Mike (Damon) is a grinder that plays poker as if it was a job. He has used his skills to pay his way through law school by gambling day after day without falling outside the boundaries of his method. But now something clicked and he is making a run for it. He goes to the underground club of Teddy KGB (Malkovich), a man highly connected with the Russian mob, carrying along all his savings and trading them for three stacks of high society ($30,000) to try to pave his way to Vegas.

It seems that the advice of a friend will save him from his fate when Joey Knish (Turturro) tries to dissuade him from going for it, but Mike disregards the advice and takes his chances. When Mike doesn't follow his cardinal rule (title of this review), Teddy KGB busts him for all his money. Now he is so disappointed that he decides to quit the game, takes up a job working Joey's truck and promises his girlfriend not to gamble anymore. When Worm (Norton) an old friend from school comes out of jail, Mike is tempted to go for it again. The fact that Worm is a cheat and owes money to influential people just complicates things.

This movie presents an interesting tour of the world of gambling, and if you are interested in poker you will certainly like it. You will also get the chance to see several pros in action, in a few scenes of the movie and in the extras. For those that watch poker on TV and see the glamour surrounding it, you will also get to see a more real depiction of what a professional player that is not on the top goes through.

In terms of the acting, the cast does a great job. Edward Norton is outstanding in the role of Worm, the light-headed trickster who has a history of messing up and who will not stop before getting Mike back into the action. Matt Damon plays his lead role with conviction, and the research he did on poker helps convey his confidence to the viewer. In terms of the supporting cast, Turturro and Malkovich are praiseworthy, so much so that I have always wanted to have the same poise at the poker table that Malkovich, when portraying Teddy KGB, shows in the beginning of the movie.

As I mentioned, the main plus of this new edition is the DVD extras. First, you get an interactive game of Hold'em in which you have to determine whether the correct option is to call, raise or fold, and a tutorial for those who need help learning the game. If you are new to poker this will be interesting, but if you are an average player or above you will probably get bored by it very fast. The behind the scenes feature takes a look at the world of poker, and how the creators decided to go with a movie on this subject. I liked the care they took in researching the topic and showing believable hands in the film, as well as in using specific poker terms. There is also a segment with professional poker players commenting on what the game is, and hammering home the notion that on the long run poker is not a game of luck. The Champion Poker Tips with Johnny Chan, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth and Chris Moneymaker are insightful, but do not focus on specific hands, but on overall strategy instead. Finally, you get the chance of watching the movie with two different sets of commentators, either with the four pros just mentioned or with the director and screenwriters.

As you probably figured out by this point, this is a must have DVD. It has everything a good production should have, a great film, interesting extras, and outstanding image and sound quality. Trust me, you cannot go wrong with this one!

A Bit Rubbish
Review date: 2005-03-19 Rating: 2 out of 10

This really isn`t a very good film at all. Even if you`re a poker player. Make that, especially if you`re a poker player. None of it rings true. For a start the plot is so cliched you`ll spend a great deal of time playing "spot the reference". This film is more like "The Hustler", than "The Cincinnati Kid", but manages to rip off the pair of them. Most of the poker quotes are lifted straight from Doyle Brunson`s classic book "Power Poker" and the actual poker playing scenes are nonsense; even the best player in the world can`t walk into a game and five minutes later correctly deduce every player`s hand. If they could they`d be unbeatable. And how many tourists play in $20/$40 games? Hmmm. There are some comical scenes though, particularly the one where they get beaten up by the cops. So, cliched plot, average acting and the whole thing probably incomprehensible to non poker players. It is said that the greatest film about poker ever made was "The Hustler". Even though it is nominally about pool, it has all the elements of great poker games between great players. Buy that instead.

one of the best
Review date: 2004-11-29 Rating: 8 out of 10

My favorite movie on poker. You will love it

Rounders
Review date: 2004-07-20 Rating: 8 out of 10

This is a film for the poker player. If you dont know how to play poker it can still be enjoyed but the poker players out there will feel the thrills a little more keenly. Rounders is a well researched film which gives a very good feel for the poker world, a little extreme perhaps, but the core emotions of the game are well portrayed. If you dont play poker and want to know what all the fuss is about this film might give you some idea. Rounders follows the fortunes of a law student(Damon)who plays poker to make money, going around to all the games in and around New York to earn the money to pay for his education. Through the course of the film we are brought along on quite a rollercoaster of changing fortunes and high stakes gambling but the film is consistantly focused around poker. Even if you dont play cards at all, this is still a cracking good yarn, and the performances by Norton and Damon are excellent. Definately worth a watch.

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