money to take on his nemesis and finds the most ridiculous tell on Teddy KGB (it is Hollywood afterall) which he uses to put his opponent on tilt by laying down top two pair on the flop and informing his opponent he knows he has a straight. The next hand he slowplays 9s8s on a 6d-7s-Th-2c-As board and stacks Teddy KGB and the film ends shortly after.

Fans of the film, myself included, have always wondered what happened to McDermott, did he get out of the underground poker club alive? Did he get his girl back? What sort of shenanigans did the degenerate that is "Worm" get up to? Well now it appears we are going to find out. According to reports both Damon and Norton have signed up for Rounders 2, as has original director John Dahl but there is no confirmation that Malkovich or John Tururro, who played grinder Joey Knish, have put pen to paper.

Knowing a good poker film is on the horizon should be a breath of fresh air for poker fans across the globe as we have been subjected to some real garbage over the past few years including the God-awful last hand of the Bond film Casino Royale, which was horrific (search on YouTube if you have to see it). Poker is going through an indifferent time at present so some good Hollywood footage could help kickstart another boom of sorts.

Just remember, as McDermott says during Rounders, "If you can't spot the sucker at the table in the first half hour then you ARE the sucker." Educational as well as entertaining!