Like much of what comes out of Hollywood, poker films can really be hit or miss propositions. Some films have delved into the game and offered an authentic look at players and events. Others have missed the mark entirely – bringing cringes from poker players and fans for unrealistic hands, strange play, and an overall lack of legitimacy.
Josh Wilcox is hoping his new film falls into the Rounders category of poker movies and becomes a player favorite. The 43-year-old screenwriter has a long history at the table and hoped to capture some of his own love for the game in a screenplay mixed with some poker, drama, and intrigue.
The result is Dead Money, starring Emile Hirsch, India Eisley, David Keith, Jackie Earle Haleym, and Rory Culkin, and produced by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
The production company describes the film: “When a home poker game is robbed by armed men, pro poker player Andy (Hirsch) and his girlfriend Chloe (Eisley) get caught in the middle. Now, Andy must play the best poker of his life at the biggest game in town to save his and Chloe’s lives.”
The new flick gives poker the full Hollywood treatment and Wilcox hopes his efforts at poker realism pay off with not only casual viewers, but serious players as well. He even served as a poker consultant during filming and was involved in the preproduction and postproduction to ensure the on-screen action looked like it wouldn’t be out of place in any casino or home game.
“I promise, the poker in the movie feels very real,” Wilcox tells Card Player. “Everyone always talks about how terrible the poker scenes are in movies – myself included – but the producers and I were dedicated to making that part of the world look and feel real. Plus, it’s just a really fun ride. You’re going to experience the same ups and downs a gambler would have on their best and worst days at the table.”
Home Games To Hollywood Screenwriter
Wilcox knows plenty about those ups and downs that can come with life at the poker table. He grew up in New Jersey, San Francisco, and Atlanta and studied creative writing at Emory University. Since graduation, he has been juggling careers as a professional poker player and indie filmmaker.
Like many players, he learned the game from his father, but really started playing more in college.
“I love all kinds of games, and I definitely have a competitive streak,” he says. “So, poker was a perfect fit. After I graduated, I was working at CNN for a while and the hours were crazy. I never slept. So, in my off time I would play those free poker tournaments that bars and restaurants run. I started doing really well at those, and someone invited me to a private home game.”
“One thing led to another and eventually I was making way more playing poker than I was at my job, so I quit and never really looked back. I never got into the online poker boom, I only ever played live home games and at casinos. Mostly cash games, plus the occasional tournament as well. I still play in L.A. from time to time.”
That home game scene and some of the players Wilcox interacted with stuck with him and served as the inspiration for Dead Money.
“I always wanted to capture the feeling of those home games on screen, those crazy characters that I met over the years and to let the audience experience that gambling rush, that experience of going from poker game to game. When you’re winning, you feel so invincible,” he says. “And then, of course, the inevitable fall that every gambler experiences. So, this movie is a mix of reality and absurdity.”
Hirsch, who is known for films like Into the Wild and Lone Survivor, also worked to bring some realism of his own to the film. His character research included taking in some Las Vegas cash games and speaking with high-stakes live stream regulars like Alan Keating, Nik Airball, and Ryan Feldman.
“It was an incredible experience diving into the world of poker and gambling,” the actor noted on Twitter. “I got so obsessed with the game that I regularly found myself googling ‘gambling addiction.’ I’ve partaken in many vices in my day – and that one has easily the strongest pull!”
Bringing Poker To The Big Screen
Working in Hollywood isn’t easy. The competition can be fierce and there is no shortage of screenwriters hoping to break into the industry. There is plenty of rejection along the way and Wilcox finds some real similarities between hitting the poker felt and pounding out scripts at the keyboard and trying to catch a break.
“Most days I work on my own scripts, always writing more and more projects to pitch to producers,” says Wilcox. “I usually say the hustle is very similar to poker, figuring out who’s on the up and up, and who is trying to take advantage of you. But I’m lucky here, I have a great community of fellow writers and filmmakers who are always so supportive of each other. It’s rare.”
After so much grinding – at the keyboard and at the poker table – it was gratifying finally getting the go-ahead and know that his screenplay would actually be filmed.
“When we finally got the green light, it honestly felt like rivering the nuts in a big hand,” he says. “It’s like in poker, you can plan and study all you want, but very few things feel like that rush of hitting your two-outer.”
As a fan of films, Wilcox pointed to a few poker movies that he has enjoyed through the years and that have served as some inspiration. What did some of these get right and how did some get the game wrong?
“ Rounders is always up at the top of the list of course,” he says. “They knock it out of the park in terms of merging entertainment and poker. Just well written and executed all around. As poker players, we’re always obsessed with detail and we spend so many hours at the table playing that we notice any little thing that feels off about a poker scene in a movie, but it’s hard to walk the line of maintaining poker authenticity while staying entertaining. I think a lot of poker scenes in movies lean into the entertainment, so they end up feeling a little cliche to us. Casino Royale is a great example. Amazing movie, but the poker scenes are impossible.”
“More recently, I loved Molly’s Game, which really nails the characters around the table and the setting of a home game. It felt very true to the game. And then, some classics are Cincinnati Kid, California Split, and I have a soft spot for Maverick – total cartoon version of poker, but so entertaining. Oh, and I have a small cameo in Mississippi Grind which is a great movie and captures the home game well.”
Filming The Action And Looking Ahead
When moviegoers watch the action play out on screen, the goal is to make the poker look seamless like they might see at a casino or when playing with a group of friends who know what they’re doing. Wilcox says that comes with hours and hours of filming the cards on set – closeups, low angles, flop after flop after flop.
“But there’s nothing better than just filming a great actor looking at their cards,” he says. “You see it all right there in their face.”
As the film’s poker consultant for the movie the screenwriter was on set every day to make sure all the poker elements were authentic. He says the producers were also big into poker and wanted authenticity wherever possible. That meant a focus on real tables, real shuffling machines, and good cards and chips that one might find in a real game. The effort meant plenty of work making sure there was real consistency in how things looked at the tables.
“Of course, when you’re shooting the scenes, you end up having to film a shot over and over again,” he says. “So, resetting those cards for the dealer, resetting those chip stacks the way they were and trying to maintain that continuity can be a nightmare, particularly in the final poker scene of the movie. Andy (the main character) plays in the biggest game of his life, and there are some massive pots. Keeping those cards and chips straight was tough.”
Wilcox is really hoping poker players and fans enjoy the film. Now with Dead Money wrapped up, he has a few other films he’s working to get produced and is also collaborating with another screenwriter. He’s also working on another poker script. But what are some of his personal poker goals when looking ahead?
“I’d love to have that perfect night at the table where I don’t make a single mistake. But it’s such a complicated game. Always strive to play better, that’s what makes it so great.”
Dead Money hits theaters and video on demand platforms on Sept. 13.