Have you ever been to a private poker game at a friends’ house or even hosted one yourself? If the answer to that question is “yes”, then the chances are that they had no resemblance to the one in the movie “Poker Night”, which stars Benz Antoine and Alex Appel!
The story centres around a character called “Marty” who just happens to be house-sitting in his parents’ house, while they are away for the weekend. I guess you can already guess what's coming next. Put a young guy, with loads of male and female friends, in someone else's house for the weekend and you can bet your life on one thing…..there will be a lot of action (if you want to experiment something similar by yourself click here).
The Stake
Marty’s friends want to host a poker night at the house, but with a twist. They decide that the winner of the night will end up getting a very “special” prize…….a stunningly beautiful “lady of the night”.
Obviously they decide not to tell Marty at first. But things soon get a little out of hand when Marty’s neighbour Ed finds out about what's on offer. He immediately wants in. Another sub-plot develops when Ed’s young daughter Sybil, played by Kristin Fairlie, tries to stop the game because she has a crush on Marty.
The Buy-in
Problems start when Marty’s friends discover that the fees for the “escort” are substantially greater than what they can all afford. This particular woman just happens to be the hottest player in town. She is completely out of the Marty's league and his consortium of friends.
Marty and his friends are soon dragged into a whirlpool of trouble and strife and Marty’s life is turned upside down. Soon, Marty learns very painful lesson - sometimes skill can't get the better of luck.
The Showdown
The movie is both funny and entertaining with a tinge of suspense thrown in for good measure. In fact I would go as far as to say that the topic of the movie may inspire some home game enthusiasts to spice up their regular weekly cash games with “prizes” not previously considered. If you accept this movie as purely entertainment and tongue in cheek, then you will be bang on the money.
Written and directed by Chris John with a tiny non-Hollywood-like budget of only $300,000CAD, Poker Night is a film that will appeal to any home game poker enthusiast.