Chess is booming as a result of @netflix's brilliant 'The Queen's Gambit'.

Now the #poker world is crying out for its own film/TV show to bring wider interest to the game.

Here are 5 true-life poker plot lines (& the ideal casts) that we should see onscreen.

A thread

1) 'TEXAS DOLLY'

Whether it's a 3hr movie directed by Martin Scorcese or an 8hr Netflix series, it would be incredible to see the story of @TexDolly--from NBA-ready college athlete to road gambler to the Godfather of poker--on screen.

What do you reckon, @briankoppelman?

2) Synopsis:

In the early 50s, a devastating leg injury crushes the NBA dreams of prodigious college athlete Doyle Brunson. He turns to illegal poker games to fuel his competitiveness and soon finds himself on the road with a crew of Texan card sharks. Over the next 60 years...

3) Brunson writes the book on poker, wins 10 World Series bracelets, and navigates the online poker boom while becoming the greatest player of all time. At 87, he decides to step away from the tables, but one final high stakes game brings the Godfather of poker out of retirement.

4) Director: Martin Scorcese

Starring:

Russell Crowe / Christopher Plummer / Armie Hammer as Doyle Brunson

Tom Hanks (Johnny Moss)
Owen Wilson (Amarillo Slim)
David Koechner (Puggy Pearson)
Timothee Chalamet (Stu Ungar)
Matt Damon (Chip Reese)
Danny McBride (Todd Brunson)

5) 'BLACK FRIDAY'

A brutally honest telling of online poker’s darkest day could become the most important poker movie ever made.

If there’s one filmmaker who could tell the story in an entertaining, educational way, it’s director of The Big Short, Adam McKay ( @GhostPanther).

6) Synopsis:

It’s 2011 and the poker boom comes to a crashing end when the United States Department of Justice issues an indictment against the three largest online poker websites in the country: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker. But...

7) Things are about to get even worse for the poker community when it’s revealed that Full Tilt Poker – run by Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Ray Bitar – has been defrauding poker players out of more than $300 million and doesn’t have the funds to reimburse them.

8) 'BLACK FRIDAY'

Director: Adam McKay

Starring:

Jeff Daniels (Howard Lederer)
David Krumholtz (Ray Bitar)
Billy Bob Thornton (Chris Ferguson)
Mandy Patinkin (Isai Scheinberg)
Michael B. Jordan ( @philivey)
Michael Fassbender ( @GusHansen)
Sam Rockwell (George W. Bush)

9) 'SUITED CONNECTORS'

In just about every poker movie, female characters are simply used as props to either annoy or inspire the leading man.

Screw that. There are plenty of world-class players who are as feared at the tables as any dude. @krissyb24poker is top of the list.

10) Synopsis:

Inspired by her poker hero Jennifer Harman, Kristen Bicknell works her way to the top of a male-dominated game and becomes one of the best poker players around. When she falls in love with another top player, Alex Foxen, it feels like a match made in heaven...

11) But complications arise when the two fierce competitors both wind up at the same final table of a major poker tournament. Can they put their loving feelings aside and play coldblooded versus one another when deep down they want to see each other succeed?

12) 'SUITED CONNECTORS'

Director: Greta Gerwig

Starring:

Anna Kendrick (Kristen Bicknell - @krissyb24poker)
Channing Tatum (Alex Foxen - @WAFoxen)
Cameron Diaz (Jennifer Harman - @REALJenHarman)
Will Poulter (Kahle Burns - @ROFLshove)

13) 'THE WEIGHTING GAME'

@jaimestaples and @MattStaplesPKR had the entire poker community rooting for them when they bet @bp22 that they couldn’t weigh within 1lb of each other in 12 months.

They did it, of course, in a great story of perseverance and hard work paying off.

14) Synopsis:

Two professional poker playing brothers find themselves in a high stakes game on the yacht of an eccentric billionaire, with who they make a large bet: Brothers Jaime (304lbs) and Matt (134lbs) have to weigh within 1lb of each other in exactly a year’s time.

15) If they can do it, they’ll win big. With the help of a strict personal trainer, they’re going all in. But life on the road makes losing and gaining both weight and money harder than they thought.

Sounds like a great road-trip buddy comedy, right?

Here's the cast:

16) 'THE WEIGHTING GAME'

Director: Paul Feig

Starring:

Kevin Hart - @KevinHart4real (Bill Perkins - @bp22)
Zac Efron (Mike Vacanti - @mikevacanti)
Jaime Staples (himself - @jaimestaples)
Matt Staples (himself - @MattStaplesPKR)

17) 'THE BLIND STEAL'

The story of the alleged Mike Postle cheating scandal which took place at Stones Casino, Sacramento from July 2018 through Sep 2019.

After Moneyball and Molly's Game, Aaron Sorkin has proven he can easily enlighten audiences on some dense subject matter.

18) Synopsis:

Poker player and commentator Veronica Brill grows suspicious that a successful player in her game, Mike Postle, has been cheating for months on a live-streamed Sacramento cash game with the help of cardroom manager Justin Kuraitis. They deny the allegations...

19) ...and will do anything to discredit Brill, so she turns to someone she hopes can help expose the suspected charlatans: popular YouTuber Joe Ingram.

Maybe a film like this will inspire more people to seek the truth of what really went on during those live streams.

20) 'THE BLIND STEAL'

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Starring:

Emma Stone (Veronica Brill - @Angry_Polak)
Ben Foster (Mike Postle)
Jonah Hill (Justin Kuraitis)
Pete Davidson (Joe Ingram - @Joeingram1)

Thanks for reading!

To find out more about the potential poker films and their casts, check out the article on @PocketFives.

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